Volume 6, Issue 28│July 15, 2022
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Mark Your Calendar for the IOA Annual Meeting!
September 29-October 2
Some meeting highlights you don't want to miss:
- 18 hours of CE, all except the workshop are offered tested
- 8 hours of CE for paraoptometrics
- Illinois Optometry’s Celebration on Saturday night where we will present the OD & Young OD of the Year Awards
- Howl at the Moon dueling pianos performing at IL Optometry’s Celebration
- Annual Golf Classic & Gray Cup presented by Midland Optical at the Panther Creek Country Club
Registration opens next week! Stay tuned for an Insider Alert announcing Annual Meeting registration.
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2022 Optometrist and Young Optometrist of the Year Awards
Do you know an outstanding optometrist who should be recognized for their efforts in the field of optometry? Consider nominating them for the 2022 Optometrist of the Year or Young Optometrist of the Year awards. The Optometrist of the Year award recognizes an individual for performance of outstanding services on behalf of the profession and to the visual welfare of the public. The Young Optometrist of the Year award recognizes an optometrist who, within their first decade of practice, has shown leadership skills when serving their profession, their patients, and their community.
A nomination may be made by a member in good standing or by a society. Nominees must be current members of the IOA. Nominations for each award should be submitted online via the links below. A typed statement, not to exceed 2,000 words, should accompany the nomination explaining the primary reason the nominee should be named as the award recipient. A head and shoulders photograph must be included with the nomination. Nominations must be submitted by August 15, 2022.
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Submit your opinion and enter to win a $100 Starbucks gift card
The IOA is conducting a survey to determine what member benefits mean the most to members and where improvements may be made. This survey will help IOA to determine future association goals and prioritize initiatives valued by members.
Your responses will be used during the IOA Board of Directors' strategic planning meeting as we decide the goals and priorities of the association for the next few years.
The responses are anonymous; however, respondents will be asked to submit their name and email if they want to enter into the Starbucks gift card drawing. Names and survey answers will not be shared outside of the IOA office and will not be shared with the Board or members.
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Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
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2022 Medicare Fee Schedules
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Labor Law Poster - 2022 Updates |
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Blinding Eye Disease Is Strongly Associated With Heart Disease and Stroke
Mount Sinai study is first to link cardiovascular risk to a specific form of age-related macular degeneration
New York, NY (July 12, 2022) Patients with a specific form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the United States, are at significant risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to new research from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. This study, published in the July issue of Retina, is the first to demonstrate a link between the disorders.
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Get to Know an IOA Board Member: Brandon Lernor, O.D.
What Dr. Lernor loves most about his job:
"Helping people. Whether that’s improving their vision with glasses and contacts, or preserving their vision by managing glaucoma or saving their vision by finding an eye condition or a systemic disease like diabetes, it’s a great feeling for me to be able to deliver incredibly important health care to people."
Advice for new optometrists?
"Firstly congratulations! You’ve made it! Secondly, don’t fall into the trap of seeing your first few paychecks and thinking you can immediately buy a Lamborghini. Have a financial plan. Treat yourself and allow yourself to have some fun but be reasonable. If you have a large optometry school loan, start forming an idea of how you are going to pay it down. Try not to let your interest get capitalized onto your principal or things can snowball right out of the gate for you! Always have a plan!"
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Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!
Looking for a permanent 2-3 day OD to work out of a Walmart Health center in Chicago. (Read more)
I am looking for an optometrist to work at the Target in Rosemont (Read more)
Private Practice in Dekalb, IL looking for fill-in OD to cover medical leave ASAP. (Read more)
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Pritzker Updates Weekly Testing Rules for Unvaccinated Health Care Workers; Requirements Remain Unchanged for Optometry
This week, Gov. Pritzker amended the Executive Order requiring weekly COVID testing for unvaccinated healthcare workers. Under the updated requirements, certain unvaccinated workers, such as those at hospitals, would only need to be tested in an area with high levels of COVID transmission, as defined on the CDC website. Unvaccinated healthcare workers at long-term care facilities will need to be tested twice weekly if the community level is substantial or high. Testing requirements remain unchanged for independent doctors' offices, including optometrists. Currently, all Illinois counties are considered High Transmission areas per the CDC, so weekly testing requirements remain in place for all of Illinois. In a press release, the Governor's office stated that this change was the first step in Governor Pritzker's "continuing plan to carefully unwind the state's COVID-19 executive orders." |
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Pritzker taps Vohra to lead IDPH
Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday he's appointed Dr. Sameer Vohra as the next director of the Department of Public Health.
Vohra, the founding chair of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's Department of Population Science and Policy, will start Aug. 1.
“Dr. Vohra is accomplished in every sense of the word,” Pritzker said in a statement. “His experience and education transcend sectors and fields, bringing a well-rounded perspective to this agency. As a leader in state and national health policy, I have absolute confidence in Dr. Vohra's ability to continue shaping a stronger IDPH for the 21st century.”
Amaal Tokars, who has led IDPH since Dr. Ngozi Ezike left in March, will remain as assistant director.
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Eye on the Future Video Contest
Congratulations to the National Eye Institute's "Eye on the Future" contest winners!
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New drug application for treatment of dry eyes disease submitted to FDA
A treatment for dry eye symptoms associated with Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) has been submitted under a New Drug Application (NDA) and will be considered by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The application was submitted at the end of last month (June) by the Canada-based global eye health company, Bausch and Lomb Corporation, and German-based Novaliq – a biopharmaceutical company focusing on ocular therapeutics.
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THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS! |
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