First off, I would like to wish all a Happy New Year, hope this New Year brings you love, health, wealth and happiness. I trust you had a great Holiday Season and that now you are ready to start the year on the right foot.
As you are aware 2020 is a big year for our industry, we’ve been waiting and hearing all the puns for a while now. Well The YEAR Of VISION is here, so let's make the best of it. I want to thank you all for renewing your OAC membership. For the new members that registered, WELCOME to the OAC. We are all part of this wonderful big family that stretches across our country. I’ve been lucky enough to travel and meet a lot of you and I can’t say enough good things about opticians in Canada. Your passion and dedication to our profession is inspiring
us to push ourselves more and more to provide you with new benefits, develop new projects, communicate and lobby government.
The OAC is proud to launch a new member benefit for 2020: All members will have access to free ConEd from our online CE library. We still want to see you in person at all our education shows, but if you are missing a few credits, you will be able to access it from the comfort of your own office or home. We are also working on providing more live webinars from the different location where education days will be held. You must visit our social media platform and our website for an updated list of all our upcoming events throughout the year.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. We are always looking forward to feedbacks from our members, so don’t be shy to contact us with your ideas.
Looking forward to seeing what this year brings to us all. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to see you in the near future.
Regards,
Martin Lebeau Opticians Association of Canada President
The International Myopia Institute (IMI) recently published a series of papers detailing the latest evidence on everything that we know about myopia (Wolffsohn et al, 2019). From the development of myopia and genetics to its risks, prevention, and treatment, each topic was covered by a committee of world experts.
There is much that we are still learning about the complexities of myopia, but there is no doubt that the incidence, prevalence, and degree of myopia is increasing. These increases are associated with a higher risk of potentially blinding ocular pathologies, such as myopic macular degeneration (MMD), glaucoma, cataract, and retinal detachment. Because of these serious risks, treatment and management of myopia is the future of eye care, and orthokeratology (ortho-k) will be a significant part of that future. Continue reading…
REGARD ACTIONis a cooperative that brings together independent vision professionals whose freedom to offer the best products and services goes hand-in-hand with ethics and integrity. Each REGARD ACTION member optical store is owned by a local vision professional who is involved in their community and provides first-rate access to high-quality vision care.
The REGARD ACTION Cooperative is proud to work with the Opticians Association of Canada this year for the Salon Vision-R 2020. This exceptional event will take place at Manoir Saint-Sauveur on May 1, 2 and 3, 2020 and we are pleased to invite all vision professionals in Canada.
This collaboration will enable you to attend 4 accredited continuing education sessions (in English and French), an exhibition hall with close to 50 industry providers, and a lively casino night.
Save the date for May 1, 2 and 3, 2020. Registration opens on January 13, 2020.
We look forward to seeing you there!
SPOTLIGHT ON MANITOBA By Todd Smith, President, MB Chapter - Opticians Association of Canada
2020 will be the year of optical and visual puns and we look forward to seeing them all. A new year has begun, and we are all trying to put our best foot forward. The Manitoba Chapter of the Opticians Association of Canada is no exception. Good communication is an essential ingredient for providing the best quality of health care and patient safety. It has long been my belief that communication is essential at every level. As Licensed Opticians, our communication with our patients/clients must be attentive and kind, as well as clear and factual.
We feel the same principle must be applied to the MB Chapter of the OAC. Communication with the OOM and other Provincial Associations is important to delivering services to Manitoba Opticians. The 2020 Education Day will be held on September 20, 2020 at the Centro Caboto Center. We are looking forward to a day of networking and learning. Maintenance of competencies (MOCs) are important in all areas of Health Care. This year we offer you options. The OAC on line library is available with membership. There are no limits or restrictions to the number that you can choose. There is also the annual webinar, for those who like to learn in the comfort of their own place. We will also offer an extended viewing of the MB education day on line. We want to be able to provide a solution that will work for many, not just a few.
We will also be helping facilitate the Annual Teddy Bear Picnic on May 31st, 2020. Any Opticians interested in the volunteering at the event are encouraged to contact the OAC office 1.800.847.3155 Ext 208. It is a fun and rewarding experience.
It is essential that everyone working in vision care plays a role in the lives of people using its services. Attitudes and behaviour can make a profound difference. Let’s make 2020 the year of consideration and connection. All my best to you and yours.
IOA SUMMIT UPDATE
Have you booked your place for the International Opticians Association Summit yet? The event which takes place in Bangkok in June 2020 is shaping up to be the biggest and best event from the IOA yet. With a sparkling roster of speakers and more delegates than ever before, you could join opticians from around the globe for a week of education and debate about current and future issues in optics. Continue reading...
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR NEW MEMBER BENEFIT: FREE AND UNLIMITED ONLINE CE
Available 24/7, all year, the OAC online CE library is perfect for finalizing your continuing education requirements. Log in onto our Member Portal and start learning today.
NEW ONLINE CE AVAILABLE
Binocular Harmonization Technology (Video) Learn what anisometropia is and how it affects vision and how the brain processes the information. This will also outline how prism and progressives with anisometropia can be challenging as well. NACOR #110.406: 1 EG | CCP: 6.2, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2 COO# 3712: 1EG | OODQ: 1 PNC
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