The American Board of Optometry (ABO) has released an outline of the content in its Board Certification examination. Active candidates who have had their post-graduate educational requirements verified by May 16, 2011 will be able to reserve a slot for the inaugural examination in June. The computer-based exam will be administered at Prometric Test Centers.

The exam will take approximately six hours (a morning and an afternoon session) and contain 240 test items. The core exam includes 160 items in 10 categories of general practice:

1. Ametropia/ophthalmic optics (16%)
2. Pediatrics/binocular vision/vision therapy (8%)
3. Contact lenses (13%)
4. Anterior segment (15%)
5. Pre- and postoperative care (7%)
6. Posterior segment (12%)
7. Optic nerve/glaucoma (12%)
8. Neuro-ophthalmic disorders (5%)
9. Vision rehabilitation (5%)
10. Systemic health (7%)

In addition to the core exam, each candidate will select two areas of emphasis, which will include 40 items in each area:

• Additional general practice
• Contact lenses
• Pediatrics/binocular vision/vision therapy
• Ocular disease, anterior
• Ocular disease, posterior
• Vision rehabilitation/low vision/neuro-ophthalmic rehabilitation

In other Board Certification news, a California court did not dismiss the lawsuit that the American Optometric Society brought against the ABO, although it dismissed some charges. At issue: whether the ABO’s claims that Board Certification is the “highest level” of certification available in eye care. The ABO defends that such claims are “mere puffery.” AOS charges that the claims are false and misleading. So the lawsuit continues to the discovery phase.