Outgoing Academy president Rick Weisbarth, OD (l), of CIBA Vision, and optometric educator Jim Sheedy, OD, chat during the Academy meeting.

ANAHEIM, Calif.—More than 4,300 leaders in optometry and vision science attended last month’s annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry, Academy 2008, held here Oct. 22 through Oct. 25. Those numbers made this year’s event the top annual meeting in terms of attendance in Academy history, according to event organizers; last year’s meeting in Tampa, Fla., drew an attendance of about 4,000.

Nearly 300 hours of COPE-approved continuing education were available throughout the four-day event. Educational opportunities included the annual plenary session, “Today’s Research, Tomorrow’s Practice: How Does the Future Affect Today?”, sponsored by Bausch & Lomb, as well as a joint AAO/Optometric Glaucoma Society symposium on the pathogenic mechanisms of glaucoma, and a joint ARVO/AAO symposium, sponsored by the Vision Science Section, on “Assessing the Structure and Function of the Visual System Using Novel Imaging Technologies.”

The Academy also elected new officers and board members during its annual business meeting Oct. 24. Elected president was Mark W. Eger, OD, who succeeded Rick Weisbarth, OD; Weisbarth became immediate past president. The Academy’s new president-elect is Karla Zadnik, OD; elected secretary-treasurer was Bernard J. Dolan, OD. New Academy board members are Brett G. Bence, OD; Barbara Caffery, OD; Timothy T. McMahon, OD; and Joseph P. Shovlin, OD.

In this year’s largest-ever exhibit hall, more than 300 booths representing more than 170 companies exhibited the latest technology, pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, equipment and educational tools from Wednesday through Friday.

On Saturday, the American Optometric Foundation (AOF) held its annual AOF luncheon and silent auction, celebrating the 2008-2009 AOF Ezell Fellowship winners and other award winners and leading contributors, and offering an opportunity to contribute to the AOF and the future of optometric education and research.

Among the key networking events at the Academy meeting were the Australia Party, benefiting Optometry Giving Sight (OGS), on Friday, Oct. 24. Also during the meeting, a partnership between OGS and Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) was announced by Brien Holden, OD, and Larry Hookway, OD. They noted that OGS has given $75,000 to VOSH missions around the world, and will continue to fund VOSH efforts to create sustainable eyecare clinics in third-world countries.

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During the annual President’s Banquet on Saturday, Oct. 25, the Academy formally recognized the Class of 2008 Fellows, along with the newest group of Diplomates. The banquet also featured a live auction.  ■ —Review of Optometry