ABO/NCLE Changed Certification Process for Next Year (2016)

In a recent email, the ABO-NCLE said that starting January 2016, it is changing certification renewal requirements. It will apply to all three-year certificates (certifications) that expire in 2016. Here are the new renewal requirements, as described by ABO/NCLE:

• ABO Certification Renewal: $85 renewal fee and completion of 12 ABO and/or NCLE approved CECs [continuing education credits], of which at least 6 hours are ABO approved technical CECs.
• NCLE Certification Renewal: $85 renewal fee and completion of 18 ABO and/or NCLE approved CECs, of which at least 9 hours are NCLE approved technical CECs.
• ABO & NCLE (Joint) Certification Renewal: $85 renewal fee for each certification and completion of 21 ABO and/or NCLE approved CECs, of which at least 5 hours of must be ABO approved technical CECs and at least 6 hours must be NCLE approved technical CECs.

"If you are licensed in a state that requires continuing education for license renewal, all you need to do is provide a copy of your current license, with your $85 payment, per certification. In order to maintain your ABO and/or NCLE Advanced & Masters Designation Renewal: $85 renewal fee for each certification and at least one-third of your required credits, as described above, must be Approved Level II or III CECs." Need more information? Contact ABO/NCLE on its certification webpage.

Opticians Rave about OpticalCEUs Continuing Education/Seminar Goes "Hollywood"

The reviews of OpticalCEUs Continuing Education Seminar for opticians this past April are in, and opticians are cheering. As required by the American Board of Opticianry and the National Contact Lens Assn., participants in ABO/NCLE approved continuing education (CEUs, CECs) must ask participants to respond to five questions posed by the ABO/NCLE.

Some 150 opticians learned about contact lenses on the job and for athletes, fitting irregular corneas, the fundamentals of sight, diseases of the eye, and use of the slit lamp at OpticalCEUs seminar with ABO/NCLE approved courses. See their evaluations of each seminar. One attendee summed it up best when he described the seminar as being “consciously planned.”

If you want a taste of what these opticians saw, enjoyed, and tasted during a day of ABO/NCLE certified classes, watch our short movie above.

Linda Conlin to Speak at 2014 OptiCon

OpticalCUE’s Linda Conlin will speak at the 2014 OptiCon, the annual continuing education conference organized by the American Board of Opticianry and the National Contact Lens Examiners (ABO/NCLE). At the Sept. 5-7 conference, national experts will present more than 70 topics about spectacles, contact lenses, and opticianry business management at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center, in Nashville, TN. Linda Conlin, founder of OpticalCEUs, will present "What's Up With Myopia" and "Augmented Reality Contact Lenses" on Sunday, Sept. 7. To get hold of a schedule, click this link. To register for the conference, click this one.

ABO/NCLE Offering Exams Four Times a Year

A few days ago, ABO/NCLE Executive Director James Morris, Esq., informed state’s licensing board that the organizations will offer their National Opticianry Competency and Contact Lens Registry Exams four times a year. Starting on June 15 this year, candidates will be able to register for the exams throughout the year. Applicants also will be able to select the exam date from two options.

ABO/NCLE Deadlines	and Exam Dates for	2014 and 2015
Exam Dates	Registration	Late Registration
Aug. 16-30, 2014	July 12, 2014	July 19, 2014
Nov. 8-22, 2014	Oct. 4, 2014	Oct. 11, 2014
Feb. 14-28, 2015	Jan. 10, 2015	Jan. 17, 2015
May 9-23, 2015	April 4, 2015	April 11, 2015
Aug. 15-29, 2015	July 11, 2015	July 18, 2015
Nov. 7-21, 2015	Oct. 3, 2015	Oct. 10, 2015

New Self-Service Portal from ABO/NCLE

The American Board of Opticianry and the  National Contact Lens Examiners (ABO/NCLE) now offers a self-service portal at www.abo-ncle.org. Eye care professionals can review and print a copy of your transcript, renew your certification, and update your contact information. ABO/NCLE assign members a six-digit user name (their certificaiton numbers) and password. The user name is the same as the members certificatino number, and his/her password is composed of the first three letters of his/her last name plus the certificanio number. Read more at www.abo-ncle.org.