AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: FACTS & ASSISTIVE AIDS By Optelec
Age-related Macular Degeneration, AMD, is one of the most common eye diseases in older adults and is reported in 1.5 million Canadians. Sight loss caused by macular degeneration and other eye conditions affect almost 19% of the population in Canada. (CNIB) Since AMD can begin almost undetected regular check-ups by an eye care professional are especially important to catch this disease early and start treatments to preserve as much usable vision as possible.Continue Reading...
COVID-19: BE READY FOR RE-OPENING!
Follow your provincial guidelines and your own professional judgment to manage patient care. Click on your province to access the information.
If you practice in a province where guidelines haven't been published yet, the OAC provides you with recommendations: CLICK HERE
TELL EVERYBODY YOU ARE BACK OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
Marketing4ecps created 11 digital marketing campaigns to help practices & optical stores announce they are back open for business.
There are social posts, videos and email blasts. They are all FREE and available for download HERE.
ONTARIO: PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT AND REMOTE PRACTICE
The College of Opticians of Ontario (COO) has recently updated its Standards of Practice to adapt opticianry practice to new technology and realities. Opticians from Ontario can now use professional judgment to engage in remote practice, including, where appropriate:
Delivering prescription eyeglasses to a patient prior to fitting/adapting
Remote delivery of contact lens refills for established contact lens patients
Communicating via telephone, email, video conference, etc.
Delivery of finished eyewear via mail/courier
Arranging a pickup by someone other than the patient (e.g. family, friend)
These changes will allow greater flexibility, convenience and accuracy for both patients and Opticians.
Regardless of practice methods and whether or not remote practice is used, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and subnormal vision devices cannot be dispensed in the absence of a patient-practitioner relationship. Opticians must continue to take responsibility for all dispensing steps, exercising professional judgment in the patient's best interests at all times.
Learn more about professional judgment by watching one of our latest CE presentations available on the OAC Member Portal: “ Professional Judgement and Ethical Decision Making”, Presented by Cathi Mietkiewicz NACOR #110.436: 1 RF | COO #3798: 1 PG To receive credits, you must watch the video and pass the quiz available on the OAC Member portal.
EYEPLOYMENT.COM OFFERS FREE CAREER PLANNING TOOL TO OPTICAL INDUSTRY
Eyeployment.com, is offering a FREE Career Planning Tool to industry associates and optical and optometry students effective immediately. The COVID-19 industry disruption provides an opportunity to reflect, assess and plan for the future. The Eyeployment Career Planning Tool provides an online self-assessment questionnaire that uncovers the personal make up of individuals and points them towards specific career opportunities most suited to the person’s basic makeup. Click Here to START.
The online survey takes about 20 mins to complete and the resultant and fully confidential Career Planning Report is immediately generated and emailed to you. ( Click Here to View a Sample Report)
The optical industry provides a rich and varied source of opportunities that job seekers may not have considered. While many Opticianry and Optometry graduates may aspire to own an independent practice one day, their deep personality traits may point them in different directions for the fullest job satisfaction.
The Eyeployment Career Planner assesses individuals on 25 personality attributes and matches these, through a “Job Fit” algorithm against the requirements of specific jobs within our industry. The report provides a ranking of jobs that best match to the individual’s characteristics and points them toward a career that will be the most rewarding and least stressful. Don’t wait. Chart your own path starting with Eyeployment.com.
NACOR EXAM POSTPONEMENT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all national examinations scheduled in May and June of 2020 have been POSTPONED.
The OAC was happy to give a donation that will provide over 125 meals to those in need at Siloam Mission. " Caring also needs to be contagious. That’s the only way we’ll stand a chance of keeping our most vulnerable safe." - Jim Bell, CEO of Siloam Mission
THE OPTICAL GROUP IS OFFERING A FREE MODULE TO ALL CANADIAN OPTICIANS “An Introduction to Online Analytics and How It Can Help Grow Your Optical Business" 1 PG Credit (Ontario) or 2 RF (BC/AB/SK/MB/NB/NS/NL) | 1 RF (PE)
Analytics have grown into a necessary component of building an online presence for your business. Analytics allow you to view the success of your pages and posts, and this data can be used to direct your online presence and posts. This guide will show you how to use this data and grow your business with it. http://theopticalgroup.ca/education-menu/
We are here for you: Education, COVID Resources and more
THE DRY EYE OPPORTUNITY
In-office procedures are becoming the fastest growing segment in dry eye treatment - with nearly 8 out of 10 eye care professionals considering dry eye treatment as an opportunity to grow their practice.
Over 6 million people in Canada suffer from dry eye. 86% of dry eye patients have signs of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).
MGD is a chronic disease with symptoms of dryness, irritation, itchiness, blurred vision and watery eyes, and to date, has no permanent cure.
ALCON introduces iLUX, an MGD treatment device that incorporates the innovative smart tip patient interface and targets blocked meibomian glands that require expression.
INSIDE OPTICS LIVE WEBCAST 2020 RETURNS... This time, in the OAC CE library
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of Inside Optics 2020 which is usually held in Ontario, the Ontario Opticians Association partnered with the Opticians Association of Canada to virtually bring Inside Optics to opticians across Canada.
We would like to thank all our attendees for their support as we would have never imagined reaching our capacity of a thousand and even overflow. As always, we didn't leave anybody behind and all registrants were given the opportunity to watch the presentations and complete their CE. " On the Day of the Webinar, I was unable to log on as the webcast said it was full to capacity. I had preregistered and thought I was guaranteed a spot to participate. Frustration kicked in. I reached out to the facilitator. After hearing my fate, they totally understood my disappointment. To my satisfaction, they promptly offered a solution by giving me an opportunity to watch the full presentation via on demand video. A special shout out to the Association for delivering so I can attain my CE Credits. Thank you."
Inside Optics Live Webcast presentations are now available to OAC members via the OAC CE library.Please note that accreditation information is added when received.LOG IN
MAKE YOUR PRACTICE VISIBLE ONLINE – FREE WEBINARS
Marketing4ECP’s offers a series of 8 live digital marketing webinars that provide tangible training, tips, and tricks on how to understand, implement, and analyze digital marketing for eye care businesses. Experts are leading the talks, in a conversational style with a presentation. They are all 60 minutes long and include the following topics:
Build Your Social Media Post COVID 19 (recording available)
Build Your YouTube Channel Like a Legend (recording available)
What Makes a Great Practice Website (recording available)
SEO for Eye Care Businesses (recording available)
Create Promotions that Actually Bring People IN (recording available)
Branding Beyond Your Logo - Watch it live on May 13th | 2:00pm EST
Become a Local Thought Leader - Watch it live on May 20th | 2:00pm EST
Google Advertising in 2020: Achieve a 10X ROI - Watch it live on May 27th | 2:00pm EST
If you wish to unsubscribe from these emails, click here to login to the Member Portal and change your communication preferences, call 1.800.847.3155 or email canada@opticians.ca
