OA Admission Exam study guide
OA Admission Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The OA Admission Exam is the entry assessment used within optometry's credentialing pathway for candidates preparing to practise as optometrists and to sit the profession's licensing examinations. It is aimed at graduates of accredited optometry programmes and at internationally trained optometrists whose qualifications are being assessed, and it tests whether a candidate can apply core clinical knowledge rather than simply recall it. The OA Admission Exam study guide has 9 sections and about 2,239 words.
01Optometry and Ocular Disease
Approach every ocular disease question by asking three things: which tissue is involved, is it sight-threatening, and what is the time course. Master the classic presentations of blepharitis, hordeolum/chalazion, dry eye, keratoconus, cataract, glaucoma (open-angle vs angle-closure), anterior uveitis, retinal vascular occlusions, diabetic retinopathy, AMD, and optic neuropathies.
292 words, about 1 min02Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Organize ophthalmic drugs by class and mechanism: anti-infectives, anti-inflammatories (steroids and NSAIDs), glaucoma agents, mydriatics/cycloplegics, anesthetics, and dry-eye/lubricant therapies. For each, know indication, key adverse effect, and contraindication.
235 words, about 1 min03Ophthalmic Optics and Refraction
Build from vergence: light from infinity has zero vergence; a lens changes vergence by its power. Know thin-lens equation, the relationship between focal length and power (P = 1/f in meters), and how to convert between plus and minus cylinder.
279 words, about 1 min04Contact Lenses
Understand lens material properties (Dk/t for oxygen transmission, water content, modulus), fitting relationships (base curve vs corneal curvature), and care systems. Know the difference between soft and rigid gas-permeable lenses and when each is appropriate.
261 words, about 1 min05Binocular Vision and Ocular Motility
Start with the cover test and versions/ductions to localize a deviation. Then classify: phoria vs tropia, comitant vs incomitant, and eso/exo/hyper.
251 words, about 1 min06Systemic Disease and Ocular Manifestations
Link systemic conditions to their hallmark ocular findings. Focus on diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disease, infectious disease, and thyroid disease, since these dominate exam questions.
227 words, about 1 min07Neuro-optometry
Neuro-optometry questions test localization of lesions along the visual pathway and recognition of optic nerve disease. Know the visual field defect that corresponds to each lesion site.
227 words, about 1 min08Ocular Emergencies and Urgent Care
Triage by threat to vision and globe. The true emergencies are chemical injury, open globe, acute angle-closure glaucoma, retinal artery occlusion, and microbial keratitis with hypopyon.
240 words, about 1 min09Practice Management and Ethics
This domain tests professional conduct, informed consent, record keeping, billing basics, and scope of practice. Questions reward patient-centered, transparent decisions.
227 words, about 1 min