News from the AOA's Blog

The Foundation for Eye Health Awareness hosted the second Eye Health Summit last month. Themed “From the Foundation Up,” the Eye Health Summit provided its 150 attendees with an opportunity to participate in small group and breakout activities, as well as a number of networking breaks. Mike Daley, president and executive director of the foundation, along with board members, welcomed Summit attendees at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the opening reception.

“Cutting the ribbon symbolically opened the doors of our new educational foundation to members of the vision community to participate,” said Daley. “With participants ranging from non-profit organizations to manufacturers to managed care plans, the summit brought together key decision-makers from throughout the vision community.” Read the rest of this entry ?

For the first time in its more than 100-year history, the association will induct its first woman as president when Dori Carlson, O.D., takes the helm next summer. For Dr. Carlson, however, this is just par for the course.

Since opening her practice with husband Mark Helgeson, O.D., in Park River, N.D., in 1990, and a second location in Grafton, N.D., Dr. Carlson has made it her mission to take optometry to another level where young patients receive proactive care to prevent problems later in life – often when it is too late. Read the rest of this entry ?

 The AOA’s Communications and Membership Group’s back-to-school campaign is under way. This grassroots campaign delivers the message that a comprehensive eye examination is an important part of getting Ready for School.

The AOA is happy to offer a free community promotion kit to the members again this year. This kit was designed to help deliver the Ready for School message to the member’s practice and community.  Read the rest of this entry ?

Jennifer Smythe, O.D. and dean of Pacific University’s College of Optometry, has been named to the executive committee of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO).

Dr. Smythe is the first woman to be elected to the committee and will serve as an at-large member.

A Pacific alumna who has served as dean since 2008, Dr. Smythe earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and optometry doctorate at the university.

Prior to serving as dean, Dr. Smythe served as a professor, chief of contact lens services and associate dean for academic programs. She spent 12 years in private practice and has written extensively on vision care.

Founded in 1941, ASCO represents the interests of the schools and colleges of optometry in the United States and Puerto Rico.

With 30,000 members, the American Public Health Association (APHA) is one of the oldest and most diverse organizations of public health professionals in the world. The APHA is a key multidisciplinary advocate for development of policy that affects public health issues throughout the world.

The APHA’s Vision Care Section (VCS) is now celebrating 30 years of advocacy. The mission of the VCS is to promote health and well-being with emphasis on vision and eye health through interdisciplinary partnerships.

The VSC serves as an advocate to ensure equality in, and access to, vision and eye health care, and to ensure inclusion of vision in public health policy. With health care reform on the horizon, the VCS is facing one of its most important years yet. More than 25 VCS-sponsored resolutions are now fully supported by the APHA, all of which have been instrumental in federal and state legislative efforts.  Recent resolutions range from improving childhood eye care, to increasing access to vision rehabilitation, to eye care in disaster preparedness, to improving access to vision care in community health centers.  Read the rest of this entry ?

At Optometry’s Meeting®, Johannah Birney, left, poses with her mother, Roxanne, who wrote a children’s book titled “Johannah’s Lazy Eye” about coping with vision problems.

When Roxanne Birney’s daughter, Johannah, was getting ready to graduate from high school she sat down and talked to her mom about getting bullied for wearing glasses as a child.

“I could see the pain,” said Birney. “She was 18, and this had been when she was 4, 5, 6, and I thought this was something I needed to write about.”

Birney then wrote a children’s book titled “Johannah’s Lazy Eye” about a little girl coping with vision correction and her classmates’ reactions.

Birney said the book offers help in dealing with differences and understanding classmates and young children.

The book includes a note from the Birney’s family optometrist, Todd Erickson, O.D., who practices in Lantana, Fla.

The book also contains links to www.infantsee.org and www.aoa.org. Read the rest of this entry ?

Prevent Blindness America recently launched Star Pupils, a program specifically designed to educate parents on what they can do to ensure healthy eyesight for their kids.

Parents may log on to www.Starpupils.org and receive free information on everything from common eye conditions in children to tips on how to protect eyes from injury while playing sports.

Starpupils.org also houses a unique and easy-to-use comprehensive database for children’s vision care requirements for entering schools.  Read the rest of this entry ?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released information and guidance on a new health care tax credit which passed under the health overhaul legislation approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama earlier this year. 

The small business health care tax credit, which is in effect this year, is designed to encourage small employers to offer health insurance coverage for the first time or maintain coverage they are already providing to their employees. Read the rest of this entry ?

 The AOA House of Delegates dedicated part of its agenda to recognizing those who serve the country.

The family of Rob Soltes, O.D., accepted a copy of the official signed bill naming the new Long Beach, Calif., Department of Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Center in honor of the fallen optometrist. Soltes’ wife, Sally Dang, O.D., said “Rob loved life, loved the army, and loved optometry. He knew he was going to make a difference.”

The House of Delegates also recognized the partnership of other veterans and presented Health Care Leadership Awards to Tom Zampieri, Ph.D., director, Government Relations, of the Blinded Veterans Association; Don Gomez, spokesperson for Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America; and Michael J. O’Rourke, assistant director, Veterans Health Policy, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

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.
• AOA Coding Webinars are provided as an AOA member-only benefit to educate doctors and staff on medical record-keeping and coding.  

Read the rest of this entry ?