Continuing Optometric Education (COE)
Optometrists are normally required by regulation to earn continuing education points worldwide. In the UK the General Optical Council (GOC) is responsible for the accreditation of continuing professional development (CPD) courses, while in the USA the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE)1, which was founded by the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO), provides COPE-accredited continuing professional development courses on behalf of the state licensing authorities for optometrists.2 The Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) reviews the education and training activities submitted on the basis of standardized procedures. COPE accreditation serves as a quality guarantee for serious continuing training programs for state regulators, the public and the profession.2 From 1 January 2025, COE (continuing optometric education) certification will also be mandatory in Germany for all continuing education events recognized by the leading scientific associations of optometry. To achieve this, the International Association for Binocular Vision (IVBS), the Association of German Contact Lens Specialists and Optometrists (VDCO), the Scientific Association for Ophthalmic Optics and Optometry (WVAO), the Quality Assurance Association for Optometric Services (GOL) and the Central Association of Ophthalmic Opticians and Optometrists (ZVA) - have agreed to establish a standardized, objective and quality-assured assessment of continuing education courses for ophthalmic optics and optometry.3 This is especially important for practices that are certified with the RAL quality seal for optometric services, as well as optometrists listed in the German optometrists register of the RAL Quality Association for Optometric Services (GOL) and all VDCO members, as they have to provide a defined number of COE points each year. COE points can be earned by participating in relevant classroom or online events, through publications or selected continuing education articles, as well as with “COE Multiple-Choice Questions”, which must be answered online. The website of the RAL Quality Association for Optometric Services (GOL) contains the relevant continuing education training regulations, including the COE points table.4 A large number of certified online events are listed on the DOZ ‘COE-Campus’ training platform.5 From continuing optometric education (COE) points for optometrists to continuing medical education (CME) points for ophthalmologists, regular certified continuing education training is of huge importance for both eye care professions. This is the only way to responsibly integrate the latest scientific and clinical knowledge into clinical practice.
With this in mind, I wish the readers of the OCL many new findings when reading the current OCL.
[1] General Optical Council (2024). Continuing Professional Development. https://optical.org/en/education-and-cpd/continuing-professional-development Referencing: 1 January 2025
[2] Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (2025). COPE Accreditation. Council of Optometric Education. https://www.arbo.org/cope Referencing: 1 January 2025
[3] Zentralverband der Augenoptiker und Optometristen (2024). COE: Einheitliche Bewertung augenoptischer Fortbildungen. https://www.zva.de/news/coeeinheitliche-bewertung-augenoptischerfortbildungen. Referencing: 1 January 2025
[4] RAL Gütegemeinschaft Optometrische Leistungen (GOL) (2024). Fortbildungsordnung der Gütegemeinschaft Optometrische Leistungen e.V. https://www.ral-guetegemeinschaft-optometrischeleistungen.de/dokumente-und-downloads. Referencing: 1 January 2025
[5] COE Campus (2024). E-Learning-Angebote. https://coe-campus.de.Referencing: 1 January 2025