Who it's for
Opticians, optical assistants, contact lens technicians, ophthalmic assistants, students, career changers, and the employers who help their teams prepare. We focus on certification prep and career information for eye-care support roles — not on doctor-level clinical education.
What we publish
- Plain-English guides to the ABO Basic, NCLE Basic, and COA® certifications
- Original practice questions with explanations that teach the concept
- Optical calculators that show their working
- A state-by-state optician licensing hub, verified one state at a time
How we handle accuracy
- Official sources first. Exam facts come from ABO-NCLE and IJCAHPO publications and are linked on each page with a “last reviewed” date.
- No guessing. When official pages conflict or we can't confirm something, we say so and point you to the official source rather than publish a number we aren't sure of.
- Original questions. We never copy official exam items. Each question carries a status — Draft, Researched, Review Required, Approved, Published, or Update Required — and questions still under review are labeled on the page.
- Corrections. Found an error? Email support@optical.education and we'll review it.
Independence
optical.education is independent. We aren't affiliated with or endorsed by ABO-NCLE, IJCAHPO, or any state licensing board, and we don't use their logos. Exam and credential names are used only to describe the exams.