Doctors and staff attendees will find clinical education that exceeds all expectations. Courses are COPE, ABO, NCLE, and AOA-CPC accredited. Education will begin on Wednesday and be available Thursday through Saturday morning. No pre-registration for individual courses is needed for education. You will enter your OE tracker number during registration and will be scanned at the door to receive credit for CE. Continuing Education courses are available to all doctors and staff attendees.
Wednesday, April 27
The Juice In The Bottle Makes All The Difference (10:00 - 10:50 am)
Description: Dry eye disease and the associated symptoms can be one of the more challenging patient encounters for doctors. Making the correct diagnosis is critical, and often the patient wants an immediate treatment before allowing the clinician to fully diagnose all of the underlying conditions. Optometrists have embraced hypochlorous acid as an effective hand, skin and surface disinfect / sanitizer and many optometrists utilized the product off label for treating a variety of bacterial, viral and fungal infections in and around the eye. Learn about a single clinic study and the effectiveness of utilizing hypochlorous acid as a “first-line” treatment for dry eye. The results may surprise you.
Questions you wanted answered by these four industry experts (11:00 - 11:50 am)
Description: Optical dispensaries represent 44% of the revenue for a typical optometric practice, equaling the largest source of gross revenue in a practice. This course will pose questions to a panel of industry experts on multiple topics necessary for successful management of an optical dispensary. Discussion topics will include the patient-customer experience, employee job satisfaction, conversion / capture rate, inventory management and methods to increase profitability.
Diabetes: New Testing and Treatment for Retinopathy (1:00 - 1:50 pm)
Description: This course will provide an update and thorough understanding of the flash flicker electroretinogram ffERG, proper indications and protocols, and how to interpret the results. Diabetic retinopathy has historically been evaluated and followed with structural tests DFEs, OCTs and fundus photos, this lecture will explore functional testing ERG and newer OCT testing OCT-A that helps in the evaluation of diabetic patients, and will also discuss the newest literature in regards to supplementation of diabetic retinopathy patients, as well as photobiomodulation in AMD.
Unplugging the Myths of MGD (1:00 - 1:50 pm)
Description: Dry Eye is the wrong diagnosis for millions of patients. With the advent and understanding that we now have around MGD, we can better realize the true nature of the problems that our patients have. This course covers anatomy to pathology, the cause and effect. Myths of how to treat MGD will be discussed and scientific literature will be presented on how to properly treat MGD.
MARINE OMEGA-3s IN DRY EYE DISEASE (1:00 - 1:50 pm)
Description: This course will provide an in-depth look at the proper role of marine-based omega-3 fatty acids in the management of patients with Dry Eye Disease. This will encompass a review of the basic science and mechanisms of action of omega-3s along with an overview of pertinent clinical trials. Special focus on the anti-inflammatory benefits working at the molecular level will be included. Emphasis will be placed on the implementation of evidence-based office protocols.
The Future of Prism is Today (2:00 - 2:50 pm)
Description: This course will review testing and treatments with regards to simplifying the art of prism prescriptions and their effects with patient symptomatology. The focus will be to gain insight into how new specific measurement testing and how small prism amounts can benefit patients symptomology.
Severe Dry Eye Management (2:00 - 2:50 pm)
Description: Daily we are dealing with patients with ocular surface issues, but once in a while we deal with a patient who has really severe dry eye issues. This course talks about the vicious cycle of dry eye and how the nerve innervation plays a part of the disease process. We will discuss the pain associated with severe dry eye as well as the ocular impact. Then we will discuss treatment options and solutions to help bring relief to patient’s ocular surface.
Find the Undiscovered Through Improved Pre-Testing (2:00 - 2:50 pm)
Description: Expanding the pre-test sequence of an optometric exam can often uncover conditions that were not obvious from the patient’s history and may help the optometrist save sight, save lives and offer products and services to enhance their patient’s lives. We’ll discuss current and future technologies and how they can help uncover pathology and visual needs of patients.
Technology for Today’s Successful Practice (3:00 - 3:50 pm)
Description: How and why integrating new technologies into your practice will make life easier and your patient care better.
The Future of Dry Eye (3:00 - 3:50 pm)
Description: Dry eye has become a dry topic. With so many treatment options and so many diagnostic tests, it can become complicated to know when and how we should use what type of treatment. The Future of Dry Eye course looks at the current systems and the way that they miss the mark. We look at ways that new and innovative diagnostic measures help to reveal the nature of the patient’s dry eye. We will review diagnostic measures of meibography, interferometry, gland expression, non-invasive tear break up time and blink assessment. Additionally we will cover new ways to treat dry eye including selection of the dry eye drop which meets the problem, warm compress, lid compression, IPL, blink training, omega 3 supplements and patient education. Through the proper diagnosis and treatment, dry eye disease can become a preventable problem.
The technology that increased my patient care and revenue (3:00 - 3:50 pm)
Description: This session will outline how a small private Vision Source practice added 3 key pieces of equipment during the year following the start of the pandemic. The equipment includes an automated refraction system, a meibography station with topography, and a novel treatment for dry eye disease. The presentation will show the surprising ways the new equipment was able to enhance efficiency and increase revenue for the practice.
A clinically tested micronutrition supplement for treatment and management of vitreous floaters (4:00 - 4:50 pm)
Description: This course will deliver training on ocular disease related to the vitreous and retina. In summary, this course will educate on the biochemistry of the human vitreous and the need to “look at it and not through it”. The presenters will highlight the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for vitreous degeneration and the structure changes that occur in the vitreous after degeneration. The delegates will be trained the role of the vitreous for the eye and the impact of vitreous degeneration on visual function and ocular disease. Using novel data from recently published studies (FLIES), the presenter(s) will should how specific nutrients of the vitreous, via their antioxidative and antiglycation properties, can be considered for the management of vitreous degeneration, vitreous floaters and vitreous ocular disease.
Vision Source Dry Eye Practice Protocol (4:00 - 5:50 pm)
Description: Discover the diagnostic tools and techniques needed to scientifically pinpoint the underlying etiology and pair targeted treatments to gain truly predictable outcomes.
Meet All Generations Light Management Needs (4:00 - 4:50 pm)
Description: Doctors of optometry and staff need to understand the needs of the patients in all age groups. Prescribing to manage light in all these age groups is one of the needs of the patients. While doctors often think of only the prescription, light management is just as necessary in the prescription for the patient.
Boost Practice Effiency - How to provide quality care and wow patients! (5:00 - 5:50 pm)
Description: Work smarter, not harder - Practice efficiency is key to the well-being of your practice. It guides the doctor and patient experience at your practice and plays a pivotal role in business success. This course will focus on key changes that you can implement in your practice to improve practice efficiency. You will also learn how to use technology to create a memorable patient experience to help you grow your practice.
HR for Healthcare Business (5:00 - 5:50 pm)
Description: This presentation takes a look at the states of human resource law in America and how it has changed with the pandemic. It also provides insight into the changes happening in Washington and what small business healthcare providers need to be looking at in 2022 and beyond.
Thursday, April 28
Multimodal Ultra-widefield Imaging: The Gold Standard for Evaluation of the Retina (7:30 - 8:20 am)
Description: How to use the latest posterior segment devices to manage your patients and balance between vision care and medical care.
Comfort in a bottle. A new perspective on what’s important in an ocular lubricant (7:30 - 8:20 am)
Description: Dry eye Disease is a common condition that affects 18.4% of Americans. With an overall burden on US health care system of US $3.84 billion.2 With references to the TFOS DEWS II Report, this presentation will explore the requirements for a topical ocular lubricant and consider the new evidence and key benefits of sodium hyaluronate as an effective ingredient to manage the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
The Power of Brands (7:30 - 8:20 am)
Description: Latest research in branding in the ophthalmic space as well as retail in general will be shared. Attendees will learn that leveraging recognizable brands in their practices can increase the brand awareness of their practices and how that can lead to an improved patient experience and practice revenues.
Friday, April 29
Myopia Management Part 1 (7:30 - 8:20 am)
Description: An update of current literature on myopia control allows for a practical understanding of treatment approaches. Information provided in this course will be a clinically practical guide that focuses on content of evidence based ocular care.
Managing AMD from Diagnosis Through Treatment (7:30 - 8:20 am)
Description: Through a series of three cases, this course will discuss how to best utilize technology to diagnose and monitor macular degeneration. We will discuss the benefits of using diagnostic testing to monitor progression and adjust treatment plans. We will detail how to best follow these patients in clinic and when referral to a retina provider is useful. Additionally, we will discuss how coordinating care and co-managing with a retina specialist can improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with macular degeneration.
Applying Retail Strategies to your Optical Dispensary (7:30 - 8:20 am)
Description: This course will provide an update of the current US retail sales industry and discuss recent trends of successful retailers, determine why developing a retail sales strategy is important for the success of any retail sales business, discuss how to develop a retail sales strategy, and learn strategies the top US retailers deploy to increase sales and customer satisfaction.
Saturday, April 30
Myopia Management Part 2 (8:30 - 9:20 am)
Description: An update of current literature on myopia control allows for a practical understanding of treatment approaches. Information provided in this course will be a clinically practical guide that focuses on content of evidence based ocular care.
Money & Metrics: You vs. The Industry (8:30 - 9:20 am)
Description: Claim reimbursements are an important revenue stream for your business. And for any business, you need access to key performance indicators to make sound business decisions and to ultimately make more money. Not only do you need access to these claim metrics, but you need to know how to interpret them and know how you compare to your peers. Shane will cover some of the most important claim metrics ODs should monitor along with benchmarks to industry averages. After this session you’ll have the knowledge to be the hero of your practice’s claim performance.
Guiding Your Patients Through Presbyopia (8:30 - 9:20 am)
Description: Typically, the average age for a progressive lens wearer is generally early to mid 50’s. However with today’s increase in digital device usage, patients tend to experience the symptoms of presbyopia as early as their late 30’s, so it has become increasingly more important to engage them in conversations about a complete solution much earlier. In this training you’ll learn how to approach newly presbyopic patients, navigate their misconceptions or barriers, and finally take the lead to effectively guide them towards the best visual solution for all their needs, progressive lenses.