SEATTLE—Final details are being put into place for the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) 118th Annual Congress and the American Optometric Student Association’s (AOSA) 45th Annual Conference, Optometry’s Meeting, which will get underway here next week at the Washington State Convention Center, June 24 to 27, with a series of leadership events, continuing education and workshops, special honors and exhibits.

Attendees will hear keynote speaker, former Navy SEAL, Robert J. O’Neill, during the Johnson & Johnson Vision Care-sponsored opening general session. Stand-up comedian Sinbad will headline the Hoya-sponsored Celebration of Optometry on Saturday night while performance painter Brian Olsen colors the stage with his unique twist on speed painting.

New and expanded education opportunities will includes five days of more than 200 hours of continuing education (CE), also features seven hands-on OD workshops, four optometric workshops, and the “OD Crossfire Series” interactive track featuring audience response technology. Another new CE event, the “OD Talks” session was inspired by TED-style talks and will outline the future of the profession.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) and Optometry Cares-The AOA Foundation have selected three AOA member doctors of optometry into the National Optometry Hall of Fame who will be honored at a ceremony and reception on June 25, at 7 p.m. This reception is supported by the Georgia Optometric Association, the Oregon Optomeric Physicians Association and the Texas Optometric Association. Since 1998, the National Optometry Hall of Fame, administered by Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation, has recognized and honored optometrists who have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the optometric profession. As VMail has reported, among the 2015 inductees are: Paul C. Ajamian, OD, of Georgia, Kenji Hamada, OD, of Oregon and Earl L. Smith III, OD, Ph.D, of Texas.

The AOA Foundation will also celebrate the 10th Anniversary of its InfantSEE on Friday, June 26 at 1:00 p.m. The InfantSEE program is designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an important part of children’s wellness. The program, which provides well-baby eye assessments for children under the age of one year at no cost, has seen nearly 120,000 babies to date. Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and Allergan, two companies who have helped shape the InfantSEE program, will be sponsoring this anniversary celebration, to which all registered meeting attendees are welcome.

The AOA House of Delegates will hold its public sessions on Thursday and Saturday. On Friday, the AOA Board of Trustees will again host an open “Colleague to Colleague” gathering focused on both the day-to day concerns as well as the future plans of AOA member doctors and attendees are also invited on Friday to “A Conversation with the AOA Board.”

The Varilux Optometry Student Bowl XXIV, in which 23 optometry schools will test their knowledge of optometry to compete for a $1,000 prize and coveted crystal trophy, will take on a new dimension as Optometry Cares-The AOA Foundation, along with The Vision Council, The American Optometric Student Association and Essilor of America will be aiming to make history this year by breaking a Guinness World Record for “the most people wearing sunglasses in the dark.”

The event will be held Thursday, June 25, during the Bowl, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The Guinness World Record attempt will take place from 8:45 to 9:00 p.m., between the contest’s final round of trivia at the student bowl and the announcement of a winner. The number to beat, according to organizers, is 1,675. Sunglasses, to be provided by The Vision Council, will be available on location. Official results will be received four to six weeks after Optometry’s Meeting. “We are holding this event, in part, to celebrate ‘National Sunglasses Day,’ June 27, and to bring awareness to the dangers of UV light on the visual system,” said Mike Daley, CEO of The Vision Council and board member of Optometry Cares.

Other events at the meeting include the Signet Armorlite-sponsored “Taste of Seattle Experience” that will offer a culinary tour of the Emerald City. On Saturday morning, Optometry Cares 5K Run/Walk will raise money for the AOA Foundation. Sponsored by The Vision Council and Transitions, the race route runs along the shoreline of Lake Washington in Warren G. Magnuson Park. Registration is required. The race is Saturday, June 27, and begins at 6:00 a.m. Shuttles will be available to pick up participants at 5:15 a.m. in front of the Washington State Convention Center.