LAS VEGAS—International Vision Expo West has kicked off with projected attendance numbers over that of 2015 as well as sold-out education sessions throughout the opening day of the Conference program.

“Many people may not know that Vision Expo West starts well before the exhibit hall opens, with an extraordinary scope of education sessions and industry meetings beginning as early as Monday,” said Ashley Mills, The Vision Council’s vice president of trade shows and meetings.

“ECPs have reported that they’re finding a huge amount of value in the Vision Expo West education sessions, with innovations and advances that they can directly implement in their patient care,” said Tom Loughran, Reed Exhibitions industry vice president. “Our opening day of education included 12 hours of business solutions, 27 hours of clinical application, eight hours of contact lens sessions and eight hours dedicated to optical technology—with many of the sessions entirely sold out.”

The sold out Global Contact Lens Forum proved yet again to be an attendee highlight, this year offering attendees a new format for increased access to thought leaders in the field. Also sold out was the Ocular Surface Disease and Wellness Symposium, providing attendees with expertise in recognizing dry eye diseases to expand the quality and consistency of patient care. The new Scleral Lens Track—a comprehensive discussion of fitting and evaluation of scleral contact lenses—has received early praise from attendees as a welcomed addition to the education offerings.

This year, for the first time, Vision Expo live-streamed the OD's on Facebook Clinical Tales from the Trenches session, taking the conversation "live" and allowing attendees to share clinical cases, business best practices and social media pearls with their peers.

In addition to the education sessions, this year’s Vision Expo West plays host to over 65 events and parties. Launching the show on Tuesday and Wednesday were Cohen's Fashion Optical Annual Convention & Welcome Cocktail Hour and the Optical Lab Hall of Fame Banquet as well as the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) event. As the show gets underway, attendees will find many more exclusive opportunities throughout Vision Expo West.

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