The American Academy of Optometry and World Council of Optometry’s joint meeting, Academy 2019 Orlando and the 3rd World Congress of Optometry, will take place October 23- 27, 2019 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Registration and housing are now open and early bird registration ends August 23, 2019.

This meeting will feature over 450 hours of CE, and an extra day of CE has been added on Sunday, October 27. The meeting will offer a wide array of clinically relevant CE courses and cutting-edge research in the clinical and vision sciences. Attendees can choose from lectures and workshops, 12 Section and Special Interest Group (SIG) symposia, hundreds of scientific papers and posters, and several memorable social events.

This year’s Plenary Session from 10 AM – 12 Noon on Wednesday, October 23 is titled, “Today’s Research, Tomorrow’s Practice®: WHO World Report on Vision: Opportunities for Optometry to Make an Impact,” and will discuss the World Report on Vision on the distribution of eye disease and blindness across the globe and the disease burden these eye conditions pose on nations and regions. Additionally, the human resource requirements of eye care providers needed to address this public health crisis will be covered.

The Monroe J. Hirsch Research Symposium is titled, “Gene Therapy for Ocular and Neurologic Disorders.” Contemporary issues in gene therapy will be discussed including Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, animal models of glaucoma, and Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.

Another not-to-be-missed event is the fifth joint symposium of the Academy and the American Academy of Ophthalmology titled, “Addressing the Global Myopia Burden.”

Ezell Fellows Present is a symposium where three investigators at different stages of their careers, who were supported early on through the Foundation’s Ezell Fellowships, present their research. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the symposium and is titled, “Public Health / Epidemiology Potpourri.” Included in this session will be discussions on anterior segment infectious eye disease and US national health datasets used to assess vision impairment.

The Global Summit on Optometric Education, co-sponsored by the World Council of Optometry, American Academy of Optometry, and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, will provide educators from optometric educational programs from around the globe the opportunity to share education philosophies/teaching methods and to discuss challenges facing institutions.

This year’s exhibit hall will be world class with more than 150 booths displaying the latest products and technology. Attendees will be able to take advantage of extended learning in Vision Theater session presentations by exhibitors, and Industry Innovations: Lunch + Learn sessions on Wednesday, October 23.

The Academy 2019 Orlando and 3rd World Congress of Optometry Program Preview provides an overview of the exciting events and CE that will be offered.

For more information, visit www.aaopt.org/2019 or www.worldcongressofoptometry.org.

Click HERE for the full press release.