News from the AOA's Blog

Thirty-five volunteers participated evaluations for the 2010 Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games in Hampton Roads, Va.

The AOA Sports Vision Section (SVS) conducted free vision evaluations Aug. 1-2 for 200 of the athletes competing in the 2010 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Games in Hampton Roads, Va., thanks to a generous sponsorship grant from Vistakon®, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

The program, co-chaired by Steven Hitzeman, O.D., and Stephen Beckerman, O.D., provided 35 volunteers the opportunity to establish testing protocols, gather data, and aid in identifying the best types of sports vision evaluation equipment. 

In addition, it provided an excellent opportunity to receive hands-on training and experience in the latest sports vision evaluation techniques. Read the rest of this entry »

No matter your profession — eye care provider, student, lawyer, construction worker, or anything at all, a humanitarian project just may be what the doctor ordered. 

Registration is open for Great Shape! Inc.’s newest project, iCare. 

Last year, volunteers fit an 80-year-old woman with a pair of glasses for the first time.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she said, “This is the first time in over 10 years that I have been able to read my Bible.” 

iCare is currently recruiting optometrists, opticians, ophthalmologists, students or anyone who strives to serve others. Read the rest of this entry »

Outreach to Federal Agencies Follows Optometry’s Successful Inclusion and Patient Access Gains

Although the new national health care reform law – most commonly referred to as the Affordable Care Act – was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in late March, the Washington, D.C. battles over health care reform are far from over.

Right now, Federal agencies., led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are going through the legislation’s more than 2000 pages and are writing rules on how it will be implemented – mostly between now and 2014.

And in the first of many health overhaul implementation battles that will impact optometry, concerned ODs and students are urging their elected national leaders to join the fight and help AOA fully define the new children’s vision benefit. Read the rest of this entry »

The following resources are available to AOA members through the AOA’s Clinical and Practice Advancement Group:

• AOA.org/Coding features a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section for members-only, providing questions asked by AOA members and the answers provided by AOA volunteers and staff.
• AskTheCodingExperts@AOA.org offers AOA members the opportunity to e-mail their coding question and have it answered by an AOA staff person or volunteer who is very knowledgeable in medical records and coding.

Read the rest of this entry »

From left, Mike Wood, O.D., and Jackie Rivers, executive director of the South Carolina Optometric Physicians Association, observe Chip Robertson, vice president of Robertson Optical Laboratories, as he fits a participant for eyeglasses at SC Mission 2010.

This was the first year that vision screenings and eyeglass fittings were provided.