Basic Certification Renewal

  • As an ABO and/or NCLE Board Certified Optician and/or Contact Lens Technician, you must meet specified requirements in order to maintain and renew your certification every 3 years. The purpose of certification renewal is to provide evidence that you have continued to expand your professional knowledge to demonstrate evidence of continual competence in your certification specialty. It also allows you to continue to use your ABO-NCLE credentials.

    Helpful Hints:
  • Visit the ABO-NCLE website on a regular basis to download the most current renewal requirements. Certification renewal criteria can change to reflect changes in practice or regulatory requirements.
  • Develop a plan to show evidence of continual competence requirements for certification renewal.
  • Provide ABO-NCLE with any changes to your contact information including a preferred email address.
  • Continuing education credits (CECs) must be earned within the three year (3) certification period and may not be accumulated and carried over from one period to another.
  • ABO and/or NCLE Ophthalmic courses are identified within the Course Description as being Ophthalmic Level I, Ophthalmic Level II, or Ophthalmic Level III

    All CECs and renewal fees are due on or before your expiration date.


    Warning: There is no grace period and no backdating. Certification renewal applications received after the certification expiration date will have a renewal period beginning with the date of approval and will therefore incur a gap in the certification dates. When there is a gap in certification dates, ABO-NCLE cannot backdate a certification renewal to meet regulatory, reimbursement, or other requirements for practice. You will need to check with your state licensing board, your employer, and/or the agency that is reimbursing your services to determine if you can continue to practice and/or receive reimbursement for services while you are in the process of reactivating your certification.


    If your employer or state licensing board requires certification in order for you to practice and your certification lapses, then the employer or state licensing board may no longer allow you to practice. Please submit the complete application when you renew—submitting a partial or incomplete renewal package will only delay approval of your certification renewal, resulting in a longer gap in the certification dates. All missing information will need to be reviewed and evaluated before a final decision is made.     

 

Continuing Education Renewal Requirements


For those renewing their certification that expires in 2018 and beyond:

ABO Certified: Send in 12 ABO- and/or NCLE-approved CECs (of which at least 6 hours are ABO-approved Ophthalmic CECs; the remainder can be either ABO- and/or NCLE-approved Ophthalmic or Non-Opthalmic) and the $125 fee.

NCLE Certified: Send in 18 NCLE- and/or ABO-approved CECs (of which at least 9 hours are NCLE-approved Ophthalmic CECs; the remainder can be either ABO- and/or NCLE-approved Ophthalmic or Non-Ophthalmic) and the $125 fee.

ABO and NCLE (Joint) Certified: If you are jointly Certified, for your ABO Renewal, you may send in 9 ABO-approved CECs (of which at least 5 hours are ABO-approved Ophthalmic CECs) plus the $125 fee for the ABO renewal portion; for your NCLE Renewal, you may send in 12 NCLE-approved CECs (of which at least 6 hours are NCLE-approved Ophthalmic CECs) plus the $125 fee for the NCLE renewal portion.  


Acceptable Continuing Education Credit

ABO: Spectacle related courses approved by ABO with an assigned course number.

NCLE: Contact lens related courses approved by NCLE with an assigned course number.

OPHTHALMIC:  ABO and/or NCLE Opthalmic courses are identified within the Course Description as being Ophthalmic Level I, Ophthalmic Level II, or Ophthalmic Level III

Alternate Renewal Methods

ABO: You may submit proof of a current license in a licensing state requiring Continuing Education. 
NCLE: You may submit proof of a current license in a licensing state requiring Continuing Education. 
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States that require Continuing Education for their license renewal are:

Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Washington 

 

Renew

Online: Log into your Account

or

Mail: Please send CECs and renewal payment to:               

            ABO-NCLE
            217 North Upper Street, Suite 201
            Lexington, KY 40507

            Be sure to include your name, address and certificate number.

Email: Pay your Renewal Fee Online, Scan your CECs or a copy of your qualifying state license and Email to [email protected].

Be sure to include your name, address and certificate number.
        

Questions?  Please click HERE to send us an email.