The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) is aware that the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) has announced a decision to withdraw accreditation from the professional optometric degree program at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry.

Fall meeting registration is now open. Meetings will be held in the Marriott and at the Hilton, which are both connected to the Anaheim Convention Center.

Rachel Childress, CFRE, has joined ASCO’s team as the Director of Development. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Communication and has had a long career in fundraising.

Filmed and produced onsite during the AAO in Boston, ASCO’s new video, “Find Your Future in Optometry” is now available on its YouTube channel.

“This year’s Special Recognition Award winners are extraordinary, and we are pleased to recognize them in this way,” says Dr. Alicia Feis, ASCO Immediate Past-President. “Their contributions to optometry and optometric education cannot be overstated, and we are thrilled to honor them during ASCO’s Annual Business Meeting.”

The Board of Directors of the Association of Optometry Schools and Colleges held its Summer Board and Annual meetings in Phoenix adjacent to Optometry’s Meeting.

Vision in Action: Alcon’s 2025 Social Impact & Sustainability Report

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CooperVision Appoints Dr. Jennifer Palombi to Lead Americas Professional Affairs, Promotes Dr. Felicia Timmermann to Senior Advisor, Myopia Management

 

Visual Field Testing with Fundus-Controlled Perimetry and Retinal Tracking

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Topcon Healthcare Expands Presence at ARVO 2026 with Record Research Activity

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Show Parents and Kids the Benefits of Transitions® Lenses.

VSP Vision Awards Scholarships to Support the Future of Private Practice.

The Ohio State University has selected Jeffrey J. Walline, OD, PhD, as its sixth College of Optometry Dean, effective July 1.

SUNY College of Optometry announces that four members of its community have been recognized with national awards honoring their leadership, service, and contributions to optometry, optometric education, and patient care.

The Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) announces the planned retirement of Stephanie S. Messner, OD, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, effective January 22, 2027, concluding an extraordinary 41-year career dedicated to optometric education, clinical excellence, and academic leadership.

He’s received many accolades over his long and distinguished career. And now Mitchell Scheiman, OD, PhD ‘16, FAAO, FCOVD, can add the “Herbie” to his list of accomplishments.

The Chicago College of Optometry (CCO) at Midwestern University celebrated the graduation of 62 new Doctors of Optometry during its 2026 Commencement Ceremony held May 28 on the University’s Downers Grove Campus.

As president of the Philadelphia County Optometric Society (PCOS), Junean Marshall, OD ‘05, sparked an idea at an early-year board meeting: nominate one of the organization’s rising stars for the prestigious 2026 Young Optometrist of the Year Award, presented annually by the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA).

Jennifer Craig, OD, has been named supervisor of the UAB School of Optometry’s Cornea and Contact Lens residency program.

As a self-described “military brat,” Perry Umlauf, OD ‘87, was exposed to military optometrists when he was a kid. The experiences stuck with him so much that when it was time for him to decide on a career, the optometric profession was something he wanted to pursue.

Primary eye care providers looking for an evidence-based tool to treat amblyopia now have a road map. And an associate professor from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Drexel University played a key role in the research behind the development of the tool.

 

About 15 years ago, Kayla Eshbaugh, OD, Resident ‘26, was visiting her grandfather when he shared with her that half of his vision was black in one eye. He scheduled an appointment with an optometrist who diagnosed him with a retinal detachment.

SUNY College of Optometry announces that a team of faculty researchers led by Xiaoying Zhu, OD, PhD, MD, MS, FAAO, has been awarded a $500,000 Myopia Research Grant from the American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF) and Meta Reality Labs Research to study how children’s everyday visual experiences may contribute to the development and progression of myopia, or nearsightedness.

SUNY College of Optometry announces that it is strengthening its research activity with the arrival of two vision scientists whose work will expand the College’s expertise in areas with significant implications for patient care, public health, and the future of vision science.

Several faculty promotions have been announced, effective July 1, at Southern College of Optometry.

ASCO wrapped up the Low Vision Educators Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting, which was hosted by The Ohio State University College of Optometry, this July. Topics covered on the group’s agenda included subjects such as teaching strategies, new technologies (such as wearables), low vision lessons from the clinic, and the future of AI in low vision research.  

Optics are Everywhere!

Each year the American Academy of Optometry recognizes distinguished individuals who have made countless important contributions to advancing the profession of optometry.  

Latinos en Optometry, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of optometry, supporting culturally mindful eye care, and encouraging more students to consider careers in the profession, announces the appointment of Elizabeth Escobedo, OD, FAAO, FSLS, to its Board of Directors.

In recognition of UV Safety Month, Latinos en Optometry published an article in its Cultural Responsiveness series exploring how eye care professionals can promote year-round UV protection among Hispanic and Latino patients through meaningful, patient-centered conversations.