COT study plan
COT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Ophthalmic patient care and clinical assisting
Map the full patient flow from check-in to checkout and list every COT touchpoint
Demonstrate proper hand hygiene, PPE donning/doffing, and exam room setup for a new patient
Practice taking and recording a structured ocular history (chief complaint, HPI, ROS, meds, allergies)
Measure and record visual acuity (Snellen, pinhole, near card) on three practice patients with documented technique
Your checkpoint
A one-page patient intake and history checklist with all required fields and a scored self-audit of three practice histories
Ophthalmic patient care and clinical assisting & Diagnostic testing and instrumentation
Perform and document Goldmann applanation tonometry, including anesthesia, fluorescein, and slit-lamp alignment
Set up and assist during a slit-lamp exam, including dialing magnification, filters, and illumination
Execute a complete medication reconciliation and allergy cross-check for five mock patient profiles
Explain the purpose and normal ranges of IOP, pupil testing, and EOM testing to a mock patient
Your checkpoint
A skills lab log with 10 supervised tonometry readings and a written medication reconciliation for five cases
Diagnostic testing and instrumentation
Operate an autorefractor and keratometer, capturing reliable readings and recognizing when to repeat
Perform manual lensometry (sphere, cylinder, axis, add, prism) on five unknown lenses and verify against known values
Set up and explain A-scan biometry and corneal topography to a mock patient
Identify common artifacts and operator errors in automated refraction and keratometry
Your checkpoint
A 20-item practical checklist for autorefraction, keratometry, and lensometry with pass/fail criteria and one completed practice run
Diagnostic testing and instrumentation & Ocular anatomy, physiology, and pathology
Perform visual field testing (24-2 SITA-Standard) and interpret reliability indices and common defect patterns
Explain the anatomy and function of the cornea, lens, and retina and link each to a diagnostic test
Describe the layers of the retina and the blood-retinal barrier and how they relate to fluorescein angiography
Diagram the anterior chamber angle and identify structures seen on gonioscopy
Your checkpoint
A labeled diagram of the eye with at least 12 structures and a matching table linking each to a diagnostic test
Ocular anatomy, physiology, and pathology
Differentiate the signs, symptoms, and triage urgency of the five most common red-eye presentations
Describe the pathophysiology and clinical findings of cataract, glaucoma, AMD, and diabetic retinopathy
Explain pupil abnormalities (RAPD, Horner's, Argyll Robertson) and the tests used to identify them
Identify the ocular adverse effects of common systemic medications and list the top five to screen for
Your checkpoint
A triage decision tree for acute red eye with at least six branches and a one-page medication side-effect quick reference
Optics, refraction, and contact lenses
Convert between sphere/cylinder/axis and sphero-cylinder/power cross notations for 10 prescriptions
Calculate and verify prism, decentration, and induced prism using Prentice's rule in five practice problems
Explain the optics of the retinoscope and perform static retinoscopy on a model eye
Describe the principles of soft and rigid contact lens fitting, including base curve, diameter, and oxygen transmissibility
Your checkpoint
A worked problem set of 15 optics and refraction calculations with a self-graded answer key and error log
Ophthalmic patient care and clinical assisting & Optics, refraction, and contact lenses
Demonstrate insertion, removal, and care instructions for soft and rigid contact lenses on a model
Teach a mock patient proper contact lens hygiene and recognize three common contact lens complications
Perform a full dry-run of a routine exam sequence from history to checkout within 30 minutes
Practice documenting findings in SOAP format for three different patient scenarios
Your checkpoint
A timed 30-minute mock exam with a completed SOAP note and a contact lens patient education handout
Ophthalmic patient care and clinical assisting & Diagnostic testing and instrumentation & Ocular anatomy, physiology, and pathology & Optics, refraction, and contact lenses
Complete a 100-question mixed-domain practice test and score at least 80%
Review every missed question and write a one-line rationale for the correct answer
Re-demonstrate the five weakest skills identified in the practice test under observation
Create a one-page exam-day reference sheet with key formulas, normal values, and triage red flags
Your checkpoint
A scored 100-question practice test with a written error analysis and a final one-page reference sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can independently perform and document tonometry, visual acuity, and a structured ocular history with no critical omissions
Week 4: Can operate autorefractor, keratometer, lensometer, and visual field analyzer and explain each result to a mock patient
Week 6: Scores at least 80% on a 30-question mixed optics and pathology quiz and can convert prescriptions between notations without error
Week 8: Scores at least 80% on a full-length mixed-domain practice test and completes a timed 30-minute mock exam with a complete SOAP note