Continuing Education

Throughout the course description pages, each optometric course is identified according to one of the following categories:
Clinical Optometry
CL	Contact Lenses
FV	Functional Vision/Pediatrics
GO	General Optometry
LV	Low Vision

Ocular Disease
GL	Glaucoma
PO	Peri-Operative Management of Ophthalmic Surgery
RS	Refractive Surgery Management
AS	Treatment & Management of Ocular Disease: Anterior Segment
PS	Treatment & Management of Ocular Disease: Posterior Segment

Related Systemic Disease
NO	Neuro-Optometry
PH	Pharmacology
PD	Principles of Diagnosis
SD	Systemic/Ocular Disease

(Optometric) Business Management
PM	Practice Management

Please note that all of the Optometric courses have a four-digit numeric function code. Assistant/Tech courses have a four-digit function code beginning with the letter “P.” AOSA courses have a four-digit function code beginning with the letter “S.”

Pre-registration is required for all optometric, assistant/tech, and optometric student education courses. There are no wait-lists for sold-out courses. Course auditing is not permitted.

Optometric Education

Advance course registration is required, and the Optometry's Meeting website is strongly recommended for registering. Classes are limited by room capacities; therefore, on-site registration for a particular course may not be available. A name badge is required to register for education, and a course ticket is required for admission to lecture rooms. Registrants are required to attend the entire session to receive continuing education credit.

Continuing education attendance verification forms are distributed upon entrance to the course room in exchange for a course ticket. Attendees must remain in the lecture room until the completion of the course. Should it be necessary to leave the room at any time, the attendance verification form must be surrendered to the Course Monitor. This form will be returned if the attendee is absent for no longer than ten (10) minutes. If you arrive more than ten (10) minutes late, the Course Monitor is directed not to provide an attendance verification form. Please remember to turn off all cell phones and pagers as a courtesy to other attendees.

Course fees are $30 per hour, unless the course has been sponsored through an educational grant, for those who register prior to April 1, 2008. Course fees are $35 per hour from April 2 – May 31, 2008. Course fees are $40 per hour during on-site registration.

On-Line Handouts and Pfizer CE Handout Station

Thanks to a generous grant from Pfizer, all course handouts will be available on a password-protected Web site that will allow registered attendees to print them prior to the meeting. The handouts will be available in PDF format (a complimentary link will be available for those attendees who do not have the Adobe Acrobat PDF viewer). The handout Web site will open May 7, 2008, and will remain open throughout the meeting. Any questions regarding this process can be e-mailed to optometrysmeeting2008@aoa.org.

Please print your CE handouts prior to traveling to Seattle to avoid lines.

CEE Courses

Certain optometric courses have been selected to offer Continuing Education with Examination (CEE) certification for course attendees. These courses are designated “CEE” in the O.D. continuing education course descriptions.

After attending a CEE course, a form will be available for you to mark the test number(s) you are requesting. Please print your name and address on the form and return it to the Continuing Education office on-site at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. At the conclusion of Optometry’s Meeting™, the test(s) you request will be mailed to the address printed on the form. This will be your only opportunity to receive the CEE tests. When you receive your CEE test packet, you will find instructions for returning the test for grading.

When the completed examination and check ($25 for each examination covering a two-hour course) is received at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Optometry, it will be graded; and upon passing, you will receive a certificate. It is the attendee’s responsibility to submit/report individual test results to the appropriate state boards of optometry.

Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE)

COPE-approved courses are being offered throughout the program. Courses already approved are displayed with the lettering “COPE Approved” throughout the optometric course descriptions. Courses which are indicated “COPE Approval Pending” are not guaranteed to be approved for COPE credit. By visiting the Optometry’s Meeting™ Web site, you can check the updated approval status of all courses.

Partnership Trust

The American Optometric Association contributes $1.00 for each hour of paid optometric education taken at Optometry’s Meeting™ to the Partnership Trust.

Assistant/Tech Education

Throughout the course description pages, each Assistant/Tech course is identified according to one of the following categories:
B	Basic
I	Intermediate
A	Advanced

The Paraoptometric Section is pleased to provide another spectacular array of courses for assistant/technician, opticians, and office personnel. Specific courses have been submitted to the American Board of Opticianry (ABO), and the National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE), for consideration of approved continuing education credit.

All courses are approved by the AOA Commissioni on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC) for continuing education credit and are acceptable for certification renewal requirements.

A course ticket is required for admittance to each course, including free lectures. An official AOA name badge must be worn and attendance will be monitored. Course evaluations for all courses will be distributed prior to the class; you are encouraged to complete them and turn them in at the end of the course.

Paraoptometric education is sponsored by grants from
Transitions and The Vision Care Institute™, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson Company.

AOSA Education

The Vision Care Institute™, LLC,a Johnson & Johnson Company, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the AOSA education program.

Optometry's Meeting™ thanks Alcon Laboratories for their support of AOSA lecture door prizes.

The AOSA education program is sponsored by a grant from The Vision Care Institute, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson Company.

Lecture door prizes are sponsored in part by a grant from Alcon Laboratories.

AOSA courses are offered at no charge to registered optometric students (with the exception of the NBEO review courses). Course attendees will receive a continuing education attendance form for each course.

Optometric students may register and attend O.D. continuing education courses for $5 per optometric course hour unless otherwise noted. Pre-registration is required and can be completed on-line at www.optometrysmeeting.org or on-site at the Optometry’s Meeting™ Registration Desk. Go to the Optometry’s Meeting™ Web site to check on space availability for all courses. Course auditing is not permitted.

Poster Sessions

Posters will be displayed in the Exhibit Hall of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center on Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28.

The AOA Poster Session will offer CE credit on Saturday, June 28, from 11:00am - 2:00pm. Attendees wishing to spend an uninterrupted one or two hours viewing the interactive poster session will be able to receive the appropriate one- or two-hour CE credit. Please note that CE credit will be offered only during the Saturday interactive session (11:00am - 2:00pm). Register for one CE hour (#PST1) or two CE hours (#PST2).

Audio Taping

Most continuing education course lectures will be audio taped, and audio CDs will be available for purchase on-site near the registration desk. An order form will be available to order audio CDs after Optometry’s Meeting™. Please note that personal audio and/or video recording of any presentation is not permitted.

Locator Kiosks

Optometry's Meeting™ thanks Vistakon® for their generous support of the Locator Kiosks

Locator kiosks for posting and receiving messages will be located near the registration desk and in the Exhibit Hall at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. Attendees are responsible for delivering and retrieving their own messages from the kiosks.

Optometry's Meeting™ is the official annual meeting of the American Optometric Association and the American Optometric Student Association.