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| Formation | 1898 |
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| Coordinates | 38°39′31″N90°24′22″W / 38.6585°N 90.4060°W Coordinates: 38°39′31″N90°24′22″W / 38.6585°N 90.4060°W |
| Website | www |
The American Optometric Association (AOA), [1] founded in 1898, represents approximately 37,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students and para-optometric assistants and technicians in the United States.
The AOA states that:
The American Optometric Association represents more than 49,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students and paraoptometric assistants and technicians. Optometrists serve patients in nearly 6,500 communities across the country, and in 3,500 of those communities are the only eye doctors. Doctors of optometry provide two-thirds of all primary eye care in the United States.
Founded in 1898, the AOA is a federation of state, student and armed forces optometric associations. Through these affiliations, the AOA serves members consisting of optometrists, students of optometry, paraoptometric assistants and technicians.
Together, the AOA and its affiliates work to provide the public with quality vision and eye care. [2]
The AOA has offices in St. Louis, Missouri (the headquarters) and Alexandria, Virginia, employing approximately 100 people. [3] The Association also has four special interest sections: The Contact Lens and Cornea Section, the Vision Rehabilitation Section, the Sports Vision Section and the Paraoptometric Section. [4]
The AOA and its affiliates work to provide the public with quality vision and eye care by:
"Advocate for the profession and serve optometrists in meeting the eye care needs of the public."[ citation needed ]
The objectives of AOA are centered on improving the quality and availability of eye and vision care. The AOA fulfills its missions in accordance with the following goals:[ citation needed ]
The AOA had its own journal, called Optometry – Journal of the American Optometric Association, published by Elsevier until 2012. [6] [7] It currently publishes relevant articles under the News section of their website. [8]
In 2015, the World Council of Optometry (WCO) relocated to the AOA headquarters in St Louis. [9]
Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care.
The State University of New York College of Optometry is a public school of optometry in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and was established in 1971 as result of a legislative mandate of New York. It is located in midtown Manhattan in what was originally the Aeolian Building, which was built in 1912 for the Aeolian Company, a piano manufacturer. It is a center for research on vision and the only school of optometry in New York.
Vision therapy (VT), or behavioral optometry, is an umbrella term for alternative medicine treatments using eye exercises, based around the pseudoscientific claim that vision problems are the true underlying cause of learning difficulties, particularly in children. Vision therapy has not been shown to be effective using scientific studies, except for helping with convergence insufficiency. Most claims—for example that the therapy can address neurological, educational, and spatial difficulties—lack supporting evidence. Neither the American Academy of Pediatrics nor the American Academy of Ophthalmology support the use of vision therapy.
An eye care professional (ECP) is an individual who provides a service related to the eyes or vision. It is any healthcare worker involved in eye care, from one with a small amount of post-secondary training to practitioners with a doctoral level of education.
The Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) is a private optometry college in Chicago, Illinois. Graduating approximately 160 optometrists a year, it is the largest optometry college in the United States and the oldest continually operating educational facility dedicated solely to the teaching of optometrists. The college complex incorporates more than 366,000 square feet (34,000 m2) including an on-site eye care clinic, electronically enhanced lecture center, library, computerized clinical learning equipment, cafeteria, fitness center, and living facilities.
The School of Optometry and Vision Science is one of the professional schools at the University of Waterloo. It is a school within the university's Faculty of Science and is the larger of the two optometry schools in Canada. The School is the only English speaking Optometry School in the country; the Francophone Université de Montréal program operates in Quebec.
Optometry is a health care profession that provides comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes the diagnosis and management of eye diseases.
Marshall B. Ketchum University is a private university focused on graduate programs in healthcare and located in Fullerton, California. MBKU expanded from the Southern California College of Optometry which was founded in 1904. The university was officially established as a multidisciplinary university with the addition of School of PA Studies in 2011 and College of Pharmacy in 2013. Along with Hope International University, the campus bookends the north and south sides of the Cal State Fullerton campus respectively.
The Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science at the University of California, Berkeley, also known as Berkeley Optometry, is an optometry school at the University of California, Berkeley. It offers a graduate-level, four-year professional program leading to the Doctor of Optometry degree (OD), and a one-year, ACOE-accredited residency program in clinical optometry specialties. It is also the home department for the multidisciplinary Vision Science Group at the University of California, Berkeley, whose graduate students earn either MS or PhD degrees. Its namesake is American optometrist Herbert Wertheim, due to his $50 million pledge to the school in 2021 through the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation.
VSP Vision Care (VSP) is a vision care health insurance company operating in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It is a doctor-governed company divided into five businesses: “eye care insurance, high-quality eyewear, lens and lens enhancements, ophthalmic technology, and connected experiences to strengthen the relationship between patients and their eye doctors.” It has about 80 million people worldwide and is the largest vision insurance company in the United States.
The eye care system in Ghana can be said to be one in its infant or growing stages. Today there are less than 300 eye care professionals taking care of the eye needs of over 23 million Ghanaians.
Optometry is a relatively new field in eye care in Ghana.
Norman Rex Ghormley was an American optometrist who held leadership roles with the American Academy of Optometry and served as an optometrist for collegiate and professional sports teams.
Konrad Pesudovs is an Australian optometrist and outcomes researcher in ophthalmology; recognised as the leading optometrist researcher worldwide in terms of H-Index and total citations. He is SHARP Professor of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of New South Wales (2020-). He was the Foundation Chair of Optometry and Vision Science at Flinders University from 2009 to 2017.
Susan A. Cotter is a professor of optometry at the Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) at Marshall B. Ketchum University where she teaches in the classroom and clinic, works with the residents, and conducts clinical researches. Her scientific work is related to related to clinical management strategies for strabismus, amblyopia, non-strabismic binocular vision disorders, and childhood refractive error.
The World Council of Optometry (WCO) is a membership organization for the development of optometry internationally. The WCO is the first and only optometric organization to have official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) which represents 250,000 optometrists from 75 member organizations in over 40 countries. The WCO organizes the World Congress of Optometry.
The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) is the national voice of optometry, providing leadership and support to its members to enhance the delivery of eye health and vision care for all Canadians. CAO was formally constituted with the proclamation of a federal act to incorporate the Canadian Association of Optometrists on June 30, 1948.
Irvin M. Borish was an American optometrist who is widely considered "The Father of Modern Optometry". Even though he entered the field of optometry because his family could only afford to pay for two years of college, he left a lasting impression in the field. He wrote one of the most renowned textbooks of optometry, Clinical Refraction. He worked to create several educational and research institutions for optometry. He also lobbied tirelessly to establish optometry as a mainstream medical practice. His contribution to optometry has been recognized through prestigious awards and recognition from his peers.
Visibly, formerly known as Opternative, is a telehealth Chicago-based company, founded in 2012, which provides on-line vision tests and generates eyeglasses and contact lens prescriptions for site visitors, delivering these results via email within one day of the completion of the exam. The results of the exam are reviewed by an optometrist, are considered valid prescriptions, and may be used for ordering glasses or contacts over the Internet or in person at an eyeglass retailer. The company itself does not sell any visual aids, and derives its income from the fees it charges for the exams.
EyeCarePro Inc. is a digital marketing company focused on optometrists in the US and Canada. The company's CEO is Daniel Rostenne. The company's target audience includes eye care professionals, family practices and corporate groups. Services include client management systems and a variety of web and digital marketing services geared toward eyecare professionals.
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