Volume 6, Issue 44│November 11, 2022
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Happy Veterans Day

Today we honor all who have served in the Armed Forces, including many optometrists who have served their country. Thank you for your service.

In honor of the holiday, the IOA office will be closed on Friday, November 11.


ELECTION OUTCOME 

  All Democratic statewide candidates in Illinois were elected or re-elected. Both the Senate and the House will maintain super-majority status.

GOVERNOR
JB Pritzker (D)
defeated Darren Bailey (R)

SECRETARY OF STATE
Alexi Giannoulias (D)
defeated Dan Brady (R)

ATTORNEY GENERAL
Kwame Raoul (D)
defeated Tom DeVore (R)

COMPTROLLER
Susanna Mendoza (D)
defeated Shannon Teresi (R)

TREASURER
Michael Frerichs (D)
defeated Tom Demmer (R)
 
103rd General Assembly
SENATE DEMOCRATS
41-18 Majority
Will be 39 or 40 Seats Depending on Final Outcome of Uncalled Races
In the House, the Democrats currently have a 73-45 majority. In the upcoming General Assembly, they will maintain their veto-proof majority. The exact number of seats is difficult to determine due to several races that are too close to call.

KEY SENATE RACES
19 Michael Hastings (D) v. Patrick Sheehan (R) (Too close to call.)
21 Laura Ellman (D) v. Kathleen Murray (R) (Ellman defeats Murray)
23 Suzy Glowiak-Hilton (D) v. Dennis Reboletti (R) (Glowiak-Hilton defeats Reboletti)
26 Maria Peterson (D) v. Dan McConchie (R) (McConchie defeats Peterson)
27 Ann Gillespie (D) v. Bill Robertson (R) (Gillespie defeats Robertson)
31 Mary Edly-Allen (D) v. Adam Solano (R) (Edly-Allen defeats Solano)
36 Michael Halpin (D) v. Mike Thoms (R) (Halpin defeats Thoms)
40 Patrick Joyce (D) v. Philip Nagel (R) (Joyce defeats Nagel)
48 Doris Turner (D) v. Sandy Hamilton (R) (Turner defeats Hamilton)
56 Kris Tharp (D) v. Erica Conway Harriss (R) (Conway Harriss defeats Tharp)

KEY HOUSE RACES
41 Janet Yang Rohr (D) v. Richard Janor (R) (Yang Rohr defeats Janor)
42 Terra Costa Howard (D) v. Stefanie Hood (R) (Costa Howard defeats Hood)
46 Diane Blair-Sherlock (D) v. Robert Stevens (R) (Blair-Sherlock defeats Stevens)
49 Maura Hirschauer (D) v. Kevin Wallace (R) (Hirschauer defeats Wallace)
53 Mark Walker (D) v. Jack Vrett (R) (Walker defeats Vrett)
54 Mary Beth Canty (D) v. Michele Hunter (R) (Canty defeats Hunter)
61 Joyce Mason (D) v. Peter Pettorini (R) (Mason defeats Pettorini)
62 Laura Faver Dias (D) v. Adam Shores (R) (Faver Dias defeats Shores)
66 Suzanne Ness (D) v. Connie Cain (R) (Ness defeats Cain)
68 Dave Vella (D) v. Jonathan Ojeda (R) (Vella defeats Ojeda)
76 Lance Yednock (D) v. Jason Haskell (R) (Yednock defeats Haskell)
81 Anne Stava-Murray (D) v. Paul Leong (R) Stava-Murray defeats Leong)
83 Matt Hanson (D) v. Keith Wheeler (R) Hanson defeats Wheeler)
91 Sharon Chung (D) v. Scott Preston (R) (Too close to call)
97 Harry Benton (D) v. Michelle Smith (R) (Benton defeats Smith)
112 Katie Stuart (D) v. Jennifer Korte (R) (Stuart defeats Korte)
 
State Representative Tim Butler, 87th District (R) Leaving Office

Following a win in the midterm election on November 8th, State Representative Tim Butler announces he is leaving office after four terms. Butler announced his resignation on social media this morning. “As much as I enjoy my work in the Illinois House, the time has come to move on and pursue a new avenue in my career,” Butler said. According to the post, he will resign before the start of the 103rd General Assembly to work full-time for the Illinois Railroad Association.
 
 
 
ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT
DISTRICT 2 Elizabeth Rockford (D) v. Mark Curran (R) (Rochford defeats Curran)
DISTRICT 3 Mary Kay O’Brien (D) v. Michael Burke (R) (O’Brien ahead of Burke)
 
WORKERS RIGHTS AMENDMENT
Amends the Bill of Rights in the Illinois Constitution to provide employees with a fundamental right to organize and collectively bargain through labor unions of their own choosing regarding wages, working conditions, etc. This provision supersedes the powers of home rule units. For ratification, this amendment must receive the support of 60% of those voting on the question or a majority of those voting at the election. The amendment has the support of 59.5% of those voting on the question. The number of those voting at the election is unknown at this time.

U.S. CONGRESS UPDATE
 
Several states continue to count outstanding votes from the midterm elections.
In California about half of the votes are tallied, and ballots there have until Tuesday to
arrive. In Maricopa County, Arizona, the most populous county, the counting is expected to be complete early next week. Nevada, Oregon, Washington State, and Maryland are still counting votes.

The current count according to the New York Times is 194 Democrats, 211 Republicans, 30 Undecided, and 218 needed for control.
 



MEMBER NEWS
Mid-State Optometric Society Meeting

The Mid-State Optometric Society held a meeting with CE on Thursday, November 10. Dr. Julie DeKinder taught a course on myopia management. Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting!
Welcome Baby Zakaria

Congratulations to Illinois Valley Optometric Society President Sarah Salim, O.D. & Andrew Benedict, O.D. on the birth of their child Zakaria. Zakaria was born on October 23 and weighed 7 lbs 11 oz.

Congratulations to Dr. Salim & Dr. Benedict!
Remembering Joseph Malee, O.D.

Dr. Joseph Malee of Palos Heights passed away on November 8, 2022. Dr. Malee earned his Doctor of Optometry in 1972 from Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Malee was a Life member of the IOA/AOA and had been a member for 51 years. A visitation will be held on Sunday, November 13, and a funeral service will be held on Monday, November 14. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues during this tough time.


We want to hear your memories of the IOA! In celebration of our 125th anniversary in 2023, the IOA is collecting your stories about the organization.

Please share your thoughts on the importance of IOA membership, favorite memories from IOA, or your thoughts on the history of the IOA.
IOA/AOA Membership Renewal Update

2023 membership invoices have been mailed out, so members should begin receiving invoices soon! Those on a recurring monthly or quarterly payment do not need to respond as your payment schedule will be automatically renewed.

On September 30, 2022, the IOA Board of Directors voted to keep IOA membership dues at the same rate as 2022. Likewise, the AOA Board of Directors did not issue a dues increase, so IOA/AOA membership fees will remain the same in 2023.
2023 Dues Contest

Pay membership dues in full by 1/31/2023 and be entered into a drawing to win FREE registration to the 2023 IOA Annual Meeting in Schaumburg, Illinois! This includes your registration for the meeting and all CE testing fees associated with your registration but does not include hotel reservations.
Call for Courses - 2023 Annual Meeting

The IOA has opened the Call for Courses for the 2023 Annual Meeting in Schaumburg, IL on September 28-October 1. Lecturers are invited to submit their lecture(s) and workshop courses in the online portal at the link below. All courses must be submitted online by December 16, 2022.
2022 Medicare Fee Schedules

Locality 12: Excel or PDF

Locality 15: Excel or PDF

Locality 16: Excel or PDF

Locality 99: Excel or PDF
Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
Labor Law Poster 2022
Registration closes soon! Save your spot today.
Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!

Looking for a motivated and energetic OD to join our Tinley Park Target Optical team! Friendly, helpful staff and overall healthy patients. (Read more)
SAVE THE DATE
BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK
EMAIL SERIES PART THREE:
Educational emails are a great way to familiarize your patients with your practice. These emails are designed to offer healthcare tips that will not only highlight the services and specialties you offer but educate your patients about disease warning signs and industry advancements. Educational emails help nurture trust between you and your patients.
ILLINOIS NEWS
IDPH Announces More than 1.5 Million Illinoisans Have Received Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines

Public Health Department Urges Illinoisans to Get Fully Vaccinated for Protection from COVID-19 & Flu Before the Holiday Season; Illinois Reports 11,020 New Cases of COVID-19 Since November 4

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported that more than 1.5 million people in Illinois have received a dose of the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccines since they were authorized for use in September, with about 160,000 doses administered in the last week. The state also reported that it has surpassed the 25 million threshold for total COVID-19 vaccinations. With the Thanksgiving holidays fast approaching, IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra is strongly urging Illinoisans to full protect themselves and their loved ones by making sure they are fully up-to-date with a COVID-19 booster and a flu shot before gathering with family and friends.

As of last week, 31 counties in Illinois are at an elevated Community Level for COVID-19, with all of those at the Medium level. Those CDC numbers will be updated by tomorrow, November 11. IDPH is reporting 11,020 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, and 38 deaths since November 4.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Familial link to diabetes affects risk for diabetic retinopathy, DME differently
 
ByHunter Firment

The presence of a family member with diabetes affects the risk for developing proliferative diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema differently, according to a study.
“Clustering of vision threatening diabetic retinopathy within specific families can be the result of similarities in lifestyle but may also be due to a common genetic background,” Toke Bek, DMSci, MBA, of the department of ophthalmology at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, wrote in Current Eye Research. “An evaluation of the role of heredity for the development of diabetic retinopathy may help [in] adjusting control intervals in screening programs to each patient’s individual risk profile.”

The researchers evaluated the influence of heredity on the development of diabetic retinopathy and DME. Source: Adobe Stock
The study used survival analysis of data originating from examinations of 18,216 Danish patients from 1994 to 2019, which included assessment of visual acuity, fundus photography and previous ocular treatment, cataract surgeries and family diabetes history. The final study group included 12,281 participants (41% women, 59% men), of whom 3,660 had type 1 diabetes, and 8,921 had type 2 diabetes.
According to the study, among participants with some knowledge of diabetic heredity, 974 were treated for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and 1,225 were treated for DME as their first treatment during the follow-up period of up to 25 years after the onset of diabetes.
Statistical analysis included a pseudo-values method with linear modeling to calculate the contribution of covariates including age at onset of diabetes, sex, history of cataract surgery, HbA1c exposure, BMI, blood pressure and time in years after the onset of diabetes. Four models were created based on presence of relative with diabetes, sex of diabetic relative and the type of diabetes.
Bek reported that the presence of male relatives with type 2 diabetes showed no significant contribution to the risk for developing PDR as the first vision-threatening complication after the onset of diabetes.
However, the risk was significantly reduced 4 to 10 years after onset if the participant had knowledge of a relative with diabetes, 3 to 10 years if the participant had female relatives with diabetes and 1 to 10 years if the relative had type 1 diabetes. Based on these findings, Bek determined the presence of female relatives with type 1 diabetes was the heredity risk parameter for developing PDR.
Study results also revealed that after 10 years of known diabetes duration, a history of cataract surgery counteracted the risk reduction from the presence of a female relative with type 1 diabetes.
The presence of relatives with type 2 diabetes was reported to be the heredity risk parameter for developing DME: The risk significantly increased 4 to 24 years after the onset of diabetes in participants with relatives with type 2 diabetes, while the presence of relatives with type 1 diabetes and the sex of relatives with diabetes were not significant contributors to the risk for developing DME.
Further, after 10 years of known diabetes duration, a history of cataract surgery, cumulative exposure to systolic blood pressure, BMI, age of onset of diabetes and increasing year of onset of diabetes further exacerbated the risk from the presence of male relative with diabetes.
“These parameters may contribute to an individualization of control intervals during screening for diabetic retinopathy,” Bek wrote. “The study underlines the need for considering PDR and DME as separate end points in [a] screening program for diabetic retinopathy.”
Delta Dental of New Jersey Launches DeltaVision® in Partnership with VSP® Vision Care

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Nov. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Dental of New Jersey (DDNJ) is proud to announce it is teaming up with VSP® Vision Care, the only national not-for-profit vision benefits company, to launch DeltaVision®. This partnership will provide a convenient "one-stop shopping" experience for group vision and dental benefits. VSP will administer the fully insured plans, which will be sold in conjunction with DDNJ dental plans to businesses with at least two employees.
"We are incredibly proud to enhance our coverage options to include dental and vision benefits," said Dennis Wilson, President and CEO of Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut. "By introducing DeltaVision®, we are reinforcing our commitment to delivering quality service and supporting the health and wellbeing of our customers and clients. Dentists and optometrists are trained to detect numerous health conditions by observing early warning signs in the mouth and eyes. We hope this offering will lead to earlier intervention and better overall health for our customers."
The plans—which will be available starting January 1, 2023—afford businesses the ability to package both dental and vision benefits conveniently and affordably and include the option to purchase glasses and contacts in the same calendar year. DeltaVision® will be offered to individual customers later in 2023.
4 ODs Share How They Serve Diverse Communities–With Help from a Key Industry Partner
  
By Margery Weinstein
Editor-in-Chief
Review of Optometric Business
Oct. 26, 2022

As communities become more diverse, more optometrists are understanding the value of having diverse representation on their staff. Creating a practice that lives out the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) can be challenging. However, with help from the right industry partners, this challenge can have rewarding results.
In September 2020, IDOC CEO and President Dave Brown signed the CEO Pledge for CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, which aims to rally business leaders to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Also in 2020, in partnership with Diversity Perspective, IDOC developed a multi-year learning and development curriculum for its employees, which has led to an in-depth exploratory look into implicit bias, allyship, courageous conversations, and inclusion in the workplace.
In January 2021, IDOC announced the addition of three new OD board members to its Board of Directors, expanding representation from underrepresented groups and women, as well as bringing in the independent OD perspective. Outside of the board, IDOC works tirelessly to gain feedback from its members to ensure all voices are heard. “Every OD owner has a unique set of dreams for their practice, and, in the spirit of DEI, IDOC welcomes input from all of our ODs to learn how we can better serve the unique needs of their practice,” says Dave Brown, CEO & President.
And in October 2021, IDOC partnered with PVR Coaching & Consulting, an outside leadership and talent optimization firm, to conduct a DEI Needs Assessment. “The results of that Needs Assessment serve as a baseline from which to measure our progress, so we may continue our journey of growth and learning,” says Jill Johnson, Vice-President, People Strategy & Operations.
Four independent practice owners share how IDOC is reflecting in its own work the need to become more attuned to DEI principles, and how the organization is providing a model for practices and other organizations to follow.
World Council of Optometry Dry Eye Disease Education Initiative Website Now Available

World Council of Optometry
WCO Dry Eye Disease Education Initative Website
WCO and Alcon Resource Features On-Demand Webinars, In-Practice Tools and Resources, and Faculty Insights

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, UNITED STATES, November 9, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The World Council of Optometry (WCO) and Alcon have launched an online resource in support of their global, evidence-based dry eye disease education initiative. The website, dryeye.worldcouncilofoptometry.info, features on-demand webinars presented by world-renowned faculty, in-practice tools including clinical studies and white papers, and other professional development resources.

World Council of Optometry President-elect Dr. Sandra Block said, “Our new website presents the latest dry eye disease data and science to the entire optometric community through trusted information and tools. Of value no matter the size of your practice or the length of your experience, these resources offer practical measures to help improve patients’ quality of life.”

The first on-demand Dry Eye Spotlight webinar, “Dry Eye Disease Mitigation,” is now available on the website, following its debut yesterday. Presented by Professors Jennifer Craig, Lyndon Jones, and James Wolffsohn, the lively discussion focuses on understanding the prevalence and etiology of dry eye, associated risk factors, and how to triage patients presenting with symptoms.

Registration for future live chat-enabled Dry Eye Spotlight webinars will open in the weeks before the debut of each. These include “Dry Eye Disease Measurement” on January 17, 2023, “Dry Eye Disease Management” on March 8, 2023, and the “Dry Eye Disease Wheel Tool” on May 16, 2023. On-demand versions then become active the following day.

In-practice tools available on the website include articles, reports, and clinical studies that explore the three main pillars of dry eye disease mitigation, measurement, and management. This collection of practical tools will be updated regularly.

A featured blog from the initiative’s faculty members and guest bloggers will present their latest observations to participants.
Optometry College to Launch at Rocky Mountain University

Applications for the 2023 cohort are now being accepted.

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions will start its doctor of optometry program in the summer and is now accepting optometry student applications for the 2023 cohort.
“RMU’s Doctor of Optometry program is the newest optometry program in the United States,” said Dr. Adam Hickenbotham, founding dean of the optometry college. “Optometrists are America’s primary eye healthcare providers who are on the frontline of eye and vision care. As such, RMU has designed an innovative, advanced and student-focused program with in-person hands-on clinical training to help our optometry graduates provide outstanding healthcare.”
The program has received preliminary accreditation from the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education. As such, RMU’s College of Optometry is authorized to move forward with the doctor of optometry program beginning in May 2023. Students may begin to apply.
“For the past 24 years, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions has been advancing knowledge and advancing healthcare as an accredited exclusive graduate healthcare education institution,” said Dr. Richard P. Nielsen, founding president and CEO of RMU. “Our new College of Optometry is another significant RMU milestone that will develop the next generation of optometrists in our high-tech facilities using modern medical curriculum by the nation’s renowned optometric faculty. RMU is honored to expand the availability of optometry education for students across the nation.”
National Institutes of Health awards Case Western Reserve University $7.3M for eye research
Grant will support examining impact of pain and inflammation on eye’s surface and possible link to diseases

Grant and Award Announcement
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

CLEVELAND–The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine a five-year, $7.3 million grant to identify new technology, methods and models to study the impact of inflammation and pain on eye health, specifically the surface.
“The cornea is the most densely innervated tissue in the body, yet we have a poor understanding of how structural and functional integrity is maintained at the eye surface,” said Michael Jenkins, The Dr. Donald and Ruth Weber Goodman Professor of Innovative Cardiovascular Research at the School of Medicine and principal investigator of the NIH-backed research. 
“Understanding neural control at the eye’s surface is critical to understand many diseases, including dry-eye disease, diabetes and more,” he said. “This will also help us better understand problems like corneal neuropathic pain.”
More specifically, the goal of the grant, which recently began with NIH funding from the National Eye Institute, is to better understand how the nervous system maintains eye health.
Jenkins said the research will involve a multidisciplinary team from CWRU and Cleveland Clinic with expertise in such areas as advanced 3D microscopy, neuroscience, pain, immunology, spatial statistics and machine/deep learning, among other areas. The research team includes Marcin Golczak, Patricia Taylor and David Wilson from CWRU, and B. J. Dupps, Rony Sayegh and Carl Saab from Cleveland Clinic. 
“This team will allow us to apply several new technologies, animal models and methods to gain new insights into neural control of the corneal surface,” Jenkins said.
The eye maintains functions like blinking and tearing in response to stimuli through sensory feedback from the corneal nerves. This chain can be disrupted by damage to corneal nerves through inflammation, immune responses and more, which can further deteriorate blinking and tearing and lead to additional degradation of the nerves in a “feed-forward loop,” he said.
The researchers will investigate these processes by mapping the structure, molecular expression and function of the corneal nerves and supporting cells. They will also investigate how corneal signaling at the eye’s surface is linked to signaling in the brain’s pain centers.
The team will also investigate eye surface control under different inflammatory and pain conditions such as evaporative dry-eye disease, diabetes and bacterial keratitis to better understand how treatment options affect the eye surface control system.
NATIONAL NEWS

Deadly listeria outbreak in 6 states linked to deli meat and cheese

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN
Updated 11:49 AM EST, Thu November 10, 2022

A deadly outbreak of listeria in six states has been linked to contaminated deli meat and cheese, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.

The truth, and strategy, of food expiration dates
People at high risk of severe illness from listeria infection — such as pregnant people, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems — should not eat meat or cheese from any deli counter without first reheating it “steaming hot,” the agency suggests.
A total of 16 people have been infected, and 13 have been hospitalized, according to reports from six states. One death was reported in Maryland; another person became ill while pregnant and lost their baby, the CDC said in a statement.
To date, seven listeria infections has been reported in New York, three in Maryland, two in Illinois, two in Massachusetts, one in California and one in New Jersey. Those infected ranged in age from from 38 to 92, with an average age of 74. Over half of those sickened were men.
Most of the people identified in the outbreak so far are of Eastern European descent or speak Russian, the CDC said, adding that the agency is still investigating reasons for why the outbreak appears to be disproportionately affecting this population.
However, some infected people who got sick could have recovered without medical care, and thus their cases have gone unreported. “The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” the CDC added.
In interviewing those sickened, CDC investigators found that five of the seven people in New York purchased sliced deli meat or cheese from at least one location of NetCost Market, a chain of stores selling international foods. However, that is not the only location of the illness, the CDC said, as people sickened in other states reported buying meats or cheeses from other delis.
Listeria monocytogenes is a hardy bacteria that can be easily transferred in food preparation and can be hard to remove, the CDC said.
Deli counters and food processing facilities can be a common source of listeria infection, the CDC said, as listeria can easily spread between food and equipment or surfaces and can be hard to remove.
If you have purchased deli cheese or meat, the agency recommends a careful cleaning of your refrigerator — and any containers or surfaces the meat or cheese may have touched — with hot, soapy water.
“Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of severe Listeria illness after eating meat or cheese from a deli,” the CDC said.
Symptoms of listeria usually occur within four weeks of infection but can take as long as 70 days to appear. In some cases, the first signs of infection are diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Typical symptoms that follow include headache, stiff neck, fever, muscle pain, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.
INDUSTRY PARTNERS
THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS!