‘Oh, don’t you wanna go?’ Optometry’s Meeting® in sweet home, Chicago

Fill the tank, pack those bags and wear your sunglasses—Optometry’s Meeting^® 2022 is Chicago-bound on a mission to deliver the profession’s leading education, networking and business experience. Hit it!

The 125th Annual AOA Congress & 54th Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting comes to Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, June 15-18, 2022, right on the magnificent lakefront near the heart of The Windy City. As the profession’s premier event, Optometry’s Meeting delivers four days of peerless, contemporary optometric education alongside essential practice solutions, networking opportunities, and the latest industry advances and services in the Exhibit Hall, all while enjoying the renowned collegial experience that sets AOA’s annual meeting apart.

Come to Optometry’s Meeting for the nearly 150 continuing education (CE) and professional development courses—over 200 hours’ worth of credits for doctors, paraoptometrics and students—on topics ranging from contemporary surgical and laser procedures to systemic diseases, functional vision, billing and coding, and more. But stay for the experiential CE, such as a riverboat excursion down the Chicago River or a Second City Comedy Club workshop; our numerous vendors and industry connections in the Exhibit Hall; influential AOSA and AOA+ opportunities for optometry students; and, of course, the unique entertainment that makes Optometry’s Meeting truly an education destination.

And what better place for that destination than Chicago? Home to world-renowned museums, famed restaurants, iconic cityscapes, beautiful parks and two, first-class international airports, making it exceedingly easy to get there, Chicago offers attendees every vacation possibility. But that’s not to say the Chicago experience will be missed inside Optometry’s Meeting.

Opening Reception at a Chicago icon

Chicago’s iconic Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Jackson Park will host Optometry’s Meeting Opening Reception, supported by Johnson & Johnson Vision, on Wednesday, June 15. Kick off Optometry’s Meeting with the AOA awards ceremony and a keynote presentation at McCormick Place before boarding buses for a catered reception at the MSI, where attendees will get after-hours, interactive access to not only one of the Nation’s Top 10 Science Museums but also one of the largest science museums in the Western Hemisphere.

For nearly a century, MSI has been a premier destination in Chicago for unique and engaging family fun with a core mission to inspire the inventive genius in everyone. See your heart beat 13-feet tall, climb aboard a World War II German submarine, get hands on with a 40-foot indoor tornado, descend into the heart of a working coal mine or step into the future—what MSI experience will stimulate your mind?

Join your colleagues for beverages, appetizers and an engaging evening of luminaries and learning at the Opening Reception. Buses will be available for attendees transiting between McCormick Place and the MSI from 5:30-6:30 p.m. CT.

A bluesy Celebration of Optometry

Take in the beautiful Chicago panorama along Lake Michigan as A Celebration of Optometry closes out Optometry’s Meeting from the McCormick Place’s private, lakefront terrace. But don’t forget the shades—you know the ones.

Don your black sunglasses (black ties, black suits and black hats are optional) as A Celebration of Optometry, Saturday, June 18, embraces a characteristic bluesy theme in tribute to Joliet Jake and Ellwood Blues. However, the Chicago tribute doesn’t end there. Join your colleagues on the terrace as Optometry’s Meeting closes with music, caricature drawing, and Chicago-themed food and beverage offerings, as we recognize the incoming AOA and AOSA boards.

Optometry’s Meeting highlights

Optometry’s Meeting distinguishes itself from other industry or trade conferences as the place where optometry’s leaders convene to advance the profession—be it the AOA’s House of Delegates or Leaders Summit and the emphasis on professional advocacy, or the contemporary optometric education that equips doctors, staff and students for our advancing scope nationwide. This year’s meeting is no less influential. See what else is on tap for #OM2022: 

• 31+ hours of CE offered in an integrated, doctor-paraoptometric setting.
• 5 courses offered in the Education Theater in the Exhibit Hall.
• 22 hours of CEE/TQ education, as well as AOA credit and COPE approved courses.
• Surgical Saturday, a day featuring CE in pathology, diagnosis, treatment protocols, surgical procedures, suturing, injections and the billing and coding for office-based procedures.
• Workshops and hands-on learning return with courses for doctors and paraoptometrics focused on contemporary topics, ranging from pediatrics to laser procedures.
• Student-recommended courses will be highlighted in the CE grids to emphasize courses that students may find beneficial.
• Expanded AOA+ events, including pop-up learning sessions and Leadership Link opportunities.
• Optometry Cares®—The AOA Foundation Run/Walk 5K returns with a course near downtown Chicago.

Optometry’s Meeting registration and housing opens in early January but submit your email for preregistration to be the first to know when it becomes available.