Voice Your Vision at Optometry’s Meeting® in Washington, D.C.

Our profession’s future is unfolding in the nation’s capital next summer as Optometry’s Meeting® invites doctors, paraoptometrics and students to come voice their vision for the next era of eye care.

The 126th Annual AOA Congress & 55th Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting®, June 21-24, 2023, returns to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., only blocks away from the iconic National Mall, U.S Capitol and White House. As the profession’s premier annual event, Optometry’s Meeting brings together optometric and industry professionals for four days of networking and leadership opportunities alongside peerless, contemporary optometric continuing education (CE), an expansive Exhibit Hall and a unique focus on professional advocacy.

This year, the AOA and AOSA are proud to welcome over 3,000 optometry students, new doctors and optometric educators as part of the reimagined AOA+ experience, designed to supercharge our profession’s future leaders with advocacy and career-readiness skill-building, as well as impactful networking opportunities.

Optometry’s Meeting distinguishes itself with a comprehensive lineup of CE and professional development to ensure our profession not only continues to excel in meeting Americans’ primary eye health care needs but also stays atop optometry’s rapidly advancing scope of practice nationwide. With over 190 credit hours of expert-led education available across the four-day program, Optometry’s Meeting delivers education that supports every member of the care team.

Like no other industry opportunity, Optometry’s Meeting gives every attendee an unprecedented opportunity to effect lasting change in the profession and make the AOA a stronger, more effective advocate for the quality care doctors of optometry provide their patients.

Here are five reasons you can’t miss #OM2023 in Washington, D.C., June 21-24.

5 reasons to attend Optometry’s Meeting in Washington, D.C.

1. Engage your community. Optometry’s Meeting is designed by members for members. While anyone within the profession is welcome to attend the profession’s premier meeting, this is the only national meeting dedicated specifically to AOA and AOSA members. That’s why special membership pricing—for AOA associate-member paraoptometrics, too—allows you to engage all the meeting has to offer with competitive registration rates. But what makes it your meeting?
   
   Here, optometry’s leaders, volunteers and advocates convene to advance the profession—be it through the deliberation and direction that comes from the AOA House of Delegates or the organizational work and advocacy of the Leaders Summit. Then, attend special events bookending the meeting that highlight the power of membership, from The AOA Experience on Wednesday, June 21, opening the meeting with a motivational keynote speaker and the opportunity to connect with colleagues, to the Celebration of Optometry on Friday, June 23, capping it off with entertainment, food and beverage, and a few surprises.
   
   Bigger, bolder and more ambitious than ever before: AOA+ returns this year with a reimagined focus for students, new doctors and optometric educators. AOA+ is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to fully engage optometry with an enveloping experience in career development, skill-building, networking and advocacy—and you can get a ticket to ride. The AOA and AOSA are helping 3,000+ students, new doctors and educators attend with special AOA+ Travel Grants. Check out the list of all AOA+ and student-specific highlights, such as the AOSA Optometry Student Bowl™ XXXII powered by EssilorLuxottica.
   
   
2. Lift optometry’s voice. Optometry’s Meeting returns to downtown Washington, D.C., for the first time since 2017. Like that year, Optometry’s Meeting 2023 will incorporate not only the larger and reimagined AOA+ experience but also the AOA’s single-largest federal advocacy event, AOA on Capitol Hill. This powerful alignment delivers an unparalleled opportunity for optometry’s advocates to meet with members of Congress and their staff on priority issues of optometric care with the full backing of nearly 6,000 doctors, students and paraoptometric staff convening only blocks away. Likewise, Optometry’s Meeting and AOA+ programming builds in multiple opportunities to engage the advocacy process and learn how important it is to voice your vision by getting involved at a local, state and national level for optometry.
   
   
3. Attend industry-leading education. Optometry’s Meeting is renowned for industry-leading and progressive CE and professional development, and this year is no different with 190 credits available for doctors, paraoptometrics and students. With new mediums and modalities for delivering four days’ worth of education, Optometry’s Meeting gives doctors the ability to earn up to 37 credit hours and paraoptometrics up to 31 hours. Check out some of these education highlights:
   
   
   • 13 hands-on workshop courses on topics including Botox, optometric laser procedures, in-office surgical procedures assisting with practical lab for paraoptometrics, contact lenses and much more.
     
     
   • The D- EYE-agnosis Workshop , a choose-your-own-adventure course that allows attendees to solve their patient’s case, from testing and diagnosis to treatment, patient education, and even the proper billing and coding. Flex your clinical and coding acumen with this two-hour workshop.
     
     
   • Paraoptometric surgical assisting for the optometric technician, a four-hour workshop, serves as the practical component to a micro-credential staff can earn to assist with office-based surgical procedures. Whether you and your staff are interested in the full micro-credential (content available in the AOA EyeLearn Professional Development Hub) or simply desiring an in-depth, hands-on application course, this workshop is for you.
     
     
   • Courses on contemporary topics, including intense pulsed light, Botox, intravitreal injections, suturing, anesthesia and optometric lasers. Be sure to see Optometry’s Meeting through to the end as Saturday CE includes more workshops, biologics and the lecturing duo of Ron Melton, O.D., and Randall Thomas, O.D.
     
     
   • 22 hours of CEE/TQ education is offered at this year’s meeting.
     
     
   • A spotlight on human trafficking will deliver information on what to watch for, report on and assist in the treatment of patients who are victims of this terrible epidemic. Optometry’s Meeting will host a two-hour, AOA CE Hour-approved course featuring a screening of the feature film “Ring of Silence,” followed by a panel of legal and expert professionals discussing the signs of human trafficking and medical professionals’ responsibilities.
     
     
4. Expand your professional network. Optometry’s Meeting is your chance to not only make connections but also reconnect with your friends and colleagues from across the country. Attend your alumni reception on Thursday, June 22, or join in recognizing the profession’s luminaries during theAOA Awards and National Optometry Hall of Fame Reception on Friday, June 23. So, too, attendees can network in a reimagined Exhibit Hall, The Eye Care Square. Learn about new innovations and business solutions and engage with key opinion leaders and industry representatives at The Eye Care Square, open Thursday, June 22, through Saturday, June 24. Or try attending theePoster Session, conducted virtually on AOA EyeLearn, June 13-14, where you can learn about interesting case studies and meet the top presenters during the “Top 5 Posters” interactive CE and networking session on Saturday, June 24. Interested in submitting your abstract for the ePoster Session? The submission portal opens Jan. 3.
   
   What’s more, Optometry’s Meeting has more pre- and post-meeting activities planned for attendees, their families and friends, from sporting events to food tours and more. Check back as more information becomes available.
   
   Participating in the AOA+ programming at Optometry’s Meeting? AOA+ is all about connection with attendees leveraging impactful experiences, such as the AOA+ Leadership Link or AOA+ Residency Summit and Career Fair, to network with seasoned doctors and find post-graduate opportunities to advance careers.
   
   
5. Explore our nation’s capital. The Optometry’s Meeting host city of Washington, D.C., is home to the country’s finest monuments and memorials, world-class museums, acclaimed theaters and a dining scene packed with culinary talent—all endless opportunities for you to extend your stay with family and friends. See all that Washington, D.C., has to offer for your visit during Optometry’s Meeting.