Optometry's Fund for Disaster Relief

The Optometric Disaster Relief Fund provides financial relief to optometrists who've experienced the loss of or severe damage to their practice and/or home.

Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina

In the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, the American Optometric Association, through the American Optometric Association Foundation for Science, Education, and Charity (formerly the American Optometric Institute), is embarking on a mission to assist optometrists whose lives and practices have been disrupted by the hurricane. The AOA Foundation has created the Optometric Disaster Relief Fund to provide all optometrists who have experienced the loss of or severe damage to their practice and/or home with immediate financial relief. You can make a difference in getting optometrists back in practice by making a donation today.

The Damage

According to estimates from executive directors of optometric associations in states affected by the hurricane, over 400 ODs are in need of immediate financial help.

In addition to damage to structures and equipment, many of these optometrists have seen their patients disperse to other areas of the country, further hampering practice recovery efforts. For some optometrists, it could be months before their home community stabilizes to allow the beginning of recovery. Without a practice or patients, these optometrists have no means for generating income, and require help with basic needs.

Help us help optometrists at this critical time. Please submit your tax deductible donation today - it will make a difference

Optometrists Seeking Help

The AOA Foundation will provide each optometrist, who completes a brief grant application, a $2,000 grant to provide for critical and urgent needs such as food, clothing and shelter.

Additional Assistance for Displaced ODs

Practice Opportunities

The AOA is also helping to coordinate efforts to get displaced optometrists back in practice. Optometry's Career Center^® is offering free listings to any practice offering temporary or permanent practice opportunities for ODs affected by the hurricane. Contact 800-365-2219, x4107 or e-mail dbkincaid@aoa.org for details.

Licensure for Displaced Optometrists

Additionally, some state optometry boards are taking swift action to expedite licensure for displaced optometrists. AOA provides a listing of these boards in the Practice Assistance for Displaced ODs area of this web site.