NEW YORK—International Vision Expo & Conference has made additions to its learning formats and expanded content for all eyecare professionals planning to attend Vision Expo East. The robust, diverse curriculum, will offer fresh opportunities to sharpen skills and advance knowledge, according to show organizers. Highlights include:

Three new education tracks will offer content via condensed formats, allowing on-the-go attendees to absorb information quickly and helping them maximize their time at the conference.

• Lightning Rounds, a rapid-fire “speed-dating” format that will deliver five unique perspectives on a single topic in one class.

• Crash Courses, COPE-approved 30-minute sessions on multiple topics including innovations in retinal treatment, current uses of amniotic membranes, Google Contact Lenses, an update on acanthamoeba, new perspectives on glanglion cell complex analysis, and ocular emergencies in college students.

• Vision Series, focusing on new clinical innovations in a relaxed, yet professional and collaborative atmosphere where attendees can enjoy complimentary food or beverages without sacrificing an opportunity to learn.

Vision Expo’s Business Solutions Track will also be expanded to include more than 100 hours of curriculum organized around five key areas of focus to address the core business needs of attendees: Leadership, Customer Experience, Human Resources, Big Data, and Profitability & Growth. Highlights will include a sneak peek of the year’s upcoming frame styles (and tips for matching customers’ fashion style with their eyewear) as well as an expert Frame Buyers Panel to share perspectives on buying for everything from boutiques and small chains to optometric and ophthalmology dispensaries.

The Dispensing Essentials Track, new for Vision Expo East, will offer an opportunity to cross-train the entire optical team through 11 hours of foundational courses covering the four core competencies of a successful and multifaceted optician: Clinical, Technical, Fashion, and Sales. Course highlights include The New Rules of Selling in Eyecare and Eye Diseases Opticians and Technicians Should Know About.

The new Corcoran Coding Academy will teach attendees how to maximize revenues through documentation and coding, which includes valuable take-home reference materials.

Vision Expo’s popular Global Contact Lens Forum will feature a new format that provides direct access to the program’s thought leaders and their perspectives on the future of the contact lens practice. The popular program will also debut an all-new session dedicated to the patient perspective.

With over 350 hours of education from which to choose, Mark Dunbar, OD, FAAO co-chair of the Conference Advisory Board admits that it can be challenging to narrow down selections. Dunbar, along with co-chair Ben Gaddie, OD, FAAO, has created the Chairman’s Top Picks, 13 hours of education hand picked by the co-chairmen as classes to consider attending (see page 18).

Speaking about the enhanced curriculum at the meeting that marks Vision Expo East’s 30th anniversary, Dunbar said, “For decades, the progress of the profession has been shaped by the knowledge shared at Vision Expo. The curriculum not only shines a light on advances in eyecare, but also builds on shared ideas and continues to grow our community of visionaries. Attendees will leave with the knowledge, confidence and energy to move their careers, practice and the profession forward.”

Registration for the 30th International Vision Expo East is open. To learn more, visit www.VisionExpo.com.