Dec. 16, 2020 — The Society to Advance Opticianry (SAO) has created a new certification for advanced credentialed optical professionals to become telehealth facilitators. 

Optical professionals that earn this new certification will be known as a “Certified Visual Assessment Specialist” (CVAS) and would assist optometrists and ophthalmologists via telehealth to achieve the best vision care for the doctor’s patient. 

According to the SAO, CVAS will assist in guiding a patient through the exam, communicate closely with doctors, and establish that a patient’s newest Rx will deliver improved visual acuity, comfort, and/or visual utility from their current Rx. The SAO has shared that for telehealth to become an effective and accepted part of modern eye care, certified advanced credentialed optical professionals will lead to better communication between patients and telehealth doctors. 

For more information on the online certification course, which allows advanced credentialed optical professionals (O.O., ABO-AC, ABOM, COMT, CPOT, NCLE-AC, and dual certified ABOC/NCLEC) to enter the telehealth sphere as SAO CVAS, head here: ophthalmicoptician.org/.