Volume 6, Issue 39│September 30, 2022
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Congratulations to our 2022-2023 Board of Directors on their installation today!
Dr. Chelsey Moore is Installed as IOA President and Chair of the Board
 
“I am proud to be the first millennial woman to serve in the coming year, which is very special, as the IOA will celebrate its 125th anniversary. Many great leaders have contributed to this organization and the success we enjoy today. Times have changed a bit since the early beginnings; today, 70% of optometry school grads are women,” said Dr. Moore.
 
Board members for the 2022-2023 term were sworn in during the IOA annual meeting in Springfield held at the Crowne Plaza. In addition to Dr. Moore, the following board members were sworn in:
 
Sam Forzley, OD, Lemont, IL – Chair-Elect
Timothy Cundiff, OD, Peoria, IL – Immediate Past Chair
Ryan Witt, OD, Savoy, IL – Secretary
Brigette Colley, OD, Macomb, IL - Director
Brandon Lernor, OD, McHenry, IL – Director
Angela Oberreiter, OD, Springfield, IL – Director
Jon Reid, OD, Carmi, IL - Director
ABOUT THE AWARD WINNERS
O.D. OF THE YEAR
O.D. OF THE YEAR
Dr. Steven Leon
 
Steven Leon, O.D. will receive the O.D of the Year award at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the IOA in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday, October 1, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  

Dr. Leon worked tirelessly to serve his community as President of the Villa Grove Lions Club, board member of the Reading Group in Urbana, President of the Villa Grove Chamber of Commerce, and President of the Villa Grove Jaycees. His nomination by fellow East Central Optometric Society members is partly due to his generous support of the Illinois College of Optometry and the Illinois Eye Institute. 
 
Dr. Leon joined his father's optometric practice in Villa Grove upon graduating from Illinois College of Optometry. They tended to the visual needs of their community, often offering pro bono services to those in need, and providing care to those referred by the Lions Club.  
YOUNG O.D. OF THE YEAR
YOUNG O.D. OF THE YEAR
Dr. Amanda Gerson
 
Amanda Gerson, O.D., will receive the Young O.D. of the Year award at the 2022 IOA Annual Meeting in Springfield.

Dr. Gerson has held several positions with the Lions Club; she mentors optometry students and serves as Acting President of two optometric societies. 

In the nomination submitted by Jon Reid, O.D., he describes Dr. Gerson as a young optometrist who has shown tremendous dedication, growth, and enthusiasm so early in her young career and demonstrates a true spirit of volunteerism. “She is committed to the profession and appears to complete no optometric obligation ‘halfway,’ said Dr. Reid. “She is a ‘rising star’ that will surely lead our profession and this association now and in the future."
KEYPERSON OF THE YEAR
DR. TOM LAWLESS KEYPERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD 

Stephanie Johnson Brown, O.D. 

Stephanie Johnson Brown, O.D., was selected by her colleagues as the Tom Lawless, O.D. Keyperson of the Year at the 2022 IOA Annual Meeting.

The award recognizes an optometrist who tirelessly advocates for the profession at the highest level. Dr. Johnson Brown has demonstrated her commitment to addressing racial health disparities. She led a committee to meet with the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus to discuss concerns of disparity and access to vision care in the minority community. Dr. Johnson Brown was an invited panelist at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington D.C. where she advocated for increasing optometric services in Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Dr. Johnson Brown has participated in national advocacy events hosted by the American Optometric Association. She has hosted and attended numerous receptions for politicians where she can educate lawmakers on the importance of access to eye care. Dr. Johnson Brown was recognized by her peers as a truly exceptional and tireless advocate for the visual welfare of the public.

The 2022 IOA Annual Meeting in Springfield, IL is September 29-October 2. On Saturday night, awards will be presented during Optometry's Celebration, a night to celebrate the past, present, and future of Illinois optometry.
FRIEND OF OPTOMETRY
DR. FLOYD MIZENER FRIEND OF OPTOMETRY AWARD
Connie M. Scavuzzo, MA
 
Connie M. Scavuzzo began her career in higher education in 1985 at The National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) in Lombard, Ill., where she served as Director of Student and Alumni Services. While at NUHS, she earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Services from Roosevelt University in Chicago. In 2004, she joined the Illinois College of Optometry, where she served for 17 years before retiring in 2021. 

During her tenure at ICO, she held numerous leadership positions, most recently as Senior Director of Alumni Development. In addition to her role in strengthening student and alumni engagement, Mrs. Scavuzzo worked with numerous industry partners and the ICO development team to raise funds in support of the college’s research, patient care, and scholarship programs, including raising funds to endow the Floyd Mizener Scholarship. 

She has been recognized with numerous awards throughout her 36-year career, including the President’s Quality Service Award, the President’s Citation Award for Outstanding Service, and the Alumni Auxiliary’s Distinguished Service Award from NUHS, as well as the Alumni Council’s Outstanding Service Award from ICO. 
We are celebrating the contributions of paraoptometrics all month long. Share your stories of how they help your practice succeed and be sure to send us a photo. You appreciate them, and we know they’ll be grateful for the recognition this month in Insight.
Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
2022 Medicare Fee Schedules

Locality 12: Excel or PDF

Locality 15: Excel or PDF

Locality 16: Excel or PDF

Locality 99: Excel or PDF
Labor Law Poster 2022
ADVOCACY
(Right) Angie Oberreiter, O.D. Illinois State Representative Tim Butler, and Chelsey Moore, O.D.

(Below) Chelsey Moore, O.D., Chase Angie Oberreiter, O.D., and Illinois State Representative Sandy Hamilton
CE & UPCOMING EVENTS:

9/29 - 10/2/22: IOA Annual Meeting


Blackberry Oaks Golf Course
2245 Kennedy Road
Bristol, IL 60512

Registration now open! Click here to register
Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!

Optometrist Position - Full Time or Part Time - We are a privately owned family practice with six locations in Chicago suburbs and Northwest Indiana. (Read more)

Recent Graduates and Experienced Optometrists are welcome to apply to join our dynamic team! Chicago Cornea Consultants seeks to hire a highly motivated Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) to join our busy and growing practice (Read more)
BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK

If your website doesn't supply potential patients with the necessary information, they may find another doctor whose site will. Today, patients "shop around"; they do online research before they make a decision.

One great way to "test" your site is to give friends and family of all ages, each a different hypothetical situation, a reason why they might need to seek an optometrist, and provide them with a survey where they can tell you about their experience.

Some situation examples are: They need a new optometrist, their aging parent or young child needs an appointment that fits their school or lifestyle schedule, their child with special needs who is afraid of doctors needs an appointment, they are inquiring about your hours or what type of insurance you have, they have an emergency, etc.

Your surveys should include questions about whether they could find the answer they were looking for, was the site easy to navigate? What do they suggest you add? Was the site informative and inviting?

A website that draws in potential patients, is easy to navigate, and provides necessary information will ensure you continue to grow your practice.

INDUSTRY NEWS
AOA+ aims for new heights: 3,000 in DC for ’23

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022
Learn more about AOA+ travel grant opportunities to attend this one-of-a-kind experience for optometry students, newly graduated doctors, and educators in Washington, D.C., June 21-24, 2023.
New FDA approval expands access to myopia management

September 28, 2022
Kassi Jackson, Editor (Optometry Times)


Johnson & Johnson Vision receives FDA-approval of lens parameter expansion for their ACUVUE Abiliti Overnight Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management.

Johnson & Johnson Vision (JJV) today announced FDA approval of an expanded range of ACUVUE® Abiliti™ Overnight Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management, now up to 6.00 diopters (previously 4.00 diopters). JJV also announced greater availability of the lenses nationwide at Vision By Design 2022, an annual myopia control and management meeting taking place September 28 – October 2 in Bellevue, Washington.
Key highlights:
  • ACUVUE® Abiliti™ Overnight Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management expands access to more patients with FDA approval of lens parameter expansion and greater availability in North America
  • FitAbiliti™ software delivers first fit success rate of approximately 90%*1
  • JJV reveals expansion and evidence-based myopia management strategies at Vision By Design 2022
“By expanding the parameters for Abiliti™ Overnight lenses, it creates more opportunities for eye care professionals to reach even more patients,” said Chandra Mickles, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS, North America Professional Education Lead, Myopia, Johnson & Johnson Vision.

“The expansion of treatment options comes at a critical time as myopia rates continue to rise among children.2 At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we remain committed to changing the trajectory of myopia with evidence-based strategies and professional support.”
Myopia, also called ‘nearsightedness’, is a chronic and progressive disease that poses the biggest eye health threat of the 21st Century.2-5 Children under 12 who are diagnosed with myopia are at greater risk of developing high myopia which may lead to sight threatening complications later in life.6
Abiliti™ Overnight lenses are orthokeratology (ortho-k) lenses and are worn overnight to temporarily reduce refractive error and subject to an eye care professional’s myopia management plan, mayeliminate the need to wear contact lenses or glasses during waking hours after the lenses are removed.**7
The lenses are designed to match a patient’s eye based on its unique corneal shape and prescription. The FitAbiliti™ software guides the eye care professional through the fitting process empirically and recommends a lens with the first fit success rate of approximately 90%.*1
“Myopia is on the rise and it is critical to meet increasing patient needs with innovative solutions,”2 said Nicholas Despotidis, OD, FAAO, FCOVD, FAAOMC. “With this new expansion of Abiliti™ Overnight lenses, optometrists are now able to provide additional treatment options to even more myopic patients. Getting the fitting right as efficiently as possible is important and I’ve found great success and ease-of-use with the FitAbiliti™ software.”
Each annual purchase of an Abiliti™ product will provide a free comprehensive eye health exam to a child in need through Sight For Kids® – a joint program from Johnson & Johnson Vision† and the not-for-profit Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF). Sight For Kids® is one of the largest-known, school-based eye health programs that mobilizes LCIF and eye care professionals to provide comprehensive eye health services in low-income schools around the world.
Abiliti™ Overnight Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management are now available nationwide. The lenses are available in two different lens designs: ACUVUE® Abiliti™ Overnight Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management and ACUVUE® Abiliti™ Overnight Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management for Astigmatism.7
Patients and eye care professionals seeking more information can visit: www.seeyourabiliti.com.
ILLINOIS NEWS

CDC's Updated Hospital Masking Guidance May Not Be What You Think, as Top Doc Explains

(NBC5)

News that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had changed its masking guidelines for health care settings has been headlines this week, but how exactly has it changed?
Chicago's top doctor said the answer is more complex than many may know.
"This is a little bit of a complicated answer," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday during a Facebook Live. "So first of all, the CDC is recommending that, you know, every health care setting does not need to have universal masking unless facilities are in areas of high COVID-19 transmission, but what's confusing about that is that there are different risk levels and risk transmissions that are used in community settings."
According to Arwady, the levels set for hospitals are not the same community levels that currently saw Chicago and Cook County drop to a "low" alert level.
"Healthcare doesn't use the same matrix," she said. "And so even while only about, I don't remember the exact percentage, but it's maybe 10% of counties in the US are at that high transmission level this week, more than 70% of counties are, in terms of health care risks, are still at high."
Under the CDC's adjusted guidelines, "when SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission levels are not high, healthcare facilities could choose not to require universal source control." 
Masking is still recommended, however, for those who may have COVID, who were exposed to COVID, or who were in or work in an area experiencing an outbreak - regardless of community COVID levels.
According to Illinois' Department of Public Health, the state is evaluating the new guidance, but how this changes guidelines at Illinois hospitals remains to be seen.
"I can tell you that IDPH has received new guidance from the CDC covering strategies for mitigating healthcare personnel staffing shortages, potential exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare workplaces and infection control guidance," a spokesperson for the department told NBC Chicago in a statement. "We are reviewing and assessing the new guidance and we expect to issue updated guidance to Illinois healthcare providers in the coming days."
NATIONAL NEWS

FDA approves first ALS drug in 5 years after pleas from patients

The treatment was thought up by two Brown University undergraduates a decade ago.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday overcame doubts from agency scientists and approved a fiercely debated drug for ALS, a move that heartened patients and advocates who pushed for the medication but raised concerns among some experts about whether treatments for dire conditions receive sufficient scrutiny.
“It’s a huge deal,” said Sunny Brous, 35, who was diagnosed with ALS seven years ago after she had trouble closing her left glove while playing softball. She plans to begin taking the drug as soon as she can.
“Anything that shows any amount of efficacy is important,” the resident of Pico, Tex., added. Even a small change, Brous said, “might be the difference between signing my own name and someone else signing it for me.”
The newly approved therapy, which will be sold under the brand name Relyvrio, is designed to slow the disease by protecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord destroyed by ALS — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The ailment paralyzes patients, robbing them of their ability to walk, talk and eventually breathe. Patients typically die within three to five years, though some live much longer with the condition sometimes called “Lou Gehrig’s disease” for the renowned baseball player diagnosed in 1939.
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