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Key Takeaways

Optometrist continuing education (CE) is essential for maintaining licensure, meeting state requirements, and delivering high-quality care.
Staying current on your CE requirements in 2025–2026 helps you master new diagnostic tools, imaging technologies, and treatment protocols.
Knowing your state’s CE rules—including which COPE-approved courses count toward licensure—makes it easier to plan your CE calendar.
With an integrated optometry EHR platform like RevolutionEHR, you can document care that reflects the latest CE training and share timely eye-health education with patients.

Actively engaging in continuing professional education (CPE) helps you maintain a high standard of professional excellence. With new advancements in vision care and ocular health every year, a proactive approach to learning ensures you stay updated with the latest research and technologies, ultimately improving the quality of care you provide to patients.

In this guide to optometrist continuing education for 2026, you’ll find an overview of CE requirements, accreditation standards, and a curated list of online courses and conferences to help you earn and track your CE credits.

Why Optometrists Need Continuing Education

Optometrists play a central role in preserving vision and eye health across all ages, and that responsibility is growing. The field of optometry is expected to grow significantly by 2032 as more patients need care due to rising screen time and an aging population.

Optometry CE credits help you keep pace with that demand by sharpening your clinical skills and keeping you aligned with current standards of care.

In 2020, over 55 million people in the U.S. were 65 or older. Many of them face serious eye conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. But it’s not just older adults, kids are also affected. Around 6.8% of children in the U.S. have a vision problem that’s already been diagnosed.

That’s why continuing education (CE) is so important (and required) for optometrists. It helps them stay sharp and provide the best care possible. Here’s how:

Better Care for All Ages: CE gives optometrists the tools to care for people of all ages, from kids to seniors. They learn how to treat specific eye issues and keep up with changes in patient needs.
Stay Up to Date: New research and tools are always coming out. CE helps optometrists learn about the latest in eye care, like advanced imaging and AI-powered tools that make diagnoses more accurate.
Follow the Rules: CE is required to maintain your license and comply with state and federal regulations. For example, optometrists with a DEA registration must complete eight hours of CE related to substance use disorders and treatment, so it’s important to build these courses into your CE plan.

professionals at conference in the audience

Continuing Education Accreditation

The Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO) and the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) are the two main organizations that oversee optometry CE. ARBO helps establish education standards for optometrists, while COPE reviews and accredits in-person and online optometry CE courses. Together, they help ensure your CE hours are clinically relevant and recognized by state boards.

ARBO helps establish CE standards
COPE accredits in-person and online optometry CE courses

Many states require COPE-approved courses to meet CE obligations, making these classes essential for licensure renewal.

State Optometry CE Requirements

All optometrists must meet their state’s continuing education requirements to maintain licensure. ARBO maintains a database where you can look up state-specific optometry CE requirements, including how many hours you need, which topics qualify, and what must be live or COPE-approved.

State requirements vary for CE and can change every year. For instance, Colorado has the following guidelines for optometry continuing education:

Total CE: 24 hours every two years.
Online/Journal CE: Max 8 hours per cycle.
Clinical facility observation: Earn 1 credit per 2 hours, up to 4 credits per cycle.
TPA licensees: Need 5 CE hours per year in pharmaceutical/ocular disease topics (within the 24‑hour total).
Prohibited CE topics: Practice management, drug company pitches, study groups, etc.

Requirements change regularly, so always confirm the latest optometry CE rules for your state through ARBO or your state Board of Optometry before finalizing your CE plan.

Board Certification and CE

The American Board of Optometry (ABO) offers certification to optometrists wanting to hold board certification credentials within the U.S. Once you obtain your certification, you must fulfill requirements as part of the ABO’s Continuous Assessment Program (CAP), which operates on a four-year renewal procedure.

Requirements include:

100 CE hours. Complete 100 hours of CE during each CAP cycle. CE can be earned through various sources, including COPE, non-COPE CE, CAP activities like mini-assessments, learning modules, and free ABO-sponsored webinars.
9 mini assessments. Mini-assessments are offered three times per year, totaling 9 assessments within each CAP cycle. These assessments focus on specific topics and consist of 25 questions each. If you have a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ), you must pass the assessment in your CAQ area and six additional assessments for a total of seven out of nine.
Twenty-five quality care points. Log 25 quality care points during each CAP cycle. You can earn these through activities within the CAQ practice area, including focused CE, patient encounters, society memberships, journal articles, and lectures.
Three-year evaluation. At the end of the third year of your CAP cycle, there’s an evaluation. If you pass, you will have no obligations in the fourth year, and you will start a new cap cycle at the end of the year. If you don’t meet the requirements, you can use the fourth year for remediation.
One specialty assessment. If you have a CAQ, you must complete an assessment to demonstrate continued advanced competence in the CAQ area during the fourth year of the CAP cycle.

CE Resources for Optometrists in 2026

There are numerous opportunities throughout the year for you to fulfill your CE requirements. These include online CE courses as well as live or in-person optometry CE conferences and events.

Online CE Courses and Webinars for Optometrists

Online CE opportunities include pre-recorded videos, webinars, and online courses.

You can use the following resources to find up-to-date information on online optometry CE opportunities, including live webinars, on-demand courses, and CE scholarships:

ABO CE course site: ABO lists COPE-approved CE webinars that typically offer two CE credits. Topics often include pediatric eye care, imaging for retinal disease, myopia management, and other clinical updates relevant to everyday practice.
ARBO/COPE course search: Use ARBO’s course search to filter by instructor, subject, delivery format, and date so you can quickly find COPE-approved courses that fit your schedule.
Review Education Group: Browse their Study Center for clinical CE articles, courses, and webinars with clearly listed CE credit amounts and pricing details.
MedEdicus: A COPE-accredited provider offering optometry CE through live online events and on-demand courses, including disease-focused programs and case-based learning.
Optocase: Hundreds of case-based video courses that allow you to earn optometry CE credits while working through real-world scenarios.
Helio: A mix of CE opportunities that can satisfy COPE or ABO requirements, with filters to help you find eye-care-specific content.
Optometry schools and SECO University: Schools and organizations such as SECO University regularly publish online CE calendars, including some free CE options for licensed optometrists, residents, and students.

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Best Optometry Conferences with CE Credit (2026)

Live optometrist CE opportunities include interactive online events and in-person conferences or meetings. Most optometrists meet their live CE requirements through the Big Six optometrical organizations.

Upcoming and recurring optometry conferences that typically offer substantial live CE include:

Eyes On Eyecare virtual events: A wide range of digital optometry events throughout the year, many with COPE-approved CE.
Vision Expo: Starting in 2026, Vision Expo will transition to a single annual event that combines education, exhibits, and networking. The inaugural event is scheduled to take place in Orlando, Florida, from Mar 11 to 14, 2026. Check the official Vision Expo site for the upcoming agenda.
Optometry’s Meeting (AOA/AOSA): The profession’s premier annual conference combining clinical CE, leadership development, and networking. In 2026, Optometry's Meeting will be held from Jun 17 to 20 in Phoenix, Arizona.
American Academy of Optometry (Academy): A research-driven annual meeting that offers a wide selection of clinically focused CE. Academy 2026 is scheduled for Sept 30 to Oct 3 in Anaheim, California.
ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology): A leading meeting for eye and vision research. While ARVO is more research-oriented, many sessions are relevant for optometrists interested in emerging science and may qualify for CE depending on state rules. ARVO 2026 will take place in Denver, Colorado, from May 3 to 7.

In addition to these national meetings, consider local society conferences, regional optometric associations, and laser or surgical centers that host disease-focused CE close to home.

Consider attending local society meetings, as they may offer continuing education (CE) credits. Also, check if large practices or laser correction centers nearby provide opportunities to earn CE credits.

Additional Resources

Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) events: ASCO and its member schools maintain calendars of optometry CE events, residency programs, and academic meetings.
American Optometric Association (AOA): The AOA site offers CE opportunities, Optometry’s Meeting information, clinical guidelines, and advocacy updates that can inform your CE planning.
National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO): NBEO provides exam information and resources that can help guide your long-term learning plan, especially if you’re preparing for board exams or advanced credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions About Optometry Continuing Education

How many CE hours do optometrists need each year?

Requirements vary by state and sometimes by license type. Many states require between 20 and 30 hours of optometry CE every one- or two-year renewal cycle, but topics, delivery format (live vs. online), and COPE-approval rules differ. Always check your state Board of Optometry or the ARBO state requirements database for the most current details.

Do online optometry CE courses count the same as live courses?

In many states, online CE can satisfy part of your requirement—especially if the course is COPE-approved—but there may be limits on how many hours can be earned through online or journal-based learning. Some states also require a minimum number of “live” or in-person CE hours. Review your state’s rules before relying solely on online courses.

What’s the best way to track my CE credits?

Keep a centralized record of every CE activity, including certificates, dates, topics, accreditation details, and credit hours. Many optometrists use their EHR or practice management software to note CE-driven protocol changes—such as updated screening workflows or new disease-management guidelines—so the entire team can see when and how new learning is being applied in patient care.

Put Continuing Education into Practice with RevolutionEHR

Continuing education gives you the clinical knowledge to stay current, but applying that knowledge consistently takes the right tools. RevolutionEHR is more than an optometry EHR and practice management system, it’s a cloud-based platform designed to help you put your CE training into practice every day.

With features like integrated diagnostic imaging, real-time charting, ePrescribing, and built-in quality reporting tools, you can document care in a way that reflects current CE guidelines and emerging standards.

RevolutionEHR also supports your business behind the scenes by streamlining scheduling, billing, inventory, and automated patient communication, giving you more time to focus on what CE is all about: improving patient outcomes.

RevolutionEHR Team

Backed by deep expertise in optometry and a commitment to the success of eye care practices, RevolutionEHR offers insights and perspectives designed to help providers streamline operations, enhance patient care, and thrive in a changing healthcare landscape.