1.3 Eligibility Pathways, Fees, Timelines & Recertification

The five eligibility pathways

IJCAHPO retains sole authority over eligibility and requires candidates to establish eligibility before submitting an application and fees. There are five COMT pathways.

Two details trip candidates up:

• Training-program graduates who finished more than 12 months ago must submit 12 IJCAHPO CE credits for each year since graduation, earned within the 36 months before applying.
• TG3, TG4 and TG5 candidates must maintain their underlying certification (COT or orthoptist) throughout the COMT process. Letting a COT lapse mid-process invalidates the pathway.
• TG5 work experience that is non-certified must be verified by a letter from the ophthalmologist on official letterhead.

Candidates attending a formal training program may apply up to two months before graduation, including for the practical examinations, but results are not released until IJCAHPO receives official notification of graduation and, where applicable, verification of work experience.

Special consideration

An applicant whose education or employment background differs from the published criteria but who believes it is equivalent may request special consideration. People trained outside the United States and Canada are among those who commonly qualify. Requests may take up to eight weeks to process, and appealing a finding of ineligibility carries a $50 fee and must be postmarked within 30 days of notification.

Fee schedule

IJCAHPO asks military and government personnel to contact the Certification Department about reduced examination fees.

Timelines that matter

• Normal application processing is 2 to 4 weeks; the confirmation letter is mailed within that window.
• The examination must be taken within the 90-day eligibility period stated in the confirmation letter. Only one 30-day extension is allowed, and the request must arrive inside the original 90 days.
• Pearson VUE must be contacted at least 30 business days before an appointment to avoid a fee. Cancelling or rescheduling 5–29 business days out costs $25; less than 5 business days out is treated as a no-show.
• All examination components must be completed within 36 months of application approval.

Recertification

IJCAHPO certifications are valid for 36 months. COMT recertification requires:

• 36 IJCAHPO continuing education credits, all earned inside the 36-month cycle (COA and CCOA need 18; COT needs 27).
• A recertification application signed by a sponsoring ophthalmologist, postmarked on or before the last day of the final month of the cycle.
• The $125 recertification fee.

Rules worth memorising: a course topic may be counted only once per 36-month cycle; duplicate courses are rejected. Since 1 August 2024, COMTs may submit up to 12 AMA or CMA Category 1 CME credits toward the total, with verification attached — COAs and COTs may not. Dually certified individuals may submit up to one third of their credits from the Ophthalmic Photographers' Society or the American Orthoptic Council, provided the content matches IJCAHPO examination content areas.

A certificant may instead retest at their current level in lieu of continuing education; COT and COMT certificants only need to repeat the multiple-choice examination to recertify that way. Certification moves to revoked status more than six months past the recertification date, with a one-time reinstatement option through the Certification Department. Retiring certificants may apply for a retirement credential such as COMT(Ret).