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New Mexico Optometrist — Requirements & Free Practice

US-NM · License preparation

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Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

Each license and applicant pathway has its own requirements and exemptions. Choosing practice questions does not determine your eligibility.

Expedited License to Practice Optometry

Provisional expedited licence with the rights, privileges and responsibilities of a regular licence; converted to a regular licence through renewal.

Licensing authority: New Mexico Board of Optometry · Application information

Expedited initial licensure by endorsement
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D) requires at least 75% in each clinical section.
Board Discretion
The Board may defer or deny a case involving a disqualifying criminal conviction or other cause under 16.16.4.9(D).
Conversion
At renewal the Board issues a regular licence; renewal follows Part 10 and the additional Part 4 examination requirements.
Deferred Examinations
The provisional licence may issue first. Both state examinations are required for renewal under 16.16.4.11(B)(1); the applicant’s examination timing is a condition.
Documents
Submit the completed signed application, direct proof of licensure, certificate of good standing and required fee; all third-party materials must be received before the application is complete.
Eligibility
Hold a current licence in good standing in an eligible jurisdiction under 16.16.4.7–.9 NMAC. A prior licence and any prior examinations of another jurisdiction are applicant conditions, not leaves of this state’s route.
National Examinations
Under 16.16.4.11(B)(2), the NBEO parts and TMOD must be passed before renewal if the prior licensing jurisdiction did not require them. This applicant-specific exemption is a condition; the currently offered examinations remain leaves.
Therapeutic Scope
16.16.4.8 requires therapeutic pharmaceutical-agent certification in addition to an optometrist licence for jurisdictions it lists, and disapproves a jurisdiction whose educational and examination requirements cannot be determined consistent with New Mexico. No other jurisdiction’s credential rules were researched.
Expedited initial licensure for military service members and veterans
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D) requires at least 75% in each clinical section.
Board Discretion
The Board may defer or deny a case involving a disqualifying criminal conviction or other cause under 16.16.4.9(D).
Conversion
At renewal the Board issues a regular licence; renewal follows Part 10 and the additional Part 4 examination requirements.
Deferred Examinations
The provisional licence may issue first. Both state examinations are required for renewal under 16.16.4.11(B)(1); the applicant’s examination timing is a condition.
Documents
Submit the completed signed application, direct proof of licensure, certificate of good standing and required fee; all third-party materials must be received before the application is complete.
Eligibility
Hold current licensure in good standing in another jurisdiction, including the United States armed forces, and qualify as a service member, spouse, surviving spouse, dependent child, or honourably discharged veteran under §61-1-34 and 16.16.4.10 NMAC.
Fee Waiver
No initial or renewal licence fee for the first three years under §61-1-34(C) and 16.16.4.10(E); examination, replacement and other excluded expenses are not licensing fees within the statutory definition.
Military Documentation
Provide military orders, marriage certificate, dependency documentation or DD214 as applicable to the category in 16.16.4.10(A)(4).
National Examinations
Under 16.16.4.11(B)(2), the NBEO parts and TMOD must be passed before renewal if the prior licensing jurisdiction did not require them. This applicant-specific exemption is a condition; the currently offered examinations remain leaves.
Therapeutic Scope
16.16.4.8 requires therapeutic pharmaceutical-agent certification in addition to an optometrist licence for jurisdictions it lists, and disapproves a jurisdiction whose educational and examination requirements cannot be determined consistent with New Mexico. No other jurisdiction’s credential rules were researched.

Pharmaceutical Certification

Board certification for use of pharmaceutical agents; the current rule requires it before optometry licensure.

Licensing authority: New Mexico Board of Optometry · Application information

Replacement of lost or destroyed Board licence or certificate
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Documents
Notify the Board of loss or destruction and pay the applicable duplicate-document fee; this replaces the document without a new examination.
Existing Record
Already hold the applicable Board-issued licence or pharmaceutical certificate.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Pharmaceutical certification of a currently licensed optometrist
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Current Protocol
Part 7 requires pharmaceutical certification before all new licensure; this statutory currently-licensed pathway is distinct from initial licensure.
Display
Display the Board-issued pharmaceutical certification; DEA and New Mexico controlled-substance registrations are separate conditions for controlled-substance prescribing.
Education
Submit satisfactory proof of an accredited Board-approved clinical-pharmacology course of at least twenty hours, including systemic pharmacology as applied to optometry.
Prior Licence
Be currently licensed by the New Mexico Board of Optometry.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Pharmaceutical certification accompanying initial licensure
Application Deadline
Under 16.16.3.9 NMAC, submit the intent and processing fee at least 65 days before examination and required documents at least 40 days before examination; the 2026 Board memorandum publishes its administration-specific deadlines.
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D), the higher-ranked source, requires at least 75% in each clinical section and in jurisprudence.
Board Conflicts
Provide the requested list of New Mexico optometrists who could create examiner conflicts and bring and attest to the examination policy.
Certification
Certification is required before initial New Mexico optometry licensure. The statute’s pharmaceutical-agent examination slot is not shown by current Board material to be a separately offered examination.
Conduct Affidavit
Submit the affidavit of no illegal or unethical optometry practice and the disqualifying-criminal-conviction documentation required by 16.16.3.9(D),(J) NMAC.
Cpr
Provide current non-self-study CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American Safety and Health Institute.
Current Board Checklist
The Board’s current licensing page states: 2 letters of reference. This documentary demand is an applicant condition, carried by the Requirements for Licensure checklist quotation.
Education
Reach the age of majority and hold a Doctor of Optometry degree from a Board-approved and accredited school or college (61-2-8 NMSA 1978).
Fees
Pay the required processing, examination and licensing fees, all nonrefundable.
Licence Completion
Complete the licensure process and fees within 90 days after notification of successful Board examination results; otherwise reapply and satisfy current application and examination requirements.
Other Licence
Verify another licence held, if applicable; a suspended or revoked licence makes the applicant ineligible to sit until reinstated under 16.16.3.11 NMAC.
Pharmaceutical Certification
Meet pharmaceutical-certification requirements before licensure; §61-2-10.2(C) names the Board’s examination in pharmaceutical agents, without identifying a separately offered assessment. The named national and state examinations remain the registered leaves.
Pharmacology Course
Section 61-2-10.2(B) requires at least twenty hours of clinical pharmacology, including systemic pharmacology, taught by an accredited institution approved by the Board.
Pharmacology Cross References
16.16.3.9(F) still requests 100 postgraduate hours in ocular therapeutics and 20 in clinical pharmacology by reference to 16.16.7.10 and .11; both referenced sections are now reserved following their March 2, 2016 repeal. This documentary demand is retained as an applicant condition, not a separate examination.
Score Timing
NBEO must send passing-score verification directly. Passing before application or sitting the state examination does not remove the currently offered NBEO examinations from this requirement tree.
Transcripts
Provide official pre-optometry and optometry transcripts sent by each institution; graduating applicants must arrange the required school letter and deliver completed transcripts before the examination.
Replacement document after legal name change
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Documents
Return the old document, provide legal-name-change proof and pay the applicable fee; issuance is at Board discretion.
Existing Record
Already hold the applicable Board-issued licence or pharmaceutical certificate.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Doctor of Optometry / Optometric Physician

Ordinary New Mexico optometry licence, with pharmaceutical certification required prior to licensure.

Licensing authority: New Mexico Board of Optometry · Application information

Initial licensure by examination
Application Deadline
Under 16.16.3.9 NMAC, submit the intent and processing fee at least 65 days before examination and required documents at least 40 days before examination; the 2026 Board memorandum publishes its administration-specific deadlines.
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D), the higher-ranked source, requires at least 75% in each clinical section and in jurisprudence.
Board Conflicts
Provide the requested list of New Mexico optometrists who could create examiner conflicts and bring and attest to the examination policy.
Conduct Affidavit
Submit the affidavit of no illegal or unethical optometry practice and the disqualifying-criminal-conviction documentation required by 16.16.3.9(D),(J) NMAC.
Cpr
Provide current non-self-study CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American Safety and Health Institute.
Current Board Checklist
The Board’s current licensing page states: 2 letters of reference. This documentary demand is an applicant condition, carried by the Requirements for Licensure checklist quotation.
Education
Reach the age of majority and hold a Doctor of Optometry degree from a Board-approved and accredited school or college (61-2-8 NMSA 1978).
Fees
Pay the required processing, examination and licensing fees, all nonrefundable.
Licence Completion
Complete the licensure process and fees within 90 days after notification of successful Board examination results; otherwise reapply and satisfy current application and examination requirements.
Other Licence
Verify another licence held, if applicable; a suspended or revoked licence makes the applicant ineligible to sit until reinstated under 16.16.3.11 NMAC.
Pharmaceutical Certification
Meet pharmaceutical-certification requirements before licensure; §61-2-10.2(C) names the Board’s examination in pharmaceutical agents, without identifying a separately offered assessment. The named national and state examinations remain the registered leaves.
Pharmacology Course
Section 61-2-10.2(B) requires at least twenty hours of clinical pharmacology, including systemic pharmacology, taught by an accredited institution approved by the Board.
Pharmacology Cross References
16.16.3.9(F) still requests 100 postgraduate hours in ocular therapeutics and 20 in clinical pharmacology by reference to 16.16.7.10 and .11; both referenced sections are now reserved following their March 2, 2016 repeal. This documentary demand is retained as an applicant condition, not a separate examination.
Score Timing
NBEO must send passing-score verification directly. Passing before application or sitting the state examination does not remove the currently offered NBEO examinations from this requirement tree.
Transcripts
Provide official pre-optometry and optometry transcripts sent by each institution; graduating applicants must arrange the required school letter and deliver completed transcripts before the examination.
Renewal and conversion of expedited endorsement licence
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D) requires at least 75% in each clinical section.
Board Discretion
The Board may defer or deny a case involving a disqualifying criminal conviction or other cause under 16.16.4.9(D).
Conversion
At renewal the Board issues a regular licence; renewal follows Part 10 and the additional Part 4 examination requirements.
Deferred Examinations
The provisional licence may issue first. Both state examinations are required for renewal under 16.16.4.11(B)(1); the applicant’s examination timing is a condition.
Documents
Submit the completed signed application, direct proof of licensure, certificate of good standing and required fee; all third-party materials must be received before the application is complete.
Eligibility
Hold a current licence in good standing in an eligible jurisdiction under 16.16.4.7–.9 NMAC. A prior licence and any prior examinations of another jurisdiction are applicant conditions, not leaves of this state’s route.
National Examinations
Under 16.16.4.11(B)(2), the NBEO parts and TMOD must be passed before renewal if the prior licensing jurisdiction did not require them. This applicant-specific exemption is a condition; the currently offered examinations remain leaves.
Therapeutic Scope
16.16.4.8 requires therapeutic pharmaceutical-agent certification in addition to an optometrist licence for jurisdictions it lists, and disapproves a jurisdiction whose educational and examination requirements cannot be determined consistent with New Mexico. No other jurisdiction’s credential rules were researched.
Renewal and conversion of military expedited licence
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D) requires at least 75% in each clinical section.
Board Discretion
The Board may defer or deny a case involving a disqualifying criminal conviction or other cause under 16.16.4.9(D).
Conversion
At renewal the Board issues a regular licence; renewal follows Part 10 and the additional Part 4 examination requirements.
Deferred Examinations
The provisional licence may issue first. Both state examinations are required for renewal under 16.16.4.11(B)(1); the applicant’s examination timing is a condition.
Documents
Submit the completed signed application, direct proof of licensure, certificate of good standing and required fee; all third-party materials must be received before the application is complete.
Eligibility
Hold current licensure in good standing in another jurisdiction, including the United States armed forces, and qualify as a service member, spouse, surviving spouse, dependent child, or honourably discharged veteran under §61-1-34 and 16.16.4.10 NMAC.
Fee Waiver
No initial or renewal licence fee for the first three years under §61-1-34(C) and 16.16.4.10(E); examination, replacement and other excluded expenses are not licensing fees within the statutory definition.
Military Documentation
Provide military orders, marriage certificate, dependency documentation or DD214 as applicable to the category in 16.16.4.10(A)(4).
National Examinations
Under 16.16.4.11(B)(2), the NBEO parts and TMOD must be passed before renewal if the prior licensing jurisdiction did not require them. This applicant-specific exemption is a condition; the currently offered examinations remain leaves.
Therapeutic Scope
16.16.4.8 requires therapeutic pharmaceutical-agent certification in addition to an optometrist licence for jurisdictions it lists, and disapproves a jurisdiction whose educational and examination requirements cannot be determined consistent with New Mexico. No other jurisdiction’s credential rules were researched.
Reapplication after an expired licence lapses
Application Deadline
Under 16.16.3.9 NMAC, submit the intent and processing fee at least 65 days before examination and required documents at least 40 days before examination; the 2026 Board memorandum publishes its administration-specific deadlines.
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D), the higher-ranked source, requires at least 75% in each clinical section and in jurisprudence.
Board Conflicts
Provide the requested list of New Mexico optometrists who could create examiner conflicts and bring and attest to the examination policy.
Conduct Affidavit
Submit the affidavit of no illegal or unethical optometry practice and the disqualifying-criminal-conviction documentation required by 16.16.3.9(D),(J) NMAC.
Cpr
Provide current non-self-study CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American Safety and Health Institute.
Current Board Checklist
The Board’s current licensing page states: 2 letters of reference. This documentary demand is an applicant condition, carried by the Requirements for Licensure checklist quotation.
Education
Reach the age of majority and hold a Doctor of Optometry degree from a Board-approved and accredited school or college (61-2-8 NMSA 1978).
Fees
Pay the required processing, examination and licensing fees, all nonrefundable.
Licence Completion
Complete the licensure process and fees within 90 days after notification of successful Board examination results; otherwise reapply and satisfy current application and examination requirements.
Other Licence
Verify another licence held, if applicable; a suspended or revoked licence makes the applicant ineligible to sit until reinstated under 16.16.3.11 NMAC.
Pharmaceutical Certification
Meet pharmaceutical-certification requirements before licensure; §61-2-10.2(C) names the Board’s examination in pharmaceutical agents, without identifying a separately offered assessment. The named national and state examinations remain the registered leaves.
Pharmacology Course
Section 61-2-10.2(B) requires at least twenty hours of clinical pharmacology, including systemic pharmacology, taught by an accredited institution approved by the Board.
Pharmacology Cross References
16.16.3.9(F) still requests 100 postgraduate hours in ocular therapeutics and 20 in clinical pharmacology by reference to 16.16.7.10 and .11; both referenced sections are now reserved following their March 2, 2016 repeal. This documentary demand is retained as an applicant condition, not a separate examination.
Prior Status
The expired licence was not reactivated within five years; it is null and void and cannot be reactivated.
Score Timing
NBEO must send passing-score verification directly. Passing before application or sitting the state examination does not remove the currently offered NBEO examinations from this requirement tree.
Transcripts
Provide official pre-optometry and optometry transcripts sent by each institution; graduating applicants must arrange the required school letter and deliver completed transcripts before the examination.
Reactivation of licence expired due to nonrenewal within five years
Application Deadline
Under 16.16.3.9 NMAC, submit the intent and processing fee at least 65 days before examination and required documents at least 40 days before examination; the 2026 Board memorandum publishes its administration-specific deadlines.
Board Approval
The Board’s Part 11 process requires application and approval, CE of 22 hours for each expired year with 22 in the immediately preceding year, accumulated renewal fees and a one-time penalty; verify active practice and disciplinary status elsewhere when applicable. This implementing process does not remove the statutory examination leaves.
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D), the higher-ranked source, requires at least 75% in each clinical section and in jurisprudence.
Board Conflicts
Provide the requested list of New Mexico optometrists who could create examiner conflicts and bring and attest to the examination policy.
Board Reactivation Process
Lower-ranked 16.16.11.13 NMAC states: 16.16.11.13 APPLICATION FOR REACTIVATION OF LICENSE: The licensee whose license is expired due to non-renewal, and who wishes to reactivate the license to active and current status, must apply for, and receive, approval by the board for reactivation of the license. The application for reactivation must be made on a reactivation form received from the board office, and must be accompanied by the following items: A. proof of completion of a minimum of 22 hours of board-approved continuing education (see 16.16.13 NMAC) taken for each year the license was expired due to non-renewal, 22 of which must have been taken in the immediate preceding year; B. verification directly from at least one of the applicants other licensing jurisdiction(s) certifying that the licensee has been in active practice there during the time the license was in expired status due to non-renewal in New Mexico, unless the New Mexico license has only been in expired status for less than a year, in which case verification of licensure from another licensing jurisdiction is not necessary; C. verification directly from the applicant's other licensing jurisdiction(s), as to the status of the license with respect to disciplinary actions if the New Mexico license is in expired status for more than a year, and provided that the licensee is licensed in other jurisdiction(s); D. a reactivation fee in an amount totaling the renewal fees for each year the license was in expired status due to non-renewal; and E. a one-time penalty fee in an amount totaling the penalty fees in 16.16.2.14 NMAC.
Conduct Affidavit
Submit the affidavit of no illegal or unethical optometry practice and the disqualifying-criminal-conviction documentation required by 16.16.3.9(D),(J) NMAC.
Cpr
Provide current non-self-study CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American Safety and Health Institute.
Current Board Checklist
The Board’s current licensing page states: 2 letters of reference. This documentary demand is an applicant condition, carried by the Requirements for Licensure checklist quotation.
Education
Reach the age of majority and hold a Doctor of Optometry degree from a Board-approved and accredited school or college (61-2-8 NMSA 1978).
Fees
Pay the required processing, examination and licensing fees, all nonrefundable.
Licence Completion
Complete the licensure process and fees within 90 days after notification of successful Board examination results; otherwise reapply and satisfy current application and examination requirements.
Other Licence
Verify another licence held, if applicable; a suspended or revoked licence makes the applicant ineligible to sit until reinstated under 16.16.3.11 NMAC.
Pharmaceutical Certification
Meet pharmaceutical-certification requirements before licensure; §61-2-10.2(C) names the Board’s examination in pharmaceutical agents, without identifying a separately offered assessment. The named national and state examinations remain the registered leaves.
Pharmacology Course
Section 61-2-10.2(B) requires at least twenty hours of clinical pharmacology, including systemic pharmacology, taught by an accredited institution approved by the Board.
Pharmacology Cross References
16.16.3.9(F) still requests 100 postgraduate hours in ocular therapeutics and 20 in clinical pharmacology by reference to 16.16.7.10 and .11; both referenced sections are now reserved following their March 2, 2016 repeal. This documentary demand is retained as an applicant condition, not a separate examination.
Prior Status
New Mexico licence expired due to nonrenewal, including failure to satisfy CE, within five years; §61-2-12(C) requires all current licensing and therapeutic-certification requirements after termination.
Score Timing
NBEO must send passing-score verification directly. Passing before application or sitting the state examination does not remove the currently offered NBEO examinations from this requirement tree.
Transcripts
Provide official pre-optometry and optometry transcripts sent by each institution; graduating applicants must arrange the required school letter and deliver completed transcripts before the examination.
Reapplication after an inactive licence lapses
Application Deadline
Under 16.16.3.9 NMAC, submit the intent and processing fee at least 65 days before examination and required documents at least 40 days before examination; the 2026 Board memorandum publishes its administration-specific deadlines.
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D), the higher-ranked source, requires at least 75% in each clinical section and in jurisprudence.
Board Conflicts
Provide the requested list of New Mexico optometrists who could create examiner conflicts and bring and attest to the examination policy.
Conduct Affidavit
Submit the affidavit of no illegal or unethical optometry practice and the disqualifying-criminal-conviction documentation required by 16.16.3.9(D),(J) NMAC.
Cpr
Provide current non-self-study CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American Safety and Health Institute.
Current Board Checklist
The Board’s current licensing page states: 2 letters of reference. This documentary demand is an applicant condition, carried by the Requirements for Licensure checklist quotation.
Education
Reach the age of majority and hold a Doctor of Optometry degree from a Board-approved and accredited school or college (61-2-8 NMSA 1978).
Fees
Pay the required processing, examination and licensing fees, all nonrefundable.
Licence Completion
Complete the licensure process and fees within 90 days after notification of successful Board examination results; otherwise reapply and satisfy current application and examination requirements.
Other Licence
Verify another licence held, if applicable; a suspended or revoked licence makes the applicant ineligible to sit until reinstated under 16.16.3.11 NMAC.
Pharmaceutical Certification
Meet pharmaceutical-certification requirements before licensure; §61-2-10.2(C) names the Board’s examination in pharmaceutical agents, without identifying a separately offered assessment. The named national and state examinations remain the registered leaves.
Pharmacology Course
Section 61-2-10.2(B) requires at least twenty hours of clinical pharmacology, including systemic pharmacology, taught by an accredited institution approved by the Board.
Pharmacology Cross References
16.16.3.9(F) still requests 100 postgraduate hours in ocular therapeutics and 20 in clinical pharmacology by reference to 16.16.7.10 and .11; both referenced sections are now reserved following their March 2, 2016 repeal. This documentary demand is retained as an applicant condition, not a separate examination.
Prior Status
The inactive licence was not reactivated within five years; complete the entire current application and examination process.
Score Timing
NBEO must send passing-score verification directly. Passing before application or sitting the state examination does not remove the currently offered NBEO examinations from this requirement tree.
Transcripts
Provide official pre-optometry and optometry transcripts sent by each institution; graduating applicants must arrange the required school letter and deliver completed transcripts before the examination.
Reactivation from inactive status within five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Meet current CE under 16.16.13.8(A) taken during the immediately preceding twelve months.
Discipline
Ineligible if under investigation, facing proceedings or subject to disciplinary action while inactive; Board approval is required before practice.
Documents
Written request, completed reactivation application and required fee.
Prior Status
Hold a New Mexico licence on inactive status within the five-year period; it has not lapsed.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Replacement of lost or destroyed Board licence or certificate
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Documents
Notify the Board of loss or destruction and pay the applicable duplicate-document fee; this replaces the document without a new examination.
Existing Record
Already hold the applicable Board-issued licence or pharmaceutical certificate.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Replacement document after legal name change
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Documents
Return the old document, provide legal-name-change proof and pay the applicable fee; issuance is at Board discretion.
Existing Record
Already hold the applicable Board-issued licence or pharmaceutical certificate.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Annual renewal of regular active licence
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Annual Deadline
Renew on or before July 1; failure to receive notification does not excuse renewal.
Audit
The Board may audit the current and two preceding licensing years.
Continuing Education
Provide 22 Board-approved hours each year, including at least 10 hours of clinical or ocular therapeutic pharmacology and one hour of pain management or a related topic, taken during the preceding renewal period.
Documents
Submit renewal application, current CPR, required fee and disqualifying-conviction information.
Existing Licence
Hold an existing active, current New Mexico optometry licence.
Waiver
A documented request for a CE or CPR deferral or waiver may be submitted at least 30 days before expiration for the circumstances in 16.16.13.11 NMAC; granting it is discretionary.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reapplication after retired status lapses
Application Deadline
Under 16.16.3.9 NMAC, submit the intent and processing fee at least 65 days before examination and required documents at least 40 days before examination; the 2026 Board memorandum publishes its administration-specific deadlines.
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D), the higher-ranked source, requires at least 75% in each clinical section and in jurisprudence.
Board Conflicts
Provide the requested list of New Mexico optometrists who could create examiner conflicts and bring and attest to the examination policy.
Conduct Affidavit
Submit the affidavit of no illegal or unethical optometry practice and the disqualifying-criminal-conviction documentation required by 16.16.3.9(D),(J) NMAC.
Cpr
Provide current non-self-study CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American Safety and Health Institute.
Current Board Checklist
The Board’s current licensing page states: 2 letters of reference. This documentary demand is an applicant condition, carried by the Requirements for Licensure checklist quotation.
Education
Reach the age of majority and hold a Doctor of Optometry degree from a Board-approved and accredited school or college (61-2-8 NMSA 1978).
Fees
Pay the required processing, examination and licensing fees, all nonrefundable.
Licence Completion
Complete the licensure process and fees within 90 days after notification of successful Board examination results; otherwise reapply and satisfy current application and examination requirements.
Other Licence
Verify another licence held, if applicable; a suspended or revoked licence makes the applicant ineligible to sit until reinstated under 16.16.3.11 NMAC.
Pharmaceutical Certification
Meet pharmaceutical-certification requirements before licensure; §61-2-10.2(C) names the Board’s examination in pharmaceutical agents, without identifying a separately offered assessment. The named national and state examinations remain the registered leaves.
Pharmacology Course
Section 61-2-10.2(B) requires at least twenty hours of clinical pharmacology, including systemic pharmacology, taught by an accredited institution approved by the Board.
Pharmacology Cross References
16.16.3.9(F) still requests 100 postgraduate hours in ocular therapeutics and 20 in clinical pharmacology by reference to 16.16.7.10 and .11; both referenced sections are now reserved following their March 2, 2016 repeal. This documentary demand is retained as an applicant condition, not a separate examination.
Prior Status
Retirement exceeds five years; the rule expressly requires a new Part 3 licensure-by-examination application.
Score Timing
NBEO must send passing-score verification directly. Passing before application or sitting the state examination does not remove the currently offered NBEO examinations from this requirement tree.
Transcripts
Provide official pre-optometry and optometry transcripts sent by each institution; graduating applicants must arrange the required school letter and deliver completed transcripts before the examination.
Reinstatement from retirement within five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Complete Board-approved CE for every retired year; 22 hours in the immediately preceding year, including at least ten ocular therapeutic pharmacology hours.
Discipline
Not eligible while under investigation, facing proceedings or having disciplinary action during retirement.
Documents
Provide former licence number, name, home address and telephone, original issue and retirement dates; return the signed notarised reinstatement form.
Fees
Pay renewal fees for every retired year.
Practice Restriction
Do not resume practice until the reinstated licence is received.
Prior Status
Notify the Board of intent to resume practice within five years of retirement.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reapplication after support order discipline and independent licence lapse
Application Deadline
Under 16.16.3.9 NMAC, submit the intent and processing fee at least 65 days before examination and required documents at least 40 days before examination; the 2026 Board memorandum publishes its administration-specific deadlines.
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D), the higher-ranked source, requires at least 75% in each clinical section and in jurisprudence.
Board Conflicts
Provide the requested list of New Mexico optometrists who could create examiner conflicts and bring and attest to the examination policy.
Conduct Affidavit
Submit the affidavit of no illegal or unethical optometry practice and the disqualifying-criminal-conviction documentation required by 16.16.3.9(D),(J) NMAC.
Cpr
Provide current non-self-study CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American Safety and Health Institute.
Current Board Checklist
The Board’s current licensing page states: 2 letters of reference. This documentary demand is an applicant condition, carried by the Requirements for Licensure checklist quotation.
Education
Reach the age of majority and hold a Doctor of Optometry degree from a Board-approved and accredited school or college (61-2-8 NMSA 1978).
Fees
Pay the required processing, examination and licensing fees, all nonrefundable.
Licence Completion
Complete the licensure process and fees within 90 days after notification of successful Board examination results; otherwise reapply and satisfy current application and examination requirements.
Other Licence
Verify another licence held, if applicable; a suspended or revoked licence makes the applicant ineligible to sit until reinstated under 16.16.3.11 NMAC.
Pharmaceutical Certification
Meet pharmaceutical-certification requirements before licensure; §61-2-10.2(C) names the Board’s examination in pharmaceutical agents, without identifying a separately offered assessment. The named national and state examinations remain the registered leaves.
Pharmacology Course
Section 61-2-10.2(B) requires at least twenty hours of clinical pharmacology, including systemic pharmacology, taught by an accredited institution approved by the Board.
Pharmacology Cross References
16.16.3.9(F) still requests 100 postgraduate hours in ocular therapeutics and 20 in clinical pharmacology by reference to 16.16.7.10 and .11; both referenced sections are now reserved following their March 2, 2016 repeal. This documentary demand is retained as an applicant condition, not a separate examination.
Score Timing
NBEO must send passing-score verification directly. Passing before application or sitting the state examination does not remove the currently offered NBEO examinations from this requirement tree.
Support Compliance
Present the subsequent HSD Statement of Compliance and comply with the Board’s conditions; the licence has independently become null and void.
Transcripts
Provide official pre-optometry and optometry transcripts sent by each institution; graduating applicants must arrange the required school letter and deliver completed transcripts before the examination.
Reinstatement after support order noncompliance is cured
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Compliance
Present a subsequent Statement of Compliance from the Human Services Department.
Other Conditions
The Board may impose conditions needed to comply with reapplication or reinstatement requirements; an independently lapsed licence instead follows the current licensure routes.
Prior Status
Application or licence affected solely by noncompliance with a support judgment and order; it has not independently lapsed.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Temporary or Provisional License

Discretionary temporary or other provisional optometry licence authorised by the Uniform Licensing Act for a person licensed in another jurisdiction; the Board may limit its term and practice.

Licensing authority: New Mexico Board of Optometry · Application information

Discretionary temporary or other provisional licensure
Application Deadline
Under 16.16.3.9 NMAC, submit the intent and processing fee at least 65 days before examination and required documents at least 40 days before examination; the 2026 Board memorandum publishes its administration-specific deadlines.
Board Clinical Scoring Policy
The Board’s implementing policy states: The Clinical Practicum examination will be scored based upon an average of the total score for the four (4) procedures. In order to pass the Clinical Practicum examination, an applicant must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the Clinical Practicum and a 75% or better in the Jurisprudence. Provided, however, that any applicant who has received a grade of less than 60% on any part of the Clinical Practicum examination will not be considered eligible for licensure even though the overall Clinical Practicum grade may average 75%. Rule 16.16.5.9(D), the higher-ranked source, requires at least 75% in each clinical section and in jurisprudence.
Board Conflicts
Provide the requested list of New Mexico optometrists who could create examiner conflicts and bring and attest to the examination policy.
Board Discretion
Issuance and limitations as to time, practice or other conditions are discretionary. This is general statutory authority; the Board publishes no separate optometry application protocol beyond its general nonexpedited licensure rules.
Conduct Affidavit
Submit the affidavit of no illegal or unethical optometry practice and the disqualifying-criminal-conviction documentation required by 16.16.3.9(D),(J) NMAC.
Cpr
Provide current non-self-study CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American Safety and Health Institute.
Current Board Checklist
The Board’s current licensing page states: 2 letters of reference. This documentary demand is an applicant condition, carried by the Requirements for Licensure checklist quotation.
Education
Reach the age of majority and hold a Doctor of Optometry degree from a Board-approved and accredited school or college (61-2-8 NMSA 1978).
Fees
Pay the required processing, examination and licensing fees, all nonrefundable.
Insurance
If the Board requires professional or occupational insurance, show insurance covering New Mexico practice throughout the provisional term.
Licence Completion
Complete the licensure process and fees within 90 days after notification of successful Board examination results; otherwise reapply and satisfy current application and examination requirements.
Other Licence
Verify another licence held, if applicable; a suspended or revoked licence makes the applicant ineligible to sit until reinstated under 16.16.3.11 NMAC.
Pharmaceutical Certification
Meet pharmaceutical-certification requirements before licensure; §61-2-10.2(C) names the Board’s examination in pharmaceutical agents, without identifying a separately offered assessment. The named national and state examinations remain the registered leaves.
Pharmacology Course
Section 61-2-10.2(B) requires at least twenty hours of clinical pharmacology, including systemic pharmacology, taught by an accredited institution approved by the Board.
Pharmacology Cross References
16.16.3.9(F) still requests 100 postgraduate hours in ocular therapeutics and 20 in clinical pharmacology by reference to 16.16.7.10 and .11; both referenced sections are now reserved following their March 2, 2016 repeal. This documentary demand is retained as an applicant condition, not a separate examination.
Prior Licence
Hold licensure in another licensing jurisdiction under §61-1-31.2.
Score Timing
NBEO must send passing-score verification directly. Passing before application or sitting the state examination does not remove the currently offered NBEO examinations from this requirement tree.
Transcripts
Provide official pre-optometry and optometry transcripts sent by each institution; graduating applicants must arrange the required school letter and deliver completed transcripts before the examination.

Part I Applied Basic Science (ABS)

Provider
National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO); delivered at Pearson testing centers
Format
One-day computer-based examination; most items require choosing the single best or correct answer, and approximately 10-15% are multiple-response items (2, 3, or 4 responses) scored as completely correct or incorrect with no partial credit
Exam questions
370 items: 350 scored items and 20 unscored (pre-test) items
Time limit
Two sessions of 185 items each, 4 hours per session; the first session includes an additional 15 minutes for a tutorial and non-disclosure agreement, with an optional break of up to 45 minutes between sessions
Passing score
Scaled score on a 100-900 scale; anything above 300 is a passing score
Exam fee
$1490 (rates for examinations administered beginning August 2026)
Examination outline
  • ANATOMY (Gross, Neuroanatomy, Histology, Developmental) — 12% - 18% of scored items (42 - 62 items)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — A. Eyelid; 1. Anatomic boundaries; 2. Layers; 3. Muscles (actions); 4. Glands (secretions, functions); 5. Blood supply and drainage, lymphatic drainage; 6. Innervation
    • Anatomy (Gross): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — B. Eyebrow (structure and function)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — C. Lacrimal system; 1. Lacrimal gland (structure, innervation, blood supply); 2. Accessory lacrimal glands (location, function); 3. Distribution of tears (role of eyelids); 4. Drainage of tears; nasolacrimal duct (cellular lining); lacrimal papillae (location); lacrimal puncta; canaliculi (relationship to Horner muscle); lacrimal sac (relationship to medial palpebral ligament, Horner muscle, orbicularis oculi; septum orbitale); 5. Lacrimal fossa (bony structure); 6. Nasolacrimal canal (bony composition, relationship to maxillary sinus)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — D. Orbit; 1. Contents (extraocular muscles, nerves, blood vessels, fat compartments, fascia); 2. Anatomical relationships among orbital structures; 3. Bones of the orbit; 4. Foramina and openings of the orbit (location, contents)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — E. Extraocular muscles; 1. Names; 2. Origins; 3. Insertions; 4. Innervations, blood supply; 5. Relationship to other orbital structures
    • Anatomy (Gross): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — F. Blood supply; 1. Branches of internal and external carotid arteries related to the orbit, eyelid, and upper face; 2. Branches of the internal and external jugular veins; 3. Dural sinuses
    • Anatomy (Gross): Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — A. Cornea; 1. Normal dimensions including diameter, radii of curvature (anterior and posterior) and thickness (central and peripheral); 2. Epithelium (histology and ultrastructure); 3. Basal lamina (relationship to epithelium); 4. Anterior limiting lamina (Bowman layer): relationship to stroma, basal lamina, and epithelium; 5. Stroma (composition, ultrastructure); 6. Posterior limiting lamina (Descemet membrane): relationship to stroma and endothelium; 7. Endothelium (composition, ultrastructure); 8. Limbus; 9. Innervation; 10. Regeneration
    • Anatomy (Gross): Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — B. Conjunctiva; 1. Location; 2. Composition (layers, cell types, glands, Palisades of Vogt); 3. Relationship to tarsal plate, extraocular muscles, sclera, fascia, bulbi (Tenon capsule), cornea; 4. Blood supply and venous drainage, lymphatic drainage; 5. Innervation; 6. Plica semilunaris (composition); 7. Caruncle (composition)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- & Post-Operative Care — A. Lens, zonule; 1. Zonule; 2. Location of lens; 3. Epithelium (capsule, ultrastructure); 4. Cortex (composition of lens fibers, ultrastructure); 5. Nuclei (various names and locations); 6. Sutures (location)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — A. Sclera; 1. Size; 2. Radius of curvature; 3. Thickness; 4. Color; 5. Relationship to conjunctiva, Tenon capsule, suprachoroidal space; 6. Emissaria (contents, location); 7. Composition; 8. Lamina cribrosa (structure)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — B. Anterior chamber and angle; 1. Shape and volume; 2. Boundaries; 3. Diameter and depth; 4. Trabecular meshwork (components, ultrastructure); 5. Juxtacanalicular tissue (components, ultrastructure); 6. Schlemm canal (location, size, ultrastructure of wall, afferent and efferent connections); 7. Scleral spur (composition, location); 8. Schwalbe line (composition, location)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — C. Iris; 1. Gross landmarks, zones; 2. Diameter; 3. Coloration (factors controlling); 4. Anterior border (composition, ultrastructure); 5. Stroma (composition); 6. Sphincter muscle (type, composition, innervation); 7. Anterior epithelium (ultrastructure); 8. Dilator muscle (type, composition, innervation); 9. Posterior epithelium (relationship to lens, anterior, epithelium, pupil margin); 10. Blood supply, venous drainage; 11. Innervation; 12. Size and location of pupil
    • Anatomy (Gross): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — D. Posterior chamber; 1. Size and volume; 2. Boundaries
    • Anatomy (Gross): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — E. Ciliary body; 1. Gross morphology; 2. Dimensions; 3. Relationships to sclera, anterior chamber, iris, posterior chamber, lens, and retina; 4. Pars plana (location, components); 5. Pars plicata (location, components); 6. Stroma (components); 7. Ciliary muscle (components, relations, actions, innervation); 8. Pigmented epithelium (basal lamina, ultrastructure); 9. Non-pigmented epithelium (basal lamina, ultrastructure, relationship to pigmented epithelium); 10. Blood supply and venous drainage; 11. Innervation
    • Anatomy (Gross): Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — A. Choroid; 1. Extent; 2. Thickness; 3. Relationship to lamina fusca of sclera; 4. Choriocapillaris (ultrastructure, type of capillaries); 5. Stroma; 6. Blood supply; 7. Venous drainage; 8. Innervation; 9. Bruch membrane (location, composition)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — B. Vitreous; 1. Volume; 2. Shape; 3. Attachments to retina and lens (ultrastructure); 4. Patellar fossa (location); 5. Anterior hyaloid (location); 6. Posterior hyaloid (location); 7. Cortex (composition); 8. Hyaloid canal (location, origin)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — C. Retina; 1. Layers (components of each ultrastructure); 2. Relationship between retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch membrane; 3. Relationship between retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptor outer segments; 4. Synaptic connections within retina; 5. Glial cells (name, location, function); 6. Blood supply; 7. Anatomical areas (location, size, composition) of area centralis, parafovea, fovea, foveola, macula lutea, ora serrata (ultrastructure)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — A. Ocular and orbital nerves; 1. Cranial nerves I, III, IV, V, VI, VII (intracranial and extracranial course, branches, functions, tissue innervated); 2. Parasympathetic nerves (course, branches, tissue innervated); 3. Sympathetic nerves (course, branches, tissue innervated)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — B. Optic nerve; 1. Surface features; 2. Prelaminar portion (composition, blood supply); 3. Laminar portion (composition, blood supply); 4. Retrolaminar portion (composition, blood supply); 5. Central retinal artery and vein (location); 6. Optic disc/cup
    • Anatomy (Gross): Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — C. Visual pathway; 1. Localization of retinal fibers along visual pathway: optic nerve, chiasm, optic tract, lateral geniculate body, optic radiations, visual cortex; 2. Layers of lateral geniculate body (afferents, efferents); 3. Layers and areas of visual cortex; 4. Blood supply; 5. Anatomy related to visual pathology
    • Anatomy (Gross): Glaucoma — Gross Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma (e.g., pigmentary dispersion glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, etc.) — A. Anterior chamber and angle
    • Anatomy (Gross): Glaucoma — Gross Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma (e.g., pigmentary dispersion glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, etc.) — B. Ciliary body
    • Anatomy (Gross): Glaucoma — Gross Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma (e.g., pigmentary dispersion glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, etc.) — C. Choroid
    • Anatomy (Gross): Glaucoma — Gross Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma (e.g., pigmentary dispersion glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, etc.) — D. Vitreous
    • Anatomy (Gross): Glaucoma — Gross Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma (e.g., pigmentary dispersion glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, etc.) — E. Retina
    • Anatomy (Gross): Glaucoma — Gross Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma (e.g., pigmentary dispersion glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, etc.) — F. Optic nerve
    • Anatomy (Gross): Glaucoma — Gross Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma (e.g., pigmentary dispersion glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, etc.) — G. Cornea
    • Anatomy (Gross): Glaucoma — Gross Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma (e.g., pigmentary dispersion glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, etc.) — H. Lens
    • Anatomy (Gross): Systemic Health — A. Head and neck; 1. Skull (e.g., bones, sutures, fossae, foramina); 2. Superficial and deep arteries, veins, and lymphatics; 3. Muscles of facial expression and mastication; 4. Muscles of the neck; 5. Peripheral nerve distributions; 6. Cervical triangles and their contents, root of neck, thyroid and parathyroid glands; 7. Salivary glands; 8. Nose; 9. Paranasal sinuses and their relations to the orbit and orbital contents; 10. Ear (e.g., outer ear, middle ear, walls, muscles, inner ear); 11. Dural venous sinuses; meninges; cerebrospinal fluid
    • Anatomy (Gross): Systemic Health — B. Thorax; 1. Lungs (e.g., lobes); 2. Pulmonary circulation; 3. Heart (e.g., surfaces); 4. Superior mediastinum (e.g., trachea, esophagus)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Systemic Health — C. Abdomen/Pelvis; 1. Liver (e.g., concept of portal system); 2. Accessory digestive organs (e.g., gallbladder, pancreas); 3. Other internal organs (e.g., spleen, kidney); 4. Gastrointestinal system (e.g., stomach)
    • Anatomy (Gross): Systemic Health — D. Systemic circulation of blood and lymph
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — A. Spinal cord; 1. Gray matter (e.g., nuclei, local reflex arcs); 2. White matter (e.g., ascending pathways, descending pathways); 3. Spinal nerves and sensory ganglia
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — B. Autonomic nervous system; 1. Parasympathetic (course, branches, functions, tissue innervated); 2. Sympathetic (course, branches, functions, tissue innervated); 3. Neurotransmitters (e.g., types, locations)
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — C. Medulla; 1. Level of motor decussation; 2. Level of sensory decussation; 3. Level of inferior olives; 4. Level of open medulla; 5. Dorsal and ventral cochlear nuclei; 6. Vestibular nuclei; 7. Glossopharyngeal nerve; 8. Vagus nerve; 9. Spinal accessory nerve; 10. Hypoglossal nerve
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — D. Pons; 1. Low or caudal pons; 2. Abducens nerve; 3. Mid pons; 4. Trigeminal nerve; 5. Facial nerve; 6. Vestibulocochlear nerve
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — E. Midbrain; 1. Level of inferior colliculus; 2. Trochlear nerve; 3. Level of superior colliculus; 4. Oculomotor nerve; 5. Level of pretectum (e.g., light reflex)
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — F. Diencephalon; 1. Dorsal thalamus; 2. Hypothalamus; 3. Epithalamus; 4. Subthalamus
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — G. Cerebrum; 1. Gray matter (e.g., cytoarchitecture (layers), Brodmann cortical areas); 2. White matter (e.g., projections, internal capsule, optic radiations, commissural fibers, associational fibers); 3. Functions
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — H. Cerebellum
    • Anatomy (Neuroanatomy): Systemic Health — I. Blood supply; 1. Surface arteries; 2. Circle of Willis and its branches
    • Anatomy (Histology): Systemic Health — A. Generalized cell; 1. Molecular components, unit membrane; 2. Organelles (e.g., plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum); 3. Inclusions (e.g., pigments); 4. Nucleus; 5. Cytoskeleton (e.g., microtubules)
    • Anatomy (Histology): Systemic Health — B. Tissue types; 1. Epithelium; a. Lining epithelium; i. Simple, stratified, pseudostratified; ii. Squamous, cuboid, columnar; iii. Surface specializations (e.g., microvilli); iv. Cell junctions (e.g., zonula occludens); v. Basal lamina; b. Secretory epithelium; i. Unicellular vs. multicellular; ii. Exocrine, endocrine, paracrine, autocrine; iii. Secretory unit, mode of secretion; iv. Connective tissue element; 2. Connective tissue; a. Connective tissue proper; i. Types: dense, loose, elastic, reticular; ii. Cells; iii. Fibers (e.g., collagen); iv. Matrix; b. Specialized connective tissues; i. Blood; a. Plasma; b. Cells; c. Platelets; ii. Bone; iii. Cartilage and synovial joints; iv. Fat: multilocular, unilocular; 3. Muscle; a. Smooth; b. Striated; c. Cardiac; d. Receptors (e.g., muscle spindles); 4. Nervous tissue; a. Neuron; b. Ganglia; c. Neural coverings (e.g., myelin, perineurium); d. Neuroglia; e. Synapse; f. Terminals
    • Anatomy (Histology): Systemic Health — C. Organ systems; 1. Integumentary system; a. Skin (e.g., layers, cell types, hair); b. Cutaneous glands: sebaceous, sweat; c. Receptors; i. Free nerve endings; ii. Encapsulated nerve endings (e.g., Pacinian corpuscles); 2. Cardiovascular system; a. Heart; i. Tissue layers; ii. Valves; iii. Conduction system; b. General histology of blood vessels; i. Capillaries; ii. Arteries; iii. Arterioles; iv. Veins; 3. Lymphatic system; a. Lymph vessels; b. Lymph nodes; c. Spleen; d. Thymus; e. Tonsils; f. Lymphatic tissue associated with mucous membrane; 4. Respiratory system; a. Nose; b. Paranasal air sinuses; c. Nasopharynx; d. Larynx; e. Trachea; f. Lungs; g. Blood vessels associated with the respiratory system; 5. Digestive system; a. Oral cavity; b. Esophagus; c. Stomach; d. Small intestine; e. Large intestine; f. Salivary glands; g. Pancreas; h. Liver, gallbladder; i. Blood vessels associated with the digestive system; 6. Urinary system; a. Kidney; b. Ureter, bladder, urethra; c. Blood vessels associated with the urinary system; 7. Endocrine system; a. Thyroid; b. Islets of Langerhans; c. Pituitary; d. Adrenal gland; e. Gonads
    • Anatomy (Histology): Systemic Health — D. Neurohistology; 1. Neural plate, neural fold, neural groove, neural tube, neural vesicles; 2. Derivatives of neural crest (e.g., ganglia, adrenal medulla); 3. Layers of neural tube (e.g., ependymal, mantle, marginal); 4. Degeneration and regeneration in the nervous system
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — A. Orbit; 1. Development of bones of orbit (closure of sutures); 2. Abnormalities (faulty development of facial bones)
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — B. Extraocular muscles; 1. Condensation of mesenchyme (bilateral condensation); 2. Motor innervation development; 3. Insertion of extraocular primordia into anterior sclera; 4. Late development
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — C. Eyelid; 1. Tissue origin; 2. Lid folds; 3. Fusion of eyelid; 4. Ectodermal derivatives (skin, glands, conjunctiva); 5. Mesodermal derivatives (tarsus, orbital septum, orbicularis oculi, aponeurosis of levator, smooth muscle)
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — D. Lacrimal apparatus; 1. Tissue origin of lacrimal glands (main, accessory); 2. Tissue origin of lacrimal and nasal passages; 3. Abnormalities
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — A. Conjunctiva; 1. Ectodermal specialization forming conjunctiva and glands
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — B. Cornea; 1. Inductive mechanisms; 2. Ectodermal components (epithelium, primary stroma); 3. Mesenchymal components (waves); 4. Corneal nerve development (origin); 5. Factors affecting corneal size, curvature, transparency
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- & Post-Operative Care — A. Lens, zonules; 1. Zonules development; 2. Tissue origin; 3. Tissue induction and interaction (effect on development of vitreous, iris, cornea, retina); 4. Mechanism of lens fiber orientation; 5. Stages of lens development (lens placode, lens pit, lens vesicles); 6. Stages of lens fiber development; 7. Development nuclei (embryonic, fetal, infantile); 8. Zones of development of lens epithelium
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — A. Sclera; 1. Inductive mechanisms; 2. Tissue origin; 3. Comparison with cornea
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — B. Anterior chamber and angle; 1. Creation of anatomical space; 2. Factors that promote growth of anterior chamber; 3. Creation of angle (atrophy theory, cleavage theory, reorganization theory, rarefaction theory); 4. Differentiation of Schlemm canal, scleral spur, trabecular meshwork; 5. Endothelial membrane
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — C. Iris/Pupil; 1. Development of iris stroma (anterior leaf, posterior leaf); 2. Development of pars iridica retinae (epithelial layer); 3. Development of dilator and sphincter muscles; 4. Pupillary membrane (atrophy); 5. Cilio-iridic circulation; 6. Development of iris pigmentation
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — D. Posterior chamber
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — E. Ciliary body; 1. Tissue origin (mesoderm, neural crest); 2. Development of pars ciliaris retinae (epithelial layers); 3. Development of ciliary processes, ciliary muscles, ciliary vessels
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — A. Choroid; 1. Tissue origin (paraxial mesoderm, neural crest cells); 2. Development of choroidal vasculature (3 stages); 3. Development of Bruch membrane
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — B. Vitreous; 1. Primary vitreous (hyaloid canal, tissue origin, tissue characteristics); 2. Secondary vitreous (tissue origin, tissue characteristics); 3. Tertiary vitreous (tissue origin, tissue characteristics, hyaloid vasculature remnants)
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — C. Retina; 1. Development of optic cup; 2. Analogies between development of retina and central nervous system; 3. Fetal fissure (formation, function, fusion, failure to fuse); 4. Retinal differentiation (stages I, II, III, proliferation, migration, differentiation); 5. Macular differentiation; 6. Retinal circulation development (hyaloid system, central retinal artery/vein, hyaloid vasculature remnants); 7. Postnatal events
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — A. Optic nerve and visual pathway; 1. Developmental stages of lower visual pathway, before lateral geniculate body (differences crossed and uncrossed fibers); 2. Myelination of the visual pathway (lower visual pathways vs. upper visual pathway); 3. Relationship between development of upper visual pathway and central vision; 4. Physiological cupping
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Glaucoma — Developmental Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma — A. Anterior chamber and angle; 1. Creation of anatomical space; 2. Factors that promote growth of anterior chamber; 3. Creation of angle (atrophy theory, cleavage theory, reorganization theory, rarefaction theory); 4. Differentiation of Schlemm canal, scleral spur, trabecular meshwork; 5. Endothelial membrane
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Glaucoma — Developmental Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma — B. Iris/Pupil; 1. Development of iris stroma (anterior leaf, posterior leaf); 2. Development of pars iridica retinae (epithelial layer); 3. Development of dilator and sphincter muscles; 4. Pupillary membrane (atrophy); 5. Cilio-iridic circulation; 6. Development of iris pigmentation
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Glaucoma — Developmental Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma — C. Ciliary body; 1. Tissue origin (mesoderm, neural crest); 2. Development of pars ciliaris retinae (epithelial layers); 3. Development of ciliary processes, ciliary muscles, ciliary vessels
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Glaucoma — Developmental Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma — D. Retina; 1. Development of optic cup; 2. Analogies between development of retina and central nervous system; 3. Fetal fissure (formation, function, fusion, failure to fuse); 4. Retinal differentiation (stages I, II, III, proliferation, migration, differentiation); 5. Macular differentiation; 6. Retinal circulation development (hyaloid system, central retinal artery/vein, hyaloid vasculature remnants); 7. Postnatal events
    • Anatomy (Developmental): Glaucoma — Developmental Anatomy of the eye as it relates to primary open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma — E. Optic nerve and visual pathway; 1. Developmental stages of lower visual pathway, before lateral geniculate body (differences between crossed and uncrossed fibers); 2. Myelination of the visual pathway (lower visual pathway vs. upper visual pathway); 3. Relationship between development of upper visual pathway and central vision; 4. Physiological cupping
  • BIOCHEMISTRY / PHYSIOLOGY — 10% - 14% of scored items (35 - 49 items)
    • Biochemistry: Systemic Health — A. Cellular biochemistry; 1. Compartmentalization; 2. Cell organelles; 3. Intracellular/extracellular; 4. Cell communication; 5. Bonds and molecular interactions
    • Biochemistry: Systemic Health — B. Proteins; 1. Structure and types; a. Alpha amino acids, peptide bond; b. Primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure; c. Multimers; d. Globular/fibrous; e. Enzymes; f. Antibodies; g. Connective-tissue/collagen; h. Hemoglobins; 2. Mechanism of enzyme action; a. Biocatalysis; b. Activation energy; c. Michaelis-Menten model (e.g., Michaels-Menten equation, Lineweaver-Burk plot); d. Allosteric interaction/positive and negative feedback modulation; e. Reversible covalent modification/enzyme cascades; f. Proteolytic activation; g. Stimulation and inhibition by control/regulatory proteins
    • Biochemistry: Systemic Health — C. Bioenergetics and energy storage; 1. Free energy/entropy/enthalpy/equilibrium; 2. Endergonic, exergonic, and coupled reactions; 3. Oxidation-reduction; 4. pH and Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, biological buffers; 5. ATP and other nucleotide phosphates; 6. NADH and FADH; 7. NADPH; 8. Acetyl CoA
    • Biochemistry: Systemic Health — D. Carbohydrate biochemistry; 1. Structure and function; a. Monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides; b. Glycosaminoglycans; c. Proteoglycans; d. Glycoproteins; 2. Glycolysis/glucose metabolism; 3. TCA cycle; 4. Pentose phosphate pathway; 5. Gluconeogenesis; 6. Glycogen synthesis, storage, and breakdown/utilization; 7. Electron transport system and oxidative phosphorylation; a. Mitochondrial structure/function/DNA; b. Electron transport/pH coupling
    • Biochemistry: Systemic Health — E. Lipid biochemistry; 1. Structure and function; a. Fatty acids/eicosanoids; b. Triacylglycerols; c. Phosphoglycerides; d. Sphingolipids; e. Sterol derivatives; f. Isoprenoids; 2. Digestion, absorption, and transport of lipids (e.g., types of lipoproteins); 3. Fatty acid metabolism (e.g., beta-oxidation, ketone bodies, gluconeogenesis); 4. Cholesterol and steroid metabolism; 5. Membrane biochemistry; a. Unit membrane/lipid bilayer; b. Fluid mosaic model; c. Membrane proteins and lipids/structure and function
    • Biochemistry: Systemic Health — F. Molecular biology; 1. DNA structure and function; a. Deoxynucleotides and synthesis; b. Base pairing/double helix; c. Genetic code/introns, exons; d. Chromosome structure; 2. RNA Structure and function; a. Ribonucleotides and synthesis; b. Messenger RNA synthesis and function; c. Ribosomal RNA synthesis and function; d. Transfer RNA synthesis and function; 3. DNA replication; 4. Protein synthesis; a. Ribosome function; b. Initiation, elongation, and termination; c. Post-translational medication/protein sorting; 5. Gene expression and regulation; 6. Mutations and repair; 7. Oncogenes/proto-oncogenes/tumor suppressor genes; 8. Tools of recombinant DNA technology (e.g., polymerase chain reaction, chromosome analysis, Southern blot); 9. Molecular therapy (e.g., gene therapy, anti-sense therapy); 10. Cell cycle; 11. Genomics; 12. Proteomics; 13. Apoptosis
    • Biochemistry: Systemic Health — G. Nutrition; 1. Digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids; 2. Essential amino acids; 3. Vitamins; a. Classification; b. Functions; 4. Minerals; 5. Oxygen toxicity/antioxidants/control of free radicals, peroxide, and superoxides
    • Physiology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — A. Eyelids; 1. Normal closure of eyelids (forced, spontaneous); 2. Blink reflexes (spontaneous, menace, auditory, touch, dazzle); 3. Role of eyelids in production, distribution, and drainage of tears; 4. Protective functions of eyelids; 5. Purposes and roles for vision
    • Physiology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — B. Tears and lacrimal apparatus; 1. Functions of tears; 2. Production of tears; a. Sources; b. Neural control; 3. Composition of tears; a. Electrolytes; b. Low molecular weight organics (glucose, amino acids); c. High molecular weight organics (proteins, lipids, glycoproteins); d. Cells; e. Physiological variations (e.g., aging, opening vs. closed eyes, contact lens wear) in tear constituents; 4. Tear film distribution, structure, and stability; 5. Elimination of tears:; a. Nasolacrimal drainage apparatus; b. Evaporation and absorption; 6. Physico-chemical properties of tears:; a. Osmotic pressure; b. pH and buffering; c. Temperature and viscosity
    • Physiology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — C. Extraocular muscles; 1. Vestibular control mechanisms; 2. Supranuclear control of eye movements; 3. Agonist-antagonist relationships; 4. Primary, secondary, and tertiary actions; 5. Fields of action; 6. Conduction and contraction
    • Physiology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — A. Cornea; 1. Physical characteristics (water content, protein content, cells, resistance to trauma); 2. Permeability characteristics of various layers; 3. Metabolic characteristics of various layers; 4. Theories of corneal transparency; 5. Factors influencing corneal thickness/hydration (osmolarity of tears, integrity of epithelium and endothelium, epithelial and endothelial pumps); 6. Physiological parameters necessary to maintain corneal integrity (oxygen level, glucose level, pH, etc.); 7. Epithelial regeneration (normal and response to trauma); 8. Physiological characteristics of corneal nerves; 9. Aging changes of the cornea; 10. Corneal hysteresis
    • Physiology: Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- and Post-Operative Care — A. Lens; 1. Functions of lens; 2. Composition of lens; 3. Difference in composition between lens and aqueous; 4. Metabolism of lens (various pathways essential to the lens); 5. Types of lens proteins; 6. Factors which regulate size and solubility of lens proteins (vitamin C, glutathione); 7. Theories of lens transparency; 8. Mitotic activity of lens epithelium; 9. Aging changes in composition of the lens
    • Physiology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — A. Uvea; 1. Functions of ciliary body; 2. Functions of iris; 3. Functions of choroid; 4. Uveal blood flow: choroid, ciliary body, iris (unique characteristics of each, functions of each)
    • Physiology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — A. Vitreous; 1. Functions; 2. Compositions; 3. Metabolism; 4. Aging changes in composition; 5. Physical characteristics (volume, water content, transparency)
    • Physiology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — B. Retina; 1. Composition of disc outer segments; 2. Formation of disc outer segments (disc renewal, disc shedding); 3. Composition of visual pigments; 4. Formation of visual pigments; 5. Stages of visual cycle; 6. Photoreceptor electrophysiology (membrane potentials, dark current role of sodium, calcium, etc.); 7. Retinal neurotransmitters; 8. Function of bipolar, horizontal, amacrine and ganglion cells (receptive fields); 9. Retinal neural mechanisms of color vision (spatial, temporal, and chromatic); 10. Physiological relationship in the choroid and the retina, including retinal metabolism; 11. Retinal blood flow (unique characteristics, dual supply, functions)
    • Physiology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — A. Neurophysiology; 1. Integration of nerve signals (e.g., synaptic processes, reflexes, feedback, adaptation, and habituation); 2. Sensory coding (e.g., receptive field concept); 3. Somatosensory system; 4. Auditory system; 5. Vestibular system; 6. Motor pathways; 7. Autonomic nervous systems; 8. Significance of evoked potentials, CT and PET scanning, and MRI; 9. Plasticity
    • Physiology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — B. Visual pathway; 1. Function of lateral geniculate body; 2. Receptive fields of cells in lateral geniculate body (relationship to color vision, binocularity, space perception, etc.); 3. Function of visual cortex; 4. Receptive field properties (single cell properties); 5. Functional organization; 6. Physiology of binocular vision; 7. Mechanism of feature detection; 8. Gross electrical potentials; a. EOG; b. ERG; c. VEP (VER)
    • Physiology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — C. Pupillary pathways; 1. Sympathetic pathways to iris; 2. Parasympathetic pathway to iris; 3. Functional relationships between pupillary pathways and central nervous system
    • Physiology: Glaucoma — A. Intraocular pressure; 1. Methods of measurement; 2. Normative values; 3. Factors controlling aqueous production and outflow; 4. Nervous system regulation of IOP; 5. Factors influencing IOP (body position, corneal thickness, blood pressure); 6. Corneal hysteresis
    • Physiology: Glaucoma — B. Aqueous; 1. Functions of aqueous; 2. Volume, osmolarity, viscosity; 3. Formation (ultrafiltration, active transport); 4. Factors influencing rate of flow; 5. Composition; 6. Blood aqueous barriers (location, ultrastructure, function)
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — A. Cellular functions; 1. Cytoplasm and cytoskeleton (e.g., microtubules, microfilaments); 2. Functions of organelles (e.g., endoplasmic reticulum); 3. Intracellular and extracellular environment; 4. Membrane potential and transport mechanisms; 5. Membrane receptors and postreceptor events
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — B. Respiration; 1. Mechanics of breathing; 2. Gas exchange in the lungs; 3. Diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide; 4. Oxygen transport and hypoxia, carbon dioxide transport; 5. Regulation of respiratory rate; 6. Acid-base balance
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — C. Gastrointestinal activity; 1. Absorption; 2. Motility; 3. Nervous and hormonal regulation; 4. Associated structures (e.g., liver, pancreas, salivary glands)
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — D. Muscle; 1. Neuromuscular junctions; 2. Conduction and contraction; 3. Types of contraction (e.g., isometric, isotonic); 4. Reflex arc (e.g., muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organ); 5. Smooth muscle
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — E. Body fluids; 1. Composition of body fluids; 2. Control systems of the body (e.g., exchange of water and electrolytes between body compartments); 3. Regulation of volume and osmolarity of extracellular fluid
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — F. Renal system and body fluids; 1. Nephron, tubular reabsorption, and secretion; 2. Regulation of glomerular filtration; 3. Functional characteristics of renal blood vessels; 4. Renal regulatory mechanisms; 5. Renal control of blood pressure and water balance; 6. Renal control of plasma sodium and potassium levels; 7. Regulation of acid-base balance
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — G. Circulatory system; 1. Mechanical events of cardiac cycle; 2. Electrical activity of the heart (e.g., pacemaker potentials, action potentials, and spread of the activity); 3. Significance of EKG; 4. Hemodynamics (e.g., pressure and resistance relationships); 5. Regulation of blood flow and pressure (e.g., autonomic); 6. Lymph formation and function; 7. Blood and its functions (e.g., hemostasis); 8. Hemodynamic patterns (resistance, transmural pressure, flow rate, critical closing pressures); 9. Autoregulation; 10. Autonomic nervous system control
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — H. Endocrine system; 1. Hormones (e.g., synthesis, mechanism of action); 2. Hypothalamic control of pituitary gland; 3. Pituitary control of endocrine glands; 4. Functions and regulations of adrenal cortex (e.g., glucocorticoids, mineral corticoids); 5. Functions and regulation of adrenal medulla (e.g., epinephrine); 6. Functions and regulation of thyroid gland (e.g., TSH, T3, T4); 7. Functions and regulations of pancreatic insulin and glucagon; 8. Regulation of blood sugar levels; 9. Functions and regulation of vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and calcitonin; 10. Functions and regulation of endorphin, enkephalin and growth hormone blood levels
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — I. Reproductive system; 1. Functions and regulation of reproductive hormones; 2. Pregnancy, birth, and lactation
    • Physiology: Systemic Health — J. Electrophysiology and the nerve cell; 1. Basis of resting potential (e.g., ionic balance, transport mechanisms); 2. Basis of action potential (e.g., ionic balance); 3. Action potential conduction; 4. Synapses, classification, transmission, neurotransmitters; 5. Membrane physiology, receptors, membrane channels; 6. Inhibitory and excitatory postsynaptic potentials (including concepts of spatial and temporal summation); 7. Strength-duration curve
  • IMMUNOLOGY / MICROBIOLOGY / PATHOLOGY — 22% - 30% of scored items (77 - 105 items)
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — A. Antigens, chemistry and origin
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — B. Antibodies; 1. Chemical structure; 2. Classification; 3. Immunological functions; 4. Genetics/clonal selection
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — C. Antigen-antibody interactions
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — D. Complement chemistry, function and pathways
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — E. Cytokines, origin and function
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — F. Nonspecific immunity; 1. Anatomical barriers; 2. Phagocytic cell types and inflammation; 3. Role of complement and antibody; 4. Interferon, lysozyme; 5. Natural killer cells
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — G. Specific immunity; 1. Cell types, markers, and function; 2. Cell-cell interactions in the immune response; 3. Humoral immunity; 4. Cellular immunity; 5. Primary and secondary immune responses
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — H. Tissue transplantation and graft rejection (mechanisms)
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — I. Autoimmunity
    • Immunology: Systemic Health — J. Tumor immunology
    • Microbiology: Systemic Health — A. Bacteriology; 1. Eukaryotic vs. prokaryotic cells; 2. Bacterial cell structures and cell wall morphology; a. Biochemical composition; b. Gram (+) vs. Gram (-) characteristics; c. Function in pathogenesis; 3. Physiological processes of bacterial growth; a. Life cycle; b. Anaerobic vs. aerobic; c. Spore formation; 4. Genetic mechanisms of bacteria; 5. Normal body flora; 6. Disease states, transmission, pathogenic mechanisms, symptoms, diagnosis, and immunity of infections by:; a. Gram (+) and Gram (-) cocci and rods; b. Spirochetes; c. Actinomycetes; d. Mycobacteria; e. Chlamydia; f. Rickettsia; g. Mycoplasma; 7. Laboratory isolation, culture, and identification of bacteria; 8. Procedures for antibiotic susceptibility testing; 9. Quality control/sterilization and disinfection
    • Microbiology: Systemic Health — B. Virology; 1. Virus particle chemistry and morphology; 2. Classification scheme for viruses; a. DNA vs. RNA types; b. Double-stranded vs. single-stranded; c. Envelopes; 3. Genetic mechanisms of viruses; 4. Viral replication in host cells; a. DNA and RNA viruses, with or without envelopes; 5. Disease states, transmission, pathogenic mechanisms, symptoms, diagnosis, and immunity of infections by viruses; 6. Laboratory isolation, culture, and identification of viruses; 7. Virus-like structures (e.g., prions)
    • Microbiology: Systemic Health — C. Mycology; 1. Biology of fungi; a. Yeast and mold morphology; b. Asexual and sexual reproduction/structures; 2. Disease states, transmission, pathogenic mechanisms, symptoms, diagnosis, and immunity of infections by:; a. Superficial mycoses; b. Cutaneous mycoses; c. Subcutaneous mycoses; d. Systemic mycoses; e. Opportunistic yeasts and molds; 3. Laboratory isolation, culture, and identification of fungi
    • Microbiology: Systemic Health — D. Parasitology; 1. Disease states, life cycles, transmission, pathogenic mechanisms, symptoms, diagnosis, and immunity of infections by protozoans, trematodes, cestodes, nematodes and arthropods; 2. Laboratory identification of parasites
    • Pathology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — A. Orbit, adnexa, lacrimal system; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation, inspection, recognition of signs, and techniques and skills; 3. Diagnostic testing (applications and interpretations); 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — A. Cornea/External Disease; 1. Epidemiology, genetics, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation, inspection, recognition of signs, and techniques and skills; 3. Diagnostic and genetic testing (applications and interpretations); 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis; 5. Contact lens selection and post-fitting complications; 6. Corneal surgery and procedures:; a. Refractive (e.g., LASIK, PRK, SMILE, intracorneal ring segments); b. Non-refractive (e.g., penetrating keratoplasty, DMEK, DSAEK, cross-linking, superficial keratectomy)
    • Pathology: Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- and Post-Operative Care — A. Lens/Cataract; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation, inspection, recognition of signs, and techniques and skills; 3. Diagnostic testing (applications and interpretations); 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis:; a. Cataract as a manifestation of ocular and systemic disease; 5. Cataract and clear lens extraction surgery:; a. Indications; b. Pre-operative measures; c. Intraocular lens selection; d. Procedure; e. Complications; 6. YAG capsulotomy:; a. Indications; b. Procedure; c. Complications
    • Pathology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — A. Uvea, Sclera/Episclera; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation, inspection, recognition of signs, and techniques and skills; 3. Diagnostic testing (applications and interpretations); 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — A. Retina/Vitreous; 1. Epidemiology, genetics, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation, inspection, recognition of signs, and techniques and skills; 3. Diagnostic and genetic testing (applications and interpretations); 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — A. Neuro-Ophthalmic disorders; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation, inspection, recognition of signs, and techniques and skills; 3. Diagnostic testing (applications and interpretations); 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Glaucoma — A. Glaucoma; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation, inspection, recognition of signs, and techniques and skills; 3. Diagnostic testing (applications and interpretations); 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis; 5. Glaucoma surgery:; a. Indications; b. Mechanisms; c. Co-management
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — A. General health; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Detailed history with regards to differential diagnosis of fatigue, weight loss, fever, headache, dizziness, and malaise; 3. Presentations involving abnormal body habitus and demeanor; 4. Physical developmental norms and standards for all ages; 5. Common systemic side effects of medications; 6. Principles of basic cardiac life support; 7. Preventive medicine; 8. Medical laboratory tests for screening; 9. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 10. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — B. Inflammation and repair; 1. Vascular and cellular changes in acute inflammation; 2. Causes of histological changes in chronic inflammation; 3. Causes and features of granulomatous inflammation; 4. Resolution of acute and chronic inflammation; 5. Events and local factors affecting wound healing and repair; 6. Systemic factors affecting the rate of wound healing
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — C. Immunologic system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of immunologic conditions; a. Hypersensitivity disorders (Type I, II, III, IV); b. Autoimmune diseases (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, reactive arthritis); c. Immunodeficiency diseases (e.g., AIDS); 3. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — D. Host defenses and responses to infection; 1. PMN, macrophage and eosinophil function; 2. Chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and bacterial activity of these cells; 3. Role of antibody in phagocytosis and destruction of microorganisms
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — E. Cellular disease; 1. Cell injury (reversible and irreversible); 2. Morphological and functional changes associated with cell aging, injury, or death (by necrosis or apoptosis); 3. Cell cycle
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — F. Musculoskeletal system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of the various arthritic syndromes (e.g., JRA, RA, ankylosing spondylitis); 3. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — G. Integumentary system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Skin manifestation of systemic disorders; 3. Skin lesions in the phakomatoses; 4. Common dermatoses, including allergic manifestations; 5. Benign, premalignant, and malignant skin lesions; 6. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 7. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — H. Head and neck; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of diseases of the nasopharynx, sinuses, salivary glands, lymph nodes, carotid and temporal arteries, skin, and temporomandibular joint; 3. Auscultation of carotid arteries, skull and orbits for bruits and venous hum; 4. Potential significance of dysarthria, dysphagia, dysphonia, and hoarseness; 5. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 6. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — I. Genetic principles and disorders; 1. Chromosomal disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome); 2. Monogenic disorders; a. Autosomal dominant; b. Autosomal recessive; c. X-linked; 3. Multifactor disorders; 4. Mitochondrial disorders
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — J. Neoplasia; 1. Histogenesis of neoplasms; 2. Classification of neoplasms; 3. Causes of neoplasms; 4. Differences between benign and malignant tumors; 5. Effects of tumor on host, oncogenes, agents; 6. Genetics of neoplasia
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — K. Hematopoietic and lymphoid system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of common blood disorders; a. Non-neoplastic disorders of blood cells; b. Neoplastic disorders of blood cells; c. Non-neoplastic disorders of lymph nodes; d. Neoplastic disorders of lymph nodes; 3. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — L. Respiratory system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of respiratory disorders; a. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, asthma, etc.; b. Infectious diseases of the lung; c. Neoplastic diseases of the lung; d. Interstitial diseases, including pneumoconiosis; 3. Significance of common respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, hemoptysis, wheezing, shortness of breath); 4. Symptoms and signs of anaphylaxis; 5. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 6. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — M. Gastrointestinal system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of common gastrointestinal disorders; a. Diseases of the esophagus (e.g., reflux, motility, disorders); b. Disorders of the stomach (e.g., gastritis, ulcers); c. Disorders of the intestines and colon (e.g., enteritis, colitis); d. Neoplastic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract; e. Diseases of the liver, biliary tract, and pancreas; 3. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — N. Cardiovascular system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Risk factors for atherosclerotic heart disease; 3. Symptoms and signs of cardiovascular disease; a. Congestion, edema; b. Hemorrhage, shock; c. Thromboembolism; d. Systemic hypertension; e. Atherosclerosis; f. Aneurysms; g. Vasculitis; h. Coronary artery disease; i. Hypertensive heart disease; j. Bacterial infections and their nonsuppurative sequelae (e.g., rheumatic fever, glomerulonephritis, infective endocarditis); k. Cardiomyopathies; l. Congestive heart failure; 4. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 5. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — O. Endocrine/Metabolic system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of endocrine disorders; a. Diabetes; b. Hyperthyroidism (e.g., Graves disease); c. Hypothyroidism; d. Goiters; e. Hyperparathyroidism; f. Hypoparathyroidism; g. Hyperpituitarism; h. Hypopituitarism; i. Hypercortisolism (e.g., Cushing disease); j. Hypocortisolism (e.g., Addison disease); k. Disorders of adrenal medulla (e.g., pheochromocytoma); 3. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — P. Nervous system and neuromuscular diseases; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs associated with non-ocular neurological conditions; a. Cerebrovascular diseases; b. Headaches; c. Infectious diseases of the central nervous system; d. Nervous system neoplasms; e. Muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy; f. Demyelinating diseases; g. Leukodystrophies, gangliosidoses; h. Neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease); i. Trauma, closed head injuries; j. Autoimmune disorders (e.g., myasthenia gravis); 3. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — Q. Renal and urogenital system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of urogenital and renal disorders; a. Acute renal failure; b. Chronic renal failure; c. Glomerulonephritis; d. Pyelonephritis; e. Nephrotic syndrome; f. Diabetic nephropathy; g. Neoplasms of the urinary tract; h. Sexually transmitted diseases; i. Cystitis; 3. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — R. Reproductive system; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Pregnancy; a. Normal physiological changes; b. Pathological changes; 3. Complications of pregnancy (e.g., pre-eclampsia, eclampsia); 4. Implication of breast feeding; 5. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 6. Diseases/disorders; a. Neoplasms (including breast cancer); b. Disorders of the menstrual cycle; c. Disorders of the prostate; d. Erectile dysfunction
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — S. Nutrition; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of nutritional abnormalities; a. Malabsorption; b. Alcoholism; c. Vitamin deficiencies and toxicities; d. Trace minerals; e. Eating disorders; 3. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 4. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — T. Liver and biliary tract; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of liver disorders (e.g., cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver failure); 3. Biliary tract disorders; 4. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 5. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — U. Mental illness and behavioral disorders; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of mental illness (e.g., depression, suicide, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder); 3. Symptoms and signs of behavioral disorders (e.g., substance abuse; child, spouse, and elder abuse); 4. Psychological tests; 5. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — V. Congenital/Hereditary conditions; 1. Epidemiology; 2. Symptoms and signs of common genetic disorders (e.g., Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies); 3. Symptoms and signs of common congenital disorders (e.g., fetal alcohol syndrome, rubella, syphilis, toxoplasmosis); 4. Diagnostic testing and imaging; 5. Pathophysiology and diagnosis
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — W. Anomalies of child development; 1. Clinical characteristics of children who deviate from expected patterns of development and epidemiology of developmental disorders
    • Pathology: Systemic Health — X. Anomalies of the aging adult; 1. Clinical characteristics of changes in perceptual functions (non-visual) associated with aging; a. Hearing; b. Coordination; c. Cognition; d. Psycho-social status
  • OPTICS (Geometrical, Physical, Ophthalmic, Physiological) — 31% - 35% of scored items (108 - 122 items)
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ametropia — A. Refraction at single spherical or plane surfaces; 1. Curvature and sagitta; 2. Refractive index and rectilinear propagation; 3. Vergence and dioptric power; 4. Object-image relationships, including apparent depth; 5. Ray tracing, nodal point, and nodal ray; 6. Lateral (translinear) and angular magnification; 7. Snell’s law of refraction
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ametropia — B. Thin lenses; 1. Vergence: dioptric and effective power; 2. Object-image relationships; 3. Lateral (translinear) and angular magnification; 4. Thin lens systems; 5. Prismatic effect (Prentice’s rule and prism effectivity); 6. Ray tracing, optical center, and optic axis
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ametropia — C. Thick lenses; 1. Cardinal points; 2. Vertex power and equivalent power; 3. Lateral (translinear) and angular magnification; 4. Reduced systems
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ametropia — D. Aberrations; 1. Spherical; 2. Coma; 3. Oblique astigmatism; 4. Curvature of field; 5. Distortion; 6. Chromatic (longitudinal and lateral)
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ametropia — E. Stops, pupils, and ports; 1. Entrance and exit pupils (size and location); 2. Depth of focus, depth of field, hyperfocal distance; 3. Field of view and half illumination
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ametropia — F. Spherocylindrical lenses; 1. Location of foci, image planes, principal meridians, and circle of least confusion; 2. Obliquely crossed spherocylindrical lenses; 3. Transposition; 4. Prismatic effect
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ametropia — G. Thin prisms; 1. Unit of measurement (prism diopter); 2. Prism deviation; 3. Combination of thin prisms; 4. Resolution of oblique prisms into horizontal and vertical components; 5. Total internal reflection
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ametropia — H. Ophthalmic and optical instruments
    • Optics (Geometrical): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — A. Ophthalmic and optical instruments
    • Optics (Geometrical): Contact Lenses — A. Ophthalmic and optical instruments
    • Optics (Physical): Ametropia — A. Wave optics; 1. Characteristics of wave motion; 2. Classifications of the electromagnetic spectrum; 3. Total and partial coherence; 4. Diffraction (single slit, circular aperture, limits of resolution, zone plates); 5. Interference (double slit, multiple slits, thin film, anti-reflective coatings, holography); 6. Scattering (Rayleigh vs. Tyndall); 7. Dispersion
    • Optics (Physical): Ametropia — B. Interaction of light and matter; 1. Atomic energy levels, absorption, and emission line spectra; 2. Continuous spectra (black body radiator and gray body radiator characteristics); 3. Fluorescence (photons, energy levels); 4. Lasers (theory of operation, speckle pattern); 5. Spectral transmission
    • Optics (Physical): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — A. Polarization; 1. Linearly polarized light; 2. Circular and elliptical polarization; 3. Polarization by reflection (glare reduction, Brewster’s law); 4. Effects of scattering on polarization; 5. Transmission through successive polarizers (stress analysis, Malus’ law)
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — A. Physical characteristics of ophthalmic lenses; 1. Geometry of lens surfaces (spherical, cylindrical, toric, aspheric); 2. Base curves (form of lenses); 3. Lens thickness (center, edge, gradients, iso-thickness curves); 4. Specification of lens size and shape; 5. Materials (refractive index, dispersion, hardness, specific gravity)
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — B. Reflection; 1. Planar and spherical reflection; 2. Proportion of light reflected from a surface (Fresnel’s law); 3. Focal power, focal length, and curvature; 4. Object-image relationships; 5. Magnification; 6. Lens/mirrors systems; 7. Ray tracing
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — C. Optical characteristics of ophthalmic lenses; 1. Locations of the relationships between the optic axis, optical center, geometric center, and major reference points; 2. Principles of corrected curve lens design; 3. Verification of lens prescriptions (lensometer, lens gauge, and hand neutralization); 4. Writing and transposing lens prescriptions; 5. Effect of lens tilt (spheres and spherocylinders about a principal meridian); 6. Effective power (for near and for changes in vertex distances); 7. Spectacle lens processing; 8. Spectacle magnification; a. Shape and power factors; b. Iseikonic lens design; 9. Methods of remedying reflections and ghost images
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — D. Ophthalmic prisms and prismatic effects of lenses; 1. Thickness difference across a prism; 2. Prismatic effects in the periphery of a lens (spheres, spherocylinders); 3. Decentration (prism from decentration, decentering to obtain prism, interpupillary distance); 4. Correction of vertical prism effect:; a. Slab off (front, back, top, bottom, reverse); b. Dissimilar segments; c. Prism segments; d. Multiple corrections; e. Contact lenses; f. Fresnel prisms; g. Fresnel Adds
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — E. Multifocal lenses; 1. Types (fused, 1-piece, progressive additions, and blended lenses); 2. Methods of producing Add powers; 3. Segment center location; 4. Differential displacement (jump); 5. Total displacement, horizontal and vertical imbalance; 6. Placement of distance and multifocal optical center; 7. Optical and physical characteristics of segments (design and calculations, progressive Adds, aberrations, surface characteristics); 8. Specifying multifocal height, size, shape, and location of segment
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — F. Physical characteristics and biological compatibility of frame materials
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — G. Fittings, adjustment, specification, and nomenclature of frames
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — H. Optical and frame consideration of high-powered lenses: aspheric, aspheric, and high refractive index materials
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — I. Absorptive lenses; 1. Specification of lens tints and absorptive coatings (including spectral transmission curves); 2. Characteristics of photochromic lenses; 3. Relationship between lens thickness and spectral transmission; 4. Special occupational requirements
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — J. Impact resistance; 1. Degrees of resistance of ophthalmic lens materials; 2. Methods of rendering materials impact resistant; 3. Methods of verifying impact resistance; 4. Performance of materials upon, and after, impact; 5. Specifications of occupational safety lenses
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Ophthalmic Optics / Spectacles — K. Optical tolerances and physical requirements of ophthalmic lenses and frame materials (FDA, ANSI Z80 and Z87, OSHA)
    • Optics (Ophthalmic): Contact Lenses — A. Optical characteristics of contact lenses; 1. Surface characteristics of the lens and the cornea; 2. Specification of the lens (power, base curve, thickness, and edge characteristics); 3. Effective power considerations of the contact lenses; 4. Tear-lens optical considerations; 5. Prismatic effects; 6. Fabrication, inspection, and verification; 7. Lens types and materials; 8. Optical filters (photochromic lenses); 9. Optics of contact lenses: curves, zones, widths, and tear lens effects; sagittal depth; center edge thickness; flexure; asphericity and toric designs
    • Optics (Ophthalmic and Physiological): Low Vision — A. Epidemiology; 1. Causes of visual impairment; 2. Classification
    • Optics (Ophthalmic and Physiological): Low Vision — B. Examination and testing; 1. Visual acuity; 2. Special refraction techniques; 3. Visual fields; 4. Reading skills; 5. Effects of illumination; 6. Magnification determination; 7. In-office evaluation with low vision devices
    • Optics (Ophthalmic and Physiological): Low Vision — C. Management and rehabilitation; 1. Optical management:; a. Magnification, field of view, and working distance; b. Simple magnifiers; c. Telescopes; d. Loupes; e. Microscopes; 2. Electronic (digital) management:; a. Magnification, field of view, and working distance; 3. Orientation and mobility
    • Optics (Physiological): Ametropia — A. Refractive states: emmetropia, myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, anisometropia; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptoms inventory; 2. Observation and recognition of clinical signs, and techniques and skills including determination of:; a. Interpupillary distance; b. Visual acuity; c. Corneal curvature and thickness; d. Objective static and dynamic refractive status, including automatic refractive devices; e. Standard subjective refraction procedures, including astigmatic dials, crossed cylinders, stenopaic slit, fogging methods, bichrome and accommodation balance (equalization) techniques; f. Binocular subjective refraction procedures, including Turville infinity balance and vectographic (Polaroid) techniques; g. Cycloplegic subjective and objective techniques; h. Amplitude of accommodation; i. Trial lenses; j. PRA/NRA; k. Add powers; l. Refractive correction applications (e.g., LASIK); 3. Management of refractive states:; a. Optical; b. Surgical; c. Pharmacological; d. Myopia control
    • Optics (Physiological): Ametropia — B. Anomalies of refraction: aphakia, pseudophakia, and aniseikonia; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation and recognition of clinical signs and phenomena associated with aphakia and pseudophakia:; a. Magnification; b. Field of view; c. Spatial distortion; d. Convergence demands; e. Sensitivity to glare; f. Techniques and skills for determining, evaluating, and/or verifying:; i. Types and characteristics of intraocular lenses and aphakic spectacle and contact lenses; ii. Intraocular lens power; iii. Special refraction techniques; iv. Aphakic lens prescriptions; 3. Observation and recognition of clinical signs, and techniques and skills associated with aniseikonia including:; a. Detection of aniseikonia; b. Measurement of aniseikonia
    • Optics (Physiological): Ametropia — C. Schematic eye models; 1. Dioptric components; 2. Cardinal points, entrance and exit pupils; 3. Ametropia: far point, near point, correction; 4. Accommodation: amplitude and effectivity; 5. Astigmatism, including correction; 6. Retinal image size, spectacle magnification, and relative spectacle magnification
    • Optics (Physiological): Ametropia — D. Dioptrics of the eye; 1. Characteristics of components (curvature, thickness, separation, refractive indices, and axil length); 2. Reference angles and axes; 3. Catoptric (Purkinje) images; 4. Retinal image size; 5. Optical function of the pupil
    • Optics (Physiological): Ametropia — E. Image quality; 1. Aberrations (surgically induced, spherical, chromatic, coma, curvature, oblique astigmatism, distortion, wavefront sensing aberrometry); 2. Diffraction; 3. Stray light; 4. Point and line spread functions; 5. Resolving power; 6. Modulation transfer function (Fourier optics)
    • Optics (Physiological): Ametropia — F. Radiation and the eye; 1. Radiometry (radiant intensity, radiance, and irradiance); 2. Photometry (luminosity function, luminous intensity, luminance, and illuminance, Lambertian surfaces- cosine laws); 3. Spectral transmission of the ocular media; 4. Retinal illuminance; 5. Effects of incoherent radiation (e.g., infrared, visible, ultraviolet) on tissue:; a. Mechanisms of damage; b. Wavelength, energy levels, thresholds for reactions; c. Ophthalmic applications (e.g., intense pulsed light therapy (IPL), corneal cross-linking); d. Protective measures; 6. Effects of coherent radiation (lasers) on tissue:; a. Mechanisms of damage; b. Wavelength, energy levels, thresholds for reactions; c. Ophthalmic applications (argon, excimer, YAG, SLT, helium neon, holmium); d. Protective measures
    • Optics (Physiological): Contact Lenses — A. Basic theories and methods of fitting, and contact lens selection and designs
    • Optics (Physiological): Contact Lenses — B. Patient selection and post-fitting complications
    • Optics (Physiological): Accommodation / Vergence / Oculomotor Function — A. Eye movements; 1. Purpose of roles for vision; 2. Dynamics and kinematics; 3. Specification of direction of gaze and ocular orientation (torsion); 4. Reflex movements, including compensatory movements (e.g., vestibulo-ocular reflex, optokinetic nystagmus); 5. Small movements associated with steady fixation; 6. Versional movements (pursuits and saccades); 7. Vergence movements (tonic, accommodative, including models of accommodative/vergence interaction, fusional and proximal)
    • Optics (Physiological): Accommodation / Vergence / Oculomotor Function — B. Anomalies and eye movements; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation and recognition of clinical signs, and techniques and skills to test:; a. Comitance; b. Deviations and measurements thereof; c. Diplopia; d. Motor fusion; e. Paralytic syndromes; f. Fixation disparity; g. Nystagmus
    • Optics (Physiological): Accommodation / Vergence / Oculomotor Function — C. Accommodation and accommodative vergence; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation and recognition of clinical signs, and techniques and skills to test:; a. Amplitude range, facility of accommodation; b. Analysis of accommodation and vergence relationships; c. Vision therapy procedures, demands, and challenges; 3. Biomechanics of accommodative reflexes
    • Optics (Physiological): Accommodation / Vergence / Oculomotor Function — D. Pupils; 1. Purposes and roles for vision; 2. Dynamics of muscle action; 3. Biomechanics of pupillary reflexes; 4. Interrelationships between pupillary changes, accommodation, and convergence (the near reflex); 5. Factors affecting pupil size
    • Optics (Physiological): Amblyopia / Strabismus — A. Sensory anomalies of binocular vision/strabismus; 1. Epidemiology, history, and symptom inventory; 2. Observation and recognition of clinical signs, and techniques and skills to test:; a. Monocular fixation patterns; b. Amblyopia; c. Sensory fusion and stereopsis; d. Anomalous correspondence; e. Suppression
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — A. Anomalies secondary to acquired neurological impairment; 1. Adaptations to clinical techniques and tests to allow the assessment of visual abilities of patients with acquired systemic conditions (CVA, multiple sclerosis, etc.) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), which results in neurological impairment and subsequent vision perceptual dysfunction:; a. Noncomitancy; b. Field loss and neglect; c. Loss of accommodation; d. Loss of fusion; e. Vision perception-motor deficiencies; 2. Modification of optometric management for the patient with acquired neurological impairment
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — B. Space perception; 1. Direction and depth discrimination (monocular and binocular cues, oculocentric and egocentric localization); 2. Characteristics of sensory function (binocular interactions including summation, binocular suppression, and rivalry; corresponding points including horopter criteria); 3. Disturbances of perceived direction and distance (aniseikonia and amblyopia); 4. Sensory-motor interactions (fixation disparity, past pointing, visually guided behavior, body posture and perceived orientation, and self-motion)
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — C. Form perception; 1. Static visual acuity (including test configurations, various acuity tasks, and factors influencing acuity including blur, intensity, and contrast); specification of visual acuity; 2. Spatial contrast sensitivity function (including factors influencing the function); 3. Illusions, constancies, and figure-ground relations; 4. Simultaneous contrast and spatial interactions (Mach bands)
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — D. Light perception; 1. Detection characteristics at the absolute light threshold (including spectral, spatial, and temporal aspects); 2. Brightness difference thresholds at various adaptation levels (Weber’s and DeVries-Rose laws); specification of contrast; 3. Dark and light adaptation processes and theories; 4. Spatial and temporal summation characteristics (Ricco’s, Piper’s, and Bloch’s laws)
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — E. Motion perception; 1. Factors involved in the detection of real and apparent motion, detection of displacements; 2. Motion after-effects; 3. Dynamic visual acuity, visual performances with a moving object, and visual performances with a moving observer
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — F. Temporal perception; 1. Critical flicker fusion frequency, including factor influencing test object (size, location, and adaptation level); 2. Subfusional flicker phenomena (Bartley brightness enhancement); 3. Successive contrast and masking; 4. Temporal contrast sensitivity function; 5. Stabilized retinal images and monocular suppression (Troxler effect); 6. Saccadic suppression
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — G. Entopic phenomena; 1. Characteristics and origin of various phenomena (involving the cornea, lens, and vitreous); 2. Vascular and circulatory phenomena (Purkinje tree, capillary circulation); 3. Phenomena associated with central vision (Maxwell spot, Haidinger brushes); 4. Phenomena associated with retinal distention or other forms of retinal activity (Moore lightning streaks, blue arcs of the retina, phosphenes)
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — H. Color perception; 1. Chromatic discrimination (hue and saturation) for normal and defective color vision; 2. Color mixture and appearance; 3. Color contrast, constancy, and adaptation; 4. Color specification and colorimetry (CIE); 5. Spectral sensitivity of normal and defective color vision; 6. Mechanisms of color deficiencies; 7. Inherited anomalies of color vision:; a. Classification; b. Inheritance patterns; c. Color vision tests (e.g., pseudoisochromatic tests, arrangement tests, anomaloscope); 8. Acquired anomalies of color vision:; a. Classification; b. Etiology; c. Color vision tests; 9. Conditions for color vision testing; 10. Societal implication of color vision anomalies:; a. School; b. Vocational requirements; c. Patient interest; 11. Patient management strategies:; a. Counseling; b. Special aids
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — I. Basic psychophysical methods and theory; 1. Measurement of absolute and difference thresholds; 2. Threshold determination (e.g., limits, adjustments, constant stimuli, forced choice, yes/no)
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — J. Psychophysical scaling methods and theory
    • Optics (Physiological): Perceptual Function / Color Vision — K. Signal detection methods and theory
    • Optics (Physiological): Visual and Human Development — A. Vision development in the infant child; 1. Spatial vision; 2. Refractive error; 3. Color vision; 4. Spectral transmission of the ocular media; 5. Accommodation and convergence; 6. Light sensitivity; 7. Binocular vision and stereopsis; 8. Form reproduction and perception; 9. Temporal vision; 10. Visual fields; 11. Motion perception
    • Optics (Physiological): Visual and Human Development — B. Effects of early environmental restrictions; 1. Plasticity of the system; 2. Animal models; 3. Light and pattern deprivation; 4. Monocular and binocular deprivation; 5. Refractive error; 6. Strabismus; 7. Cataract
    • Optics (Physiological): Visual and Human Development — C. Changes in vision with aging; 1. Spatial vision; 2. Refractive error; 3. Color vision; 4. Spectral transmission of the ocular media; 5. Accommodation and convergence; 6. Light sensitivity; 7. Glare (disability and discomfort); 8. Dark adaptation, glare recovery; 9. Visual fields; 10. Temporal vision; 11. Oculomotor system; 12. Motion perception; 13. Visual attention
    • Optics (Physiological): Visual and Human Development — D. Vision perceptual-motor skills
    • Optics (Physiological): Visual and Human Development — E. Anomalies of child development; 1. Epidemiology: history and signs/symptoms manifest by patients in the age ranges noted below in (2); 2. Clinical techniques and tests to assess the development of an infant (birth to 18 months), toddler (18-36 months), preschooler (3-5 years), and school-age child; 3. Vision problems which may be associated with deviations from normal patterns of development; 4. Tests used by optometrists to determine a child’s level of visual-perceptual development, such as:; a. Visual attention and discrimination; b. Visual-motor integration; c. Intersensory integration; d. Bilateral integration and laterality
  • PHARMACOLOGY — 11% - 17% of scored items (40 - 60 items)
    • Pharmacology: Contact Lenses — A. Preparation used with contact lenses; 1. Preserved and non-preserved solutions; 2. Drug delivery systems
    • Pharmacology: Contact Lenses — B. Indications/contraindications/side effects/drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Accommodation / Vergence / Oculomotor Function — A. Autonomic and/or neuromuscular junction drugs; 1. Drugs affecting neurohumoral transmission: autonomic and somatic motor nervous systems; 2. Adrenergic agonists; 3. Adrenergic antagonists; 4. Cholinergic agonists; 5. Cholinergic antagonists; 6. Cholinesterase inhibitors; 7. Ganglionic agonists and antagonists; 8. Neuromuscular transmission agonists and antagonists
    • Pharmacology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — A. General principles; 1. Factors affecting drug bioavailability; 2. Routes of administration; 3. Mechanisms of action; 4. Preservatives
    • Pharmacology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — B. Anti-infective agents
    • Pharmacology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — C. Anti-inflammatory agents; 1. Steroids; 2. Non-steroidals
    • Pharmacology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — D. Aesthetic/cosmetic agents
    • Pharmacology: Lids / Lashes / Lacrimal System / Ocular Adnexa / Orbit — E. Indications/contraindications/side effects/drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — A. General principles; 1. Factors affecting drug bioavailability; 2. Routes of administration; 3. Mechanisms of action; 4. Preservatives
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — B. Ocular anesthetics
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — C. Antihistamines
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — D. Anti-inflammatory agents; 1. Steroids; 2. Non-steroidals
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — E. Lubricants and tear substitutes
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — F. Dyes; 1. Topical diagnostic agents
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — G. Hyperosmotic agents
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — H. Mast cell stabilizers
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — I. Vasoconstrictors
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — J. Immune modulators
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — K. Anti-infective agents
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — L. Nutritional supplements
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — M. Biologics
    • Pharmacology: Conjunctiva / Cornea / Refractive Surgery — N. Indications/contraindications/side effects/drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- and Post-Operative Care — A. General principles; 1. Factors affecting drug bioavailability; 2. Routes of administration; 3. Mechanisms of action; 4. Preservatives
    • Pharmacology: Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- and Post-Operative Care — B. Anti-inflammatory agents; 1. Steroids; 2. Non-steroidals
    • Pharmacology: Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- and Post-Operative Care — C. Anti-infective agents
    • Pharmacology: Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- and Post-Operative Care — D. Lubricants and tear substitutes
    • Pharmacology: Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- and Post-Operative Care — E. Dyes; 1. Topical diagnostic agents; 2. Intraoperative agents
    • Pharmacology: Lens / Cataract / IOL / Pre- and Post-Operative Care — F. Indications/contraindications/side effects/drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — A. General principles; 1. Factors affecting drug bioavailability; 2. Routes of administration; 3. Mechanisms of action; 4. Preservatives
    • Pharmacology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — B. Mydriatics and cycloplegics
    • Pharmacology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — C. Miotics
    • Pharmacology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — D. Anti-inflammatory agents; 1. Steroids; 2. Non-steroidals
    • Pharmacology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — E. Lubricants and tear substitutes
    • Pharmacology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — F. Dyes; 1. Topical diagnostic agents; 2. Intravenous agents
    • Pharmacology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — G. Vasoconstrictors
    • Pharmacology: Episclera / Sclera / Anterior Uvea — H. Indications/contraindications/side effects/ drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — A. General principles; 1. Factors affecting drug bioavailability; 2. Routes of administration; 3. Mechanisms of action; 4. Preservatives
    • Pharmacology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — B. Anti-inflammatory agents; 1. Steroids; 2. Non-steroidals
    • Pharmacology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — C. Anti-infective agents
    • Pharmacology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — D. Dyes; 1. Topical diagnostic agents; 2. Intravenous agents
    • Pharmacology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — E. Nutritional supplements
    • Pharmacology: Vitreous / Retina / Choroid — F. Indications/contraindications/side effects/drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — A. General principles; 1. Factors affecting drug bioavailability; 2. Routes of administration; 3. Mechanisms of action; 4. Preservatives
    • Pharmacology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — B. Mydriatics and cycloplegics
    • Pharmacology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — C. Miotics
    • Pharmacology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — D. Anti-inflammatory agents; 1. Steroids; 2. Non-steroidals
    • Pharmacology: Optic Nerve / Neuro-Ophthalmic Pathways — E. Indications/contraindications/side effects/drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Glaucoma — A. General principles; 1. Factors affecting drug bioavailability; 2. Routes of administration; 3. Mechanisms of action; 4. Preservatives
    • Pharmacology: Glaucoma — B. Antiglaucoma agents
    • Pharmacology: Glaucoma — C. Hyperosmotic agents
    • Pharmacology: Glaucoma — D. Mydriatics and cycloplegics
    • Pharmacology: Glaucoma — E. Indications/contraindications/side effects/drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — A. General principles; 1. Pharmacodynamics; a. Concept of receptors; b. Dose-response relationships; c. Routes of drug administration; 2. Pharmacokinetics; a. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs; b. Quantitative aspects; c. Influencing factors (e.g., age, gender, pathology, genetics, diet); 3. Mechanisms of action; 4. Preservatives
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — B. Autonomic and/or neuromuscular junction drugs; 1. Drugs affecting neurohumoral transmission: autonomic and somatic motor nervous systems; 2. Adrenergic agonists; 3. Adrenergic antagonists; 4. Cholinergic agonists; 5. Cholinergic antagonists; 6. Cholinesterase inhibitors; 7. Ganglionic agonists and antagonists; 8. Neuromuscular transmission agonists and antagonists
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — C. Autacoid agonists and antagonists
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — D. Drugs affecting the respiratory system; 1. Bronchodilators; 2. Mast cell stabilizers; 3. Mucolytics
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — E. Gastrointestinal agents
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — F. Chemotherapeutics agents; 1. Antimicrobial agents; a. Antiseptics and disinfectants; b. Antibacterial; c. Antifungal; d. Antiparasitic; 2. Antiviral agents; 3. Antineoplastic agents
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — G. Immunopharmacological agents
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — H. Anti-inflammatory agents; 1. Steroids; 2. Non-steroidals
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — I. Major drugs acting on the central nervous system; 1. Neurotransmitters; 2. Opioid and non-opioid analgesics; 3. Sedative hypnotics; 4. Anxiolytics; 5. Antipsychotics; 6. Antiparkinsonians; 7. Antidepressants; 8. Anticonvulsants; 9. Skeletal muscle relaxants; 10. Hallucinogens and drugs of abuse
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — J. General and local anesthetics
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — K. Major drugs acting on the endocrine system; 1. Adenohypophyseal hormones; 2. Thyroid and antithyroid drugs; 3. Insulin and synthetic antidiabetics; 4. Estrogens, progestins and androgens
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — L. Major cardiovascular drugs; 1. Antihypertensives; 2. Agents used to treat CHF (e.g., inotropic agents, vasodilators); 3. Antiarrhythmics; 4. Antianginal agents; 5. Anticoagulants and thrombolytics; 6. Antihyperlipidemic agents
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — M. Major drugs acting on the kidneys; 1. Diuretics; 2. Uricosuric agents
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — N. Nutritional supplements
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — O. Indications/contradictions/side effects/drug interactions
    • Pharmacology: Systemic Health — P. Drug use and metabolism in pregnancy and breast feeding
Examination sources

Part II Patient Assessment and Management (PAM)

Provider
National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO); delivered at Pearson Testing Centers
Format
One-day computer-based, image-intensive, case-based examination; each patient case is followed by 3-6 related multiple-choice items with 3-10 answer options; items may be single-answer or multiple-response (up to 4 correct answers, all required for credit). Includes approximately 120 embedded TMOD items, reported as a separate TMOD breakout score and pass/fail decision
Exam questions
350 items
Time limit
Two sessions of 175 items each, 3.5 hours per session
Passing score
Scaled score on a 100-900 scale; anything above 300 is a passing score
Exam fee
$1490 (rates for examinations administered beginning August 2026)
Examination outline
  • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — 11% - 17% of items (40 - 60 items); includes embedded Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD) items
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — Pathophysiology/etiology
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — anatomy
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — biochemistry
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — physiology
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — immunology/microbiology/pathology
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — optics
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — pharmacology
  • Diagnosis — 26% - 34% of items (90 - 120 items); includes embedded Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD) items
    • Diagnosis — Most appropriate diagnosis
    • Related to Diagnosis — Indicate data supporting or correlating with diagnosis; correlation of possible additional data; or indicate additional data or next test needed
  • Treatment / Management — 40% - 57% of items (140 - 200 items); includes embedded Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD) items
    • Treatment/Management — Most appropriate treatment/management
    • Related to Treatment/Management — Treatment mechanism, additional data needed to treat effectively, additional data or next test needed, patient education, follow-up, or prognosis
  • Legal Issues / Ethics / Public Health — 4% - 10% of items (15 - 35 items)
    • Legal Issues / Ethics — Licensure and governmental regulation of optometry, standards of professional ethics, doctor-patient relationship, professional liability
    • Public Health — Epidemiology, biostatistics and measurement, environmental vision, health care policy and administration
Examination sources

Part III Patient Encounters and Performance Skills (PEPS)

This assessment does not have a question bank.

Provider
National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO); administered at the National Center of Clinical Testing in Optometry (NCCTO), Charlotte, NC
Format
12-station performance-based examination with standardized patients: 10 patient encounter stations and 2 performance skills stations; every station cycle is audio and video recorded; encounter notes and skills are scored by licensed optometrist examiners
Time limit
4.5-hour session; each exam cycle is 15 minutes with 3 minutes of observation time
Passing score
Pass/fail against an overall cut-off requirement; scale scores are not reported
Exam fee
$1490 (rates for examinations administered beginning August 2026)
Examination sources

Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD)

Provider
National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO)
Format
Image-intensive, case-based examination; each patient case is followed by 3-6 related multiple-choice items with 3-10 answer options, single-answer or multiple-response. Offered as a stand-alone examination or as an embedded portion of the Part II PAM examination, with a separate TMOD score and pass/fail decision
Exam questions
120 items administered in a single session
Exam fee
$630 for the stand-alone TMOD (rates for examinations administered beginning August 2026); no separate registration when taken embedded in Part II PAM
Examination outline
  • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — Pathophysiology/etiology
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — anatomy
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — biochemistry
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — physiology
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — immunology/microbiology/pathology
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — optics
    • Clinical Correlation of Basic Science Principles — pharmacology
  • Diagnosis
    • Diagnosis — Most appropriate diagnosis
    • Related to Diagnosis — Indicate data supporting or correlating with diagnosis; correlation of possible additional data; or indicate additional data or next test needed
  • Treatment / Management
    • Treatment/Management — Most appropriate treatment/management
    • Related to Treatment/Management — Treatment mechanism, additional data needed to treat effectively, additional data or next test needed, patient education, follow-up, or prognosis
Examination sources

New Mexico Board of Optometry Clinical Practicum Examination

This assessment does not have a question bank.

Provider
New Mexico Board of Optometry
Format
Single clinical practicum station with performed clinical procedures
Passing score
75% or better in each clinical section under 16.16.5.9(D) NMAC
Examination sources

New Mexico Board of Optometry Jurisprudence Examination

Provider
New Mexico Board of Optometry
Format
Written jurisprudence examination delivered through NMPLUS
Passing score
75% or better
Practice scope

Inferred from the examination name; the authority has not published an examination outline.

  • Optometry Act — Sections 61-2-1 through 61-2-18 NMSA 1978
  • 16.16.1 NMAC — General Provisions
  • 16.16.3 NMAC — Requirements for Licensure by Examination
  • 16.16.4 NMAC — Expedited Licensure
  • 16.16.6 NMAC — License Issuance to Practice Optometry
  • 16.16.7 NMAC — Pharmaceutical Certification
  • 16.16.8 NMAC — DEA Registration Requirements
  • 16.16.9 NMAC — Inactive Status
  • 16.16.10 NMAC — Renewal of New Mexico Optometry Licenses
  • 16.16.11 NMAC — License Expiration Due to Non-Renewal; Reactivation
  • 16.16.12 NMAC — Retirement and Reinstatement of Optometry License
  • 16.16.13 NMAC — Continuing Education
  • 16.16.14 NMAC — Duplicate and Replacement Licenses
  • 16.16.15 NMAC — Management of Pain with Controlled Substances
  • 16.16.16 NMAC — Practice Location; Ownership; Patient Medical Records Retention
  • 16.16.17 NMAC — Advertising
  • 16.16.18 NMAC — In-Office Minor Surgical Procedures
  • 16.16.19 NMAC — Contact Lenses
  • 16.16.20 NMAC — Ophthalmic Lenses
  • 16.16.21 NMAC — Unprofessional Conduct
  • 16.16.22 NMAC — Disciplinary Proceedings
  • 16.16.23 NMAC — Parental Responsibility Act Compliance
  • 16.16.24 NMAC — Disciplinary Guidelines for Impaired Practitioner
Examination sources