CO Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CO exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CO Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CO Topics to Study (75)
✍️ Sample CO Questions & Answers
1. When a pediatric patient with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) presents for orthotic management, the orthotist should modify standard clinical practice by:
Patients with osteogenesis imperfecta are at high risk for fractures from minimal force; casting, fitting, and adjustments must use extremely gentle, minimal-force techniques.
2. A patient reports seeing halos around lights at night and has a relative afferent pupillary defect. The most likely diagnosis is:
An RAPD indicates asymmetric optic nerve or retinal disease; halos plus RAPD together may suggest acute glaucoma or optic neuropathy causing both symptoms.
3. A patient taking anticonvulsants long-term presents with a gait ataxia and a request for an AFO. What should the orthotist prioritize in the clinical evaluation?
Anticonvulsant-induced ataxia requires careful fall risk assessment, as an AFO alone may not adequately address a cerebellar gait pattern and additional safety measures may be needed.
4. When using a prism bar to measure a horizontal deviation, the prism base direction should be oriented in which direction to neutralize an esotropia?
Base-out prisms neutralize esotropia by shifting the image toward the deviated eye, allowing the cover-uncover test to show neutralization.
5. A minor patient (age 14) wants their diagnosis kept from their parents. In most US states, what governs disclosure of routine orthoptic findings?
In the US, parents generally have access to their minor child's records; HIPAA defers to state law, with limited exceptions for emancipated minors or specific sensitive services.
6. The optic nerve exits the eye through which structure and is surrounded by an extension of the meninges?
The optic nerve exits through the lamina cribrosa, a sieve-like region of the sclera, and is surrounded by extensions of the dura, arachnoid, and pia mater.