• OOA Student Membership
  • Invite to Join
  • OOA Student Membership Application
  • American Optometric Student Association
• Accreditation Council on Optometric Education
  • Accredited Programs
  • Accreditation Resources and Guidance
    • Optometric Degree Programs
    • Optometric Residency Programs
    • Optometric Technician Programs
  • ACOE Accreditation Process
  • ACOE Membership
  • ACOE Upcoming Site Visits
  • Recent ACOE Accreditation Actions
    • Accredited with Conditions
    • Withdrawal of Accreditation
    • Archive of Accreditation Actions
  • Call for Comments on Proposed Changes
  • Contact ACOE
• Faculty Resources
  • AOA Faculty Relations Committee Members
  • Summary of Results: AOA Optometric Educator Faculty Opinion Survey
  • Faculty Resources
    • Creole Examination Phrases
    • Spanish Examination Phrases
• Financial Aid
  • Guide to Optometric Loans, Grants and Scholarships
    • Industry Scholarships
    • Non-State Scholarships
    • Schools Scholarships
    • State Residency Scholarships
    • Other Programs
  • Balance Sheet Preparation
  • Planning and Budgeting
  • The Resident's Guide to Resources in Research and Scholarship
    • The Resident's Guide to Resources in Research and Scholarship: PDF Version
    • The Resident's Guide to Resources in Research and Scholarship: Part 1
    • The Resident's Guide to Resources in Research and Scholarship: Part 2
  • NIH Loan Repayment Program
• Professional Transitions
  • Primer for Successful Practice
    • Optometry article: A case study in practice transition
    • Status Post Graduation: Private Practice Success
    • Strategy and Human Resource Management Illustrated
    • Business Functions and Structure
    • It Is All in the Mind: a Paradigm Shift for Practice Success
    • Action Plan: Preparing for the Entrepreneurial World of Optometric Practice
    • Methods of Securing Practice Ownership
    • The Practice Prospecting Process
    • Buyer Beware
    • Making the Deal: A Guide to Successful Negotiation
    • Practice Management
  • AOA Membership After Graduation
    • Post-Graduate Membership
      • How Affiliated Association Membership Works
      • I've Graduated! Why Should I Continue My Membership?
    • Practice Management
      • Selecting Your Practice Mode and Location
      • Future Practice - Choosing Wisely
      • Obtain Your Licence
      • Optometric Practice Options
    • Residency Program Opportunities
      • Directors
    • President's Letter to New Graduates
  • Optometry's Career Center
• Career Advocate for the New Practitioner
  • Career Advocate 2009 Program
  • Career Options
  • Marketing Yourself
    • Sample Cover Letter
    • Sample Resume
  • Joining a Practice
  • Buying a Practice
  • Starting a Practice
  • Managing Practice Finances
  • Managing Your Personal Finances
  • Day-to-Day Practice Operations
  • Third Party Programs
  • Managing Personnel
  • Dispensing
  • Patient Communication
  • Marketing Your Practice
  • Opportunities for Practice Growth
• Allergan Launches Latisse™ as Treatment for Hypotrichosis
• Presentation to the FDA Advisory Panel on Contact Lens Solutions
• Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS) Associated with Systemic Alpha-1 Blockers
• AOA Optometric Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Quick Reference Guides
• Clinical Care Publications
• AOA Diabetes Eye Report form
• Council on Research
  • Summer Invitational Research Institute
• Patient Care
  • Geriatrics and Nursing Facility
    • Optometric Care of Nursing Home Residents
    • Eye Care Services in Nursing Facilities
    • Facts about Optometric Nursing Facility Care
    • Instruments and Equipment
    • A Recommended Continuing Education Curriculum: Geriatric Optometry for the Primary Care Practice
  • Hospital Practice
    • Facts about Optometry and Optometric Services in Hospitals (PDF Version)
    • Optometric Services in Hospitals (Position Paper)
    • Hospital Privileges Manual
      • Sample Application Form: Application For Appointment To The Medical/Dental Staff (Word doc)
      • Hospital Privileges Manual: Part II: The Importance of Optometry to the Hospital
      • Hospital Privileges Manual: Part III: Hospital Bylaws and Legal Issues in Hospital Privileging
      • Hospital Privileges Manual: Part IV: How to Obtain Hospital Privileges
      • Hospital Privileges Manual: Part V: The Hospital-Based Optometric Examination
    • American Optometric Association Guidelines for Delineation of Clinical Privileges for Optometry
  • Pediatrics and Binocular Vision
    • Vision: A Collaboration of Eyes and Brain
    • The Need for Comprehensive Vision Examination of Preschool and School-age Children
    • Vision Therapy
      • PDF Version of this Page
      • Optometric Co-Management of Vision Therapy
    • Vision, Learning and Dyslexia
    • The Use of Tinted Lenses and Colored Overlays for the Treatment of Dyslexia and Other Related Reading and Learning Disorders
    • Optometric Care of the Patient with Acquired Brain Injury
  • Primary Care
    • Optometric Clinical Practice Recommendations
• Environmental / Occupational Issues
  • Occupational Vision Manual Part I: Introduction
    • PDF Version (360.6 KB)
    • Occupational Vision Manual: Part II: Performance and Productivity in the Work Place
    • Occupational Vision Manual: Part III: Ocular Protection
    • Occupational Vision Manual: Part IV: Contact Lens Use In Industry
    • Occupational Vision Manual: Part V: Medico-Legal and Ethical Concerns Regarding Standards and Regulations
    • Occupational Vision Manual: References and Sources for Further Information
  • Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)
    • Computer Vision Syndrome Symptoms
    • The Relationship of Computer Vision Syndrome to Musculoskeletal Disorders
    • Impact of Computer Use on Children's Vision
    • The Effects of Video Display Terminal Use on Eye Health and Vision
    • Criteria for Determining Whether the Need for Eyeglasses or Other Treatment is Related to Computer Use
  • Motorist Vision Policy
  • Recommendations for the Use of Laser Pointers
• Ophthalmic Standards
• Commission on Quality Assessment & Improvement
  • Frequently Asked Questions
• Aviation Vision
  • Aviation Vision Continuing Education Course
  • Comparison of Bifocal and Progressive Addition Lenses on Aviator Target Detection Performance
  • Eyes, Right
  • LASIK Refractive Surgery: Clinical Considerations for the Pilot
  • Special Ophthalmic Needs of Aviators
  • Sunglasses in Aviation
  • Ultraviolet Radiation: Hazards in Aviation
  • Eye Exams and Aviation: Prescription for Success
  • The Eye and Night Vision
  • Adjusting to New Spectacles the Easy Way
  • Prescribing Spectacles for Aviators
  • AOA Pilot Vision Evaluation
  • FAA Report of Eye Evaluation
  • Ophthalmological Evaluation for Glaucoma
  • Clinical Application of Vision Standards
• Community Health Centers
  • Community Health Center Optometry
  • Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Community Health Center Optometry
  • The Fundamentals of Community Health Centers
  • UPDATED - A Sketch of Community Health Centers: The NACHC Chart Book
  • Do you Need an Eye Care Service?
  • How to Start an Eye Care Service in a Community Health Center
  • Community Health Center Eye Clinic Capital & Equipment Planner
  • Business Planning Template
  • Opening the Doors to Vision Care Access
  • Memorandum of Understanding with the National Association of Community Health Centers
  • Publications and Research

Post-Graduate Membership

• How Affiliated Association Membership Works
• I've Graduated! Why Should I Continue My Membership?

As a non-practicing optometrist who is a full-time student in an accredited institution of higher education, you are eligible for direct membership in the AOA as a postgraduate member. Postgraduate membership is complimentary and continues until the end of the calendar year in which you complete your residency. Certification of your full-time status as a student must be made by an appropriate official of the institution and must be noted on the application. The postgraduate classification must be renewed annually.