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 & Management
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. Paraoptometric courses have a four-digit function code beginning with the letter “P.” AOSA (student) courses have a four-digit function code beginning with the letter “S.”

Pre-registration is required for all optometric, paraoptometric, and optometric student education courses. Course auditing is not permitted.

Due to the popular demand of breakfast seminars (courses that begin with the letter “B”), there will be wait-lists for these courses. Attendees will be notified at the time of registration, and the course ticket will confirm that they are on the wait-list for the course. Wait-listed attendees will be allowed in the course on a space-available basis. Please bring your wait-list ticket to the CE courses and after all pre-registered attendees have entered the course, you may be allowed to enter, space permitting. The breakfast seminars will be the only courses at Optometry’s Meeting® that will have wait-lists. Please be aware that a wait-list ticket does not guarantee your admittance.

Optometric Education

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.

Attendance verification forms are distributed upon entrance to the course room in exchange for a course ticket. All attendees are required to be in a course 50 minutes for every 1-hour of education. We do not allow course auditing, so entering the course for no credit will not be permitted. If you are more than 10 minutes late for a 1-hour course or 20 minutes late for a 2-hour course, you will not be allowed to enter the room and your course fees will not be refunded.

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 10 minutes. If you arrive more than 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 for those who register by April 1, 2010. Course fees are $35 per hour between April 2 – May 18, 2010. Course fees are $40 per hour during on-site registration.

On-Line Handouts and CE Handout Station

All OD, Paraoptometric, and Student course handouts will once again 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, 2010, and will remain open throughout the meeting. Any questions regarding this process can be emailed to optometrysmeeting2010@aoa.org.

Please print your CE handouts prior to traveling to Orlando 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 OD continuing education course descriptions and on the daily education grids.

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 Gaylord Palms® Convention 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; 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 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.

OD and Paraoptometric Joint Courses

There are seven OD and paraoptometric joint courses in the CE program. The courses will focus on important topics for optometrists as well as paraoptometrics. Register for these courses to ensure that your practice is offering the highest level of vision care to patients. These courses are highlighted in yellow on the CE grids.

Paraoptometric Education

Throughout the course description pages, each Assistant/Tech course is identified according to one of the following categories:

Clinical

Optical

Practice Management

We are pleased to provide another spectacular array of courses for assistants/technicians, opticians, and office personnel. Specific courses have been submitted to the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC), 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 CPC for continuing education credit and are acceptable for CPC certification renewal requirements. “ABO/NCLE pending” means the course is still in the review process. It must state “ABO/NCLE approved” for confirmed CE credits. Please refer to the on-site directory to verify actual credit approved for each course.

Paraoptometric education is supported by unrestricted educational grants by Transitions and The Vision Care Institute™, LLC.

AOSA Education

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

Optometry's Meeting^® thanks HOYA for their support of AOSA lecture door prizes.

The AOSA education program is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from The Vision Care Institute, LLC.

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. or Paraoptometric continuing education courses for $5 per course hour unless otherwise noted. Pre-registration is required and can be completed on-line or on-site at the Optometry’s Meeting^® Registration Desk. Course auditing is not permitted.

Poster Sessions

Posters will be displayed in the Exhibit Hall of the Gaylord Palms® Convention Center on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19.

The AOA Poster Session will offer CE credit on Saturday, June 19, 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-hour 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).

New this year! Optometry's Meeting on DVD-ROM

Knowledge Base Playback, the Digital Video Library features more than 250 hours of education from this year's meeting in full-motion video. Visit knowledgebase.aoa.org to learn more. Please note that personal audio and/or video recording of any presentation is not permitted.