House of Delegates Highlights Association Strength and Advocacy Successes

Minneapolis, Minnesota – June 26, 2025 – The second day of Optometry’s Meeting kicked off with The House of Delegates, the annual meeting comprised of affiliated association representatives, doctors of optometry in federal service, District of Columbia and optometry students. The House opened with remarks from the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) Executive Director Jon Hymes.

“This Federation – AOA and the Affiliates – is strong and getting even stronger,” Hymes noted. “Since we last gathered together a year ago, we have engaged even more completely on multiple advocacy fronts and continue to turn winning advocacy into new opportunities for practice success for our members."

“We fight for our doctors in both the singular and ongoing battles that will shape eye care delivery for decades to come,” Hymes noted. “We’re carrying the powerful, important and timely message of this great profession to the public, to policymakers, to the media, and this year more than ever, to those special interests who devalue eye health care even as they seek to control its delivery.” 

Hymes continued by detailing the AOA’s always-on public awareness and marketing efforts, namely, the Eye Deserve More campaign. This eye-catching, multi-channel campaign breaks through the misinformation to capture patients’ attention and encourages them to find a local AOA doctor of optometry. Hymes pointed to the campaign’s recent successes, including: 

• Public value of in-person eye exams has increased year over year since 2023 to 80%, according to a recent survey; 
• “Eye exams” ranked in the top 10 booked doctor visits for the first time ever, according to ZocDoc; and 
• 330,000 clicks to the AOA-member doctor locator by the Eye Deserve More campaign, connecting them directly to a local doctor they trust—a 273% increase since 2021. 

Hymes also detailed the significant state and federal work over the past year, including:

• AOA’s vision benefit manager (VBM) advocacy has helped restore over $7.5 million in reimbursements for optometry practices. That money represents reimbursements from reported plan issues, including improper denials and downcoding, inappropriate takebacks, baseless decisions by biased or uninformed plan administrators and unfair exclusions of doctors of optometry.
• A West Virginia University report on health care access that called optometry the shining example of expanding scope access, noting that “optometrists have secured the most significant expansion of clinical responsibilities in U.S. medical history.” 
• A significant achievement for the AFOS when Congress formally recognized doctors of optometry in the Department of Veterans Affairs physician pay scale, a notable recognition of optometry’s essential and expanding role in the nation’s largest health care system. 

AOA President-elect shared an in-depth overview of the efforts AOA is taking to ensure reimbursement and coverage fairness. In recognition of the growing challenges facing practices – and the unsustainable toll on doctors and practices – the AOA remains fully committed to fighting for every dollar owed to doctors. This is about more than revenue, Dr. Bowen said; it’s about ensuring fair treatment, protecting access to care and preserving the future of the profession. 

“We’ve helped doctors get paid for improperly denied YAG procedures, reversed inappropriate contract terminations, and fought to remove providers from unjust downcoding programs. Every day, we’re directly interfacing with plans to resolve credentialing problems, claim delays, and coverage inconsistencies.” 

Vision Source All-In Membership Pledge

As a proud supporter of organized optometry, Vision Source pledged before the House of Delegates to uphold and promote 100% membership for every doctor in its practice in their affiliate association and the AOA. 

AOA President Steven T. Reed, O.D., was joined on stage with Amir Khoshnevis, O.D., Vision Source president and chief medical officer, and shared the pledge with attendees. Drs. Reed and Khoshnevis signed the pledge together. 

“As leaders in optometry, we believe every Vision Source doctor, all 4,500 member and associate doctors of optometry, should be a dues-paying member of the American Optometric Association and their affiliated association. Supporting the AOA is not just symbolic. It is essential. Leading in our practices and in the communities we serve means standing up for our profession and securing our expanding role in health care. The AOA and its affiliates stand for optometry, fight for optometry and deliver for optometry. As a proud partner in that mission, Vision Source calls for 100% membership from our doctors. Together, we ensure a stronger future for our profession, and the patients in our care.” 

Leadership Institute 2.0

The new Leadership Institute 2.0 program was also announced during the AOA House of Delegates, offering advanced tools for professional, community, and personal success that build on the success of Leadership Institute 1.0.

The exclusive, all-in-person, three-day workshop, limited to 50 participants, delves into topics like leading change and media training, culminating in Washington, D.C., ahead of AOA on Capitol Hill.

Leadership Institute 2.0 applications are also open for previous 1.0 graduates. Special thanks to Leadership Institute 2.0 sponsors, Johnson & Johnson and HOYA, for supporting these vital initiatives that cultivate impactful optometric leadership.  Applications for the Leadership Institute 2.0 are open through June 30 and can be found here. 

For more information on Optometry’s Meeting, visit www.optometrysmeeting.org and follow along on social media on Facebook.

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About Optometry’s Meeting®

Optometry’s Meeting, the annual meeting of both the AOA and AOSA, aligns optometric and industry professionals for a four-day experience to advance optometry and engage the association’s official business. Optometry’s Meeting renowned educational program supports every member of the care team with progressive continuing education and professional development opportunities. Simultaneously delivering an impactful conference experience, Optometry’s Meeting promotes networking and connection through the expansive exhibit hall, as well as a dynamic program of special events.

About the American Optometric Association

The American Optometric Association (AOA) is the leading authority on and advocate for quality eye health care, representing more than 50,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students and optometric professionals. As the sole primary eye care provider in many communities across America, doctors of optometry are often a patient's first entry point into the health care system, and have extensive, ongoing training to examine, diagnose, treat, and manage disorders, diseases, and injuries that affect the eye and visual system. Through a nationwide public health initiative, AOA's Eye Deserve More campaign is fostering awareness of the importance of eye health and vision care and the overall health benefits of in-person, comprehensive eye examinations with AOA doctors of optometry for all Americans.