MONTGOMERY, Ala.—The Society to Advance Opticianry (SAO) voted at its June meeting to name Thomas Blair Jr., OO, as the 2015 Ophthalmic Optician of the Year. Blair was chosen for his high level of service to the opticianry profession and to his patients for more than 20 years.

To qualify for the honor, an optician must be a current member of the SAO in the year they are being considered, must advance opticianry through promotion of higher education, and certification levels for opticians, and must not be a current officer or board member of the SAO during the year they are being considered for this honor.

Blair earned a master’s degree in ophthalmic optics from the American Board of Opticianry in 1995. As an adjunct instructor at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, he has helped many students to succeed. He is a former member of Georgia’s State Dispensing Board, a member of the Opticians Association of Georgia, and a national ambassador for opticianry. He is currently licensed to practice in Georgia, Florida and New Jersey.

SAO invites all opticians to celebrate Blair’s honor by joining them at their booth at the OptiCon meeting in Nashville, Tenn. on Sept. 26, 2015.

The Society to Advance Opticianry is a credentialing organization which promotes higher education and certification levels for opticians, and provides mentoring services to its candidate members working toward membership. Additional information is available on the new SAO website, www.ophthalmicoptician.org.