Vision Organizations Network at Total Ophthalmic Community Meeting
Alexandria, VA (January 9, 2009) – Leading ophthalmic organizations came together last month at the 34th annual Total Ophthalmic Community (TOC) meeting. Held December 4-5, 2008, at the Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, Va., the two day event allowed members from across the vision care industry to share their achievements from 2008 and their proposed goals for 2009, as well as take advantage of valuable networking opportunities.

In addition to the optical industry presentations, attendees also heard from keynote speaker Dr. Dan Crippen, former head of the Congressional Budget Office. Dr. Crippen spoke about the new presidential administration and Congress and how they will affect health care reform in America.

“Attending the TOC meeting this year proved to be very valuable. Not only did I hear from others in the optical community about their plans to promote vision health, but we also were provided with an enlightening view on healthcare policy and systems from Dr. Crippen,” said Aspasia Shappet, vice president for provider relations for the National Association of Vision Care Plans.

Meeting attendees represented the following organizations: American Academy of Ophthalmology, Foundation for the Blind, American Optometric Association, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Gift of Sight Foundation, Lighthouse International, National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, National Academy of Opticianry, National Association of Optometrists and Opticians, National Association of Vision Care Plans, Optical Laboratories Association, Optometric Extension Program Foundation, Prevent Blindness America, Southern Council of Optometrists International and The Vision Council.

This year’s TOC meeting was planned by the newly formed TOC Steering Committee, a group consisting of representatives from various attending organizations. In its first year, the input provided by the TOC Steering Committee was influential in developing a substantial and participatory meeting. According to steering committee member Bob Dziuban, executive director of the Optical Laboratories Association, “We are really happy with the way the meeting turned out this year, with so much participation and an excellent keynote speaker. Our success this year reinforces the value of the TOC meeting; each vision organization can see itself in the entire spectrum of vision organizations and from that opportunities for collaboration always emerge. We are excited about the future direction of the meeting.”