- Kike Hernandez steps up to the plate for Eye Deserve More
- Excitement grows for Optometry’s Meeting with students driving record-setting registration numbers
- How Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief can help your practice
- Candidates announce 2026 election bids for AOA Board of Trustees
- Future doctors of optometry connect with employers at Career Fair and AOA+ Residency Summit
- A Major opportunity
- Benefits far beyond belonging
- How to reserve your AOA+ travel grant to Phoenix by the March 31 deadline
- What can the AOA do for you?
- Future ready: AOA leaders set the course for 2026
- Optometry’s Meeting 2026 registration is open: 3 reasons why you should attend
- A life of optometric service: Remembering James ‘Jim’ Scholles, O.D., J.D.
- See victory in a whole new light
- Optometry’s Meeting is heating up next year in the Valley of the Sun
- Opportunities in Optometry grant celebrates five years and 100 recipients
- Renowned optometric accreditation body announces new leadership
- AOA teams up with Kike Hernández to champion eye health
- AOA Policy Statement on Telemedicine in Optometry revised
- National media elevates eye care’s role
- Annual CLCS Residency Forum offers hands-on training, inspires leadership
- AOA president champions back-to-school eye exams in nationwide media blitz
- What you should know about AOA+ 2026 in Phoenix (and how to reserve your grant)
- Meet the next generation of optometry leaders
- OM Live News: 2025
- AOA’s 24/7 media advocacy puts eye exams on everyone’s radar
- Discover Minneapolis
- Can’t miss hands-on workshops at this year’s Optometry’s Meeting®
- AOA Innovation Hub debuts at Optometry’s Meeting® 2025
- AOA supports doctors of optometry facing UnitedHealth cyberattack loan repayment
- Candidates announce 2025 election bids for AOA Board of Trustees
- Patient success stories drive awareness and action
- Introducing a brand-new member benefit
- Optometry’s Meeting gives students, recent grads a leg up in the field
- Rebuilding with Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief
- Advanced optometric education for an evolving scope of practice
- Case study: When doctor burnout becomes an ethical issue
- Cutting-edge education at Optometry’s Meeting 2025 in Minneapolis
- Optometry’s ‘pioneers’ come together to advance optometry
- 5 things to know about Optometry’s Meeting 2025
- Opportunities in Optometry Grants deliver fresh perspectives and enthusiasm
- ACOE Standards updates take effect: What they mean for optometric education programs
- Show off your unique cases, research at this year’s Optometry’s Meeting
- The AOA Foundation empowers optometry’s future in 2024
- AOA disaster fund provides shot in arm to devasted practices
- Seeding change
- New Year’s resolutions come to life at Optometry’s Meeting 2025
- Field Notes: Florida doctor recounts hurricanes Helene, Milton
- AOA Foundation makes emergency appeal for doctors, students in Helene-ravaged states
- AOA drives national discourse on optometry and importance of in-person eye care
- 4 steps you can take to be part of AOAs national pediatric eye health and vision mobilization
- ‘What more can I do:’ Change Agents ready to advance myopia care
- Deadline extended: Submit comments on AOA policy statement on telemedicine in optometry
- Eye Deserve More highlights power of the eye at groundbreaking NYC pop-up
- Leadership Institute advances leadership in the optometric profession
- ‘You can and will rise above’
- ACOE: Ensuring quality optometric education
- AOA president highlights importance of eye exams for classroom success
- AOA gathers optometry's leaders for open discussion on accreditation of continuing education
- Discover Music City
- Dangerous weather is on the horizon: what to know
- Optometry's Meeting Live News Updates 2024
- Fixin’ for a grand ole show at Optometry’s Meeting
- Interested in optometric clinical, scientific research?
- Candidates announce 2024 election bids for AOA Board of Trustees
- Seeing the Eclipse, and the AOA, Everywhere
- Optometric surgical procedures highlighted at this year’s Optometry’s Meeting
- Leading AI authority Tom Lawry to keynote Optometry’s Meeting
- ‘Change is the new status quo’
- Cranking up the volume on this year’s educational opportunities at Optometry’s Meeting
- Unlocking opportunities: Why you should attend Optometry's Meeting 2024
- AOA leaders resolute on advocacy priorities in 2024
- Eye Deserve More highlights eye health at work and play
- Call for abstracts now open: ePosters and Residency Forum
- Testing dates for paraoptometric certification set for 2024
- 20 stories that defined 2023
- Standing strong so others can rest from trauma, disasters
- Setting the tone for Optometry’s Meeting in Music City
- 3 events in 2023 that show why giving to InfantSEE is vital
- Through the eyes of students
- ‘Opportunities’ grants offer students and profession means to grow
- USDE approval could mark ACOE’s 71 years of continuous federal recognition
- Doctors of optometry on how to enjoy Oct. 14 eclipse in a safe way
- ‘Very close-knit community,’ Maui reckons with trauma of historic wildfires
- OptometryStudents.com refresher upgrades resource for future optometrists
- Have course ideas, will travel? Answer the AOA’s call for courses
- Historic and high-energy meeting of optometry’s minds
- Optometry's Meeting Live News Updates
- Optometry's Meeting News Page
- Discover the District
- Candidates announce 2023 election bids for AOA Board of Trustees
- Optometry’s Meeting® announces keynote speaker
- Developing tomorrow’s leaders
- Leaders Summit 2023
- call for abstracts
- Optometrys Meeting 2023 Keep up with contemporary optometry through continuing education
- FTC announces proposal ban on noncompete clauses
- 3 reasons to attend Optometry's Meeting 2023 in Washington, D.C.
- Eye Deserve More sees success
- ACOE’s rigorous accreditation process safeguards standards for optometric education
- Top 20
- help optometry weather the storm
- Voice Your Vision at Optometry’s Meeting in Washington, D.C.
- Raising optometry’s profile on influential panel
- AOAPlus aims for new heights
- The AOA team
- 2022 Opportunities in Optometry Grants
- ACOE expands council to manage increasing demands for residency programs
- AOA partners with professional game Jordan Fisher
- What members want AOA to prioritize
- AOA elects new Board of Trustees, approves resolutions, as Optometry’s Meeting 2022 wraps up
- AOA strong, optometry advancing leaders report from AOA Congress
- 2022 Optometrys Meeting open
- Shields up: U.S. health care system warned of Russian cyberthreat
- 5 reasons to attend Optometrys Meeting
- Save Your Vision Month 2022
- Collaborative courses OM
- Sign up for education-forward courses at Optometry’s Meeting 2022
- New ePoster format enhances participation, visibility of optometric research
- severe weather prompt renewed OFDR support
- 5 things AOA membership brought me
- Actions speak louder than words
- Eye Deserve More uses patient stories to reinforce the essential care doctors deliver
- AOA officers resolve to make 2022 most successful year yet
- Leadership Institute 2021 wrapup
- Save the date-Optometrys Meeting 2022
- ACOE accreditation: Ensuring optometric degree programs make the grade
- Opportunities in Optometry grant program makes difference for students
- projects fuel eye health vision care outreach
- Optometry's Fund for Disaster Relief Ida support
- CE, professional development for the 21st-century optometry practice
- Ida aftermath
- COVID-19 and a new school year
- Optometry Fund Disaster Relief is alway ready
- AOA campaign spreads the message that all deserve the care AOA doctors provide
- 2022 Call for Courses
- Seeing Beyond the Pandemic underscores criticality of children’s eye, vision care
- Optometry’s Meeting promise delivered
- AOA shares progress made toward diversity, equity and inclusion
- AOA Congress elects 2021-2022 Board of Trustees, approves resolutions
- Focus on recovery, renewal and the future at Optometry’s Meeting 2021
- Optometry’s Meeting 2021 reunites, reignites
- Explore the Optometrys Meeting host city of Denver
- Linenger named Optometrys Meeting keynote speaker
- Rethinking reimagining redoing how optometry learns
- Inaugural-Opportunities-in-Optometry-Grants-awarded
- OM2021 Education
- Optometrys Meeting 2021 Registration
- Diversity-Optometrys Reflection
- Optometrys Meeting 2021 changes venue
- Save Your Vision Month
- AOA launches Leadership Institute
- 2021 Leaders Summit recap
- AOA-AOSA Opportunities in Optometry Grant program
- AOA membership has benefits
- The most-read stories of 2020
- Doctors still making sacrifices as pandemic spreads
- House of Delgates-Successes amid very turbulent year
- Renee Brauns steps down
- HEHC grants support children’s vision projects
- Call for Courses
- COVID-19 recovery funds available for financially stressed doctors of optometry
- AOA secures optometrys access to 1.69 billion in COVID-19 relief
- Unprecedented human impact of western wildfires
- Defeating the debt
- AOA task force takes steps to open opportunities for doctors of color
- AOA launches new website
- AFOS celebrates five decades of delivering eye care through federal services
- HEHC community grants for eye health and vision care projects
- Dust cloud in the Gulf coast states
- Mask policy considerations for your practice
- AOA Foundation extends helping hand damaged practices
- AOA 2020 Virtual Learning Livecast
- focus earns gold circle award
- Doctors of optometry weigh how to hit the ground running once practices reopen
- Optometry Meeting canceled due to COVID-19
- Self-care in times of crisis
- AOA COVID-19 crisis relief recovery assistance
- Optometry elevating women
- Encourage patients to Start With Eye
- AOAPlus wants you in Washington
- patients see eye doctor in winter
- Improved care coordination doctor staff education
- Leaders Summit 2020 Advocacy
- hold companies accountable patients health
- Presidents Council
- cant miss continuing education opportunities at Optometrys Meeting 2020
- AOA membership strength in numbers
- 2020 moment into movement
- Top 20 stories in 2019
- Optometry Cares grant
- Optometry-Meeting-2020-calander-save-dates
- Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief eyes million mark
- InfantSEE student program stirs passion for pediatric care
- Mark McGrath to headline celebration at Optometrys Meeting 2020
- 2020-the year of the eye exam
- HEHC grants to children vision projects
- Championing childrens eye care
- Looking ahead
- AOA turning a moment into a movement
- Think About Your Eyes data shows eye care message received
- Optometrys Meeting 2019 Day 3
- Optometrys Meeting 2019 Day 2
- Change at the top
- Samuel D Pierce-Plotting a course
- Fathers Day-Hennen
- Hurricane Preparedness
- AOA is always on its media game
- United in Possibilities Gold Circle Award
- May is Healthy Vision Month
- AOA 2019 award winners
- 2019 National Optometry Hall of Fame Inductees
- NBEO settles class action lawsuit
- HPI Health Centers
- The Future is Female
- AOA’s 74th president, profession leader dies
- Bringing care to communities
- Optometrys Meeting-Johnny Cupcakes
- Saving vision is what we do
- AOA task force leads evolution of education for future of optometric practice
- AOA volunteers gather to plan for 2019 and big 2020 initiative
- Government shutdowns trickle-down effects
- Building for the future
- Care models of success
- 2018 most viewed stories
- Healthy Eyes Healthy Children grants program makes eye health and vision care a tradition
- InfantSEE program heartens students elevates pediatric care
- InfantSEE helps ensure a lifetime of healthy vision
- AOA Foundation fund provides relief for doctors of optometry after disasters
- High educational professional standards go hand-in-hand
- After disaster strikes
- In honor of Veterans
- Nutty Nutrition & Eye Health
- NOVA optometry school naming rights
- Surgeon General spotlights opioid abuse AOA offers doctors reference guide
- Florence eyes Carolinas doctors prepare for worst
- Learning for a lifetime
- 2018 HEHC grants go to children’s vision projects
- Redding doctor depicts historic wildfire
- Be involved
- Athlete endorsement boosts TAYEs connection to essential family health
- Ruling allows lawsuit against NBEO to proceed
- AOSA celebrates 50 years
- House of Delegates resolves action
- New AOA officers and trustees
- OM 2018 down to business
- Optometric Research Summit 2018
- Research Summit 2018
- opening 2018 Optometrys Meeting
- Passing the baton
- Kids vision project flourish
- Seamless transition ahead for AOA leadership
- Carving a career track with student loan debt
- Sunglasses slit-lamps among ophthalmic standards revisions
- Owning Save Your Vision Month
- JanFeb18_President
- 2018 Volunteer Meeting
- Educational Standards
- 2018 Presidents Council
- Mentoring supports next-gens
- 2017-most-read-Stories
- Think About Your Eyes caps off big year
- HEHC End of Year 2017
- InfantSEE program can make a difference to infants futures
- OFDRyear
- Aron Ralston
- The new doctor playbook
- Part of the solution
- Puerto Ricos dire situation
- Practice matters not place
- Recapturing the buzz of the inaugural AOAPLUS
- Howie Mandel
- Irma Aftermath
- Hurricane Irma Preparation
- HEHC grants
- Data Breach NBEO Lawsuit
- Harvey Stories
- UPDATE Hurricane Harvey leaves widespread devastation AOA leading donation effort
- Solar Eclipse Local ODs Outreach
- TAYE breakthrough commercials
- Solar eclipse protect those peepers
- VISION USA Pilot Rollout
- Hackwrap
- vision usa service awards
- highlights from Optometrys Meeting
- Optometrys Meeting wraps up
- OM in full swing
- Attendees dive in OM 2017
- AOAplus invigorates optometrys next generation
- Every doctor is an advocate
- Strong and stable AOA will transition leadership
- Stressing care in pediatric eye vision care
- AOA members make a difference through volunteer service
- AOAPlus on track to shatter attendance figures
- AOA headquarters renovation earns distinction
- Basketball national champion of sports eye injuries
- AOA emerging leaders experience
- Save Your Vision Month targets blue light blues
- AOA and US Postal Service partnering again
- Mind the gap do women docs make quarters on the dollar
- Optometrys advocates strategize to meet professional challenges ahead
- AOA Board local officials commemorate new headquarters facility
- During National Mentoring Month doctors of optometry pay it forward
- Profession leaders exchange best practices network
- Think About Your Eyes delivers results
- Top 20 AOA stories of 2016
- Support Archives Museum of Optometry
- Renovation of AOA national headquarters complete
- InfantSEE opens eyes of providers and parents
- Support VISION USA
- AOA leaders reinforce optometrys propatient message in nations capital
- Preserving optometrys heritage one frame at a time
- Colorblind fans flag NFL on jersey gaffe
- Vision USA helps doctors extend the power of their practice
- Renovation of AOA national headquarters now underway
- Campers experience arts and nature through senses other than sight
- ACOE seeks comment on standards revisions
- The art of collaboration
- River blindness treatment receives Nobel Prize
- optometry ranked no 10 among 20 best paying jobs for women
- Doctor of optometry explains the great dress debate
- Hymes Brauns appointed to top staff positions
- AOAs Renee Brauns named one of opticals most influential women
- Optometry's Meeting Live News Updates
- Optometry's Meeting Live News Updates
- Discover the District
Celebrating excellence in optometry
January 21, 2026
The AOA 2026 annual award nominations are now open. Recognize someone who inspires you and help honor the best of optometry.
Tag(s): Inside Optometry, AOA News
Key Takeaways
- Nominations are now open for the AOA’s 2026 annual awards, including the AOA Excellence Awards, AOA Foundation National Optometry Hall of Fame Awards, Paraoptometric Awards, AOSA Student of the Year Award, Dr. W. David Sullins, Jr. InfantSEE® Award, and the Dr. Jerry P. Davidoff Vision Care Award.
- Submissions are due by Feb. 27, 2026.
- Presented during Optometry’s Meeting®, the AOA Annual Awards celebrate those who go above and beyond—those who lead, serve, innovate and inspire.
- Affiliates may nominate any doctor of their choosing for the AOA Excellence Awards. Nominees are not required to be the most recent recipients of state-level awards.