Optometry's leaders turn strategy into action

From advancing optometry's advocacy priorities to strengthening practice sustainability and exploring new opportunities for growth, the AOA’s Practice Growth & Advocacy Conference brought members together with one clear focus: providing the tools, insights and connections they need to succeed. Through hands-on education, peer collaboration and real-world strategies for navigating today’s challenges, the event showcased how the AOA continues to support doctors of optometry—both in their practices and in their efforts to move the profession forward. 

“The strength of our profession is fortified when doctors, affiliates and the AOA come together around a shared agenda and turn strategy into action,” says Teri K. Geist, O.D., AOA president. “We are building the future of optometry on multiple fronts at once, from advancing patient access and strengthening our advocacy to helping doctors build thriving, sustainable practices. This multi-pronged conference reflects the power of bringing those efforts together and giving our leaders the tools and connections to take that work home and move it forward.” 

Building the future together  

On the heels of the single-largest gathering of the next generation of member doctors, the AOA & Affiliate Collaboration Conference brought together affiliate executive directors with AOA staff to align strategy, share solutions and strengthen the collective power of the federation. 

Focused on collaboration, operational efficiencies and delivering greater value to members, the meeting continued the collective work to bolster growth for the profession, including a discussion on how AOA can support affiliate efforts through AOA Team Services—resources and support options that are open to every affiliate, launched by the AOA Board of Trustees in 2025. The AOA is working with more than two dozen affiliates to help build operational efficiencies and provide resources that help members and advance the profession across the country.  

The advocacy blueprint 

Building on a strong tradition of collaboration and success, the annual State Government Relations Meeting takes lessons from recent victories and hard-fought challenges across the states and equips leaders with the insights, tools and tactics needed to deliver the next wave of legislative success.  

A key point of discussion was the Future Practice Initiative (FPI), launched by the AOA Board of Trustees in 2018. In the eight years since the FPI debuted, eleven states have passed legislation authorizing doctors of optometry to perform ophthalmic laser procedures. At its inception, FPI was singularly focused on assisting affiliates pursuing scope expansion legislation. At this year’s Optometry’s Meeting®, the board voted to expand the purview to include states pursuing legislation aimed at curbing abuses by vision benefit middlemen (VBM). 

States seeking scope expansion are encouraged to use the State Government Relations Committee (SGRC) Advocacy Playbook, available by contacting the AOA SGRC team. The playbook is an essential piece of the puzzle, as it lays out a proven strategy for passing legislation. It is built on core fundamentals: cultivating authentic relationships with legislators; understanding the legislative process; sustained, strategic engagement in key committees; committing the necessary time and financial resources; and planning well in advance of filing a bill. Experience consistently shows that strong preparation is directly tied to successful outcomes. Affiliates are encouraged to use this resource and engage the SGRC team throughout the advocacy journey.   

"Whether we like it or not, optometry is a legislated profession. Every doctor of optometry should share in the responsibility of educating legislators in every state of the role we play in being the primary eye care providers. Whether continuing to expand that primary role with scope modernization or pursuing the ability of patients to access care across all insurances, we must all do our part and be vigilant in our battle," says John Whitlow, AOA SGRC Committee chair.

“As we go back to our home states, it’s critical that we use the energy and knowledge from the conference to motivate and empower our doctors into action.” 

Taking control of payer challenges 

The AOA Third Party Meeting brought together the nation’s leading champions for reimbursement and coverage fairness who are focused on tackling the most complex and pressing payer and reimbursement issues facing optometry today. Among them: the AOA's ongoing efforts to challenge unfair payer and vision plan practices on behalf of doctors and patients.

While AOA reimbursement and coverage advocacy has returned more than $12.5 million to doctors across the country and helped stop downcoding programs implemented by Aetna and Humana, the work is far from over. By combining federal and state legislative advocacy with direct payer intervention, the AOA is working to address unfair practices both systemically and when they affect individual practices.     

Leaders from Louisiana and Texas, states that have passed Vision Benefit Middlemen (VBM) accountability legislation, shared with attendees the frameworks that led to their success and what states pursuing this legislation can take from their experience.  

Jeanne Perrine, O.D., chair of the AOA's Third Party Center Committee, says the goal of the meeting was to take the complex issues involving third party payers and make them easier to understand and manage for our members. 

She encourages members who experience payer issues to contact stopplanabuses@aoa.org to enlist AOA support on your behalf.

Expanding and elevating practices 

An immersive AOA Aesthetics & Dry Eye Workshop delivered a hands-on educational experience designed to help doctors confidently integrate medical aesthetics into patient care.  

With medical aesthetics growing at an estimated 12-14% annually—outpacing most traditional medical sectors—the course equipped doctors to meet rising patient demand, expand their scope of services and unlock new, sustainable revenue opportunities.  

The AOA acknowledges and thanks its industry supporters for this event, including InMode, Johnson & Johnson, Sight Sciences, the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety, Lenz Therapeutics, and BioTissue.