LONDON—The 14th annual conference of the European Academy of Optometry and Optics (EAOO), co-organized by the EAOO and the Polish Optometric Association - Polskie Towarzystwo Optometrii i Optyki (PTOO) have announced the list of keynote speakers for the 2023 EAOO Conference. The European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO) spring meeting will be held alongside the Academy event starting from May 11. Organizers say ECOO is going to be the largest professional gathering for optometry and optics in Europe in 2023.

The European Academy of Optometry and Optics (EAOO) is a membership organization that provides a much-needed voice to help advance optometry and optics, develop the scientific knowledge base and support and promote lifelong learning for optometrists, opticians, vision scientists and all those involved in eye health care across Europe.

The Polish Optometric Association (PTOO), the local organizer of EAOO 2023 in Poland, is a membership organization that has been operating since 1994. Its aims are, among others, the continuous improvement of professional qualifications of Polish optometrists and opticians, developing standards and spreading professional ethics among specialists in Poland.

 
Professor Kovin Naidoo, global head of advocacy and partnerships, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and former CEO, Brien Holden Vision Institute, is an optometrist, academic and an internationally celebrated public health leader. His professional life has been dedicated to delivering eyecare to people in need.

“The ‘changing world’ requires the eyecare sector to be both receptive and responsive. I am thrilled to join the EAOO 2023 and delve into global challenges and opportunities to inspire collective action at scale,” said Naidoo.

His keynote lecture will be, “Eyecare in the Changing World: Scaling Up for Impact” and at a later panel discussion titled, “Eyecare in the Changing World: Harnessing our Collective Response.” He will be joined by Matt Jaskulski, PhD, clinical research software developer at the Indiana University Clinical Optics Research Lab (IU CORL) directed by Dr. Pete Kollbaum.

Jaskulski is co-founder and CEO, VisionApp Solutions S.L., a startup dedicated to developing innovative software technologies for vision science and myopia research.

“I am humbled by the invitation to share insights about new technologies in teleoptometry and to present recent clinical evaluations of new myopia control spectacle lenses,” said Jaskulski whose keynote lecture will be “Innovative Enabling Technologies in Optics, Optometry and Vision Science.” During the regular program he will present, “Optical Performance of Advanced Ophthalmic Lenses for Myopia Control” which will be focused on evaluations by IU CORL of the new Hoya MiYOSMART and Essilor Stelles spectacle lenses.

A keynote presentation will also be given by Greg Caldwell, OD, FAAO, clinical and education consultant who served on the AOA Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2016 and is the former president of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association.

Caldwell’s primary focus is the diagnosis and management of anterior and posterior segment ocular disease, and he has been a participant in multiple FDA investigations and trials. He has integrated nutrition, prevention, and wellness into his patient care and is co-founder of Optometric Education Consultants and co-administrator of OCT Connect. His keynote presentation will include “New Technologies for Macular Degeneration Management,” and explore other topics including, “Thyroid and Eye Disease” and “Nutrition and the Eye.”

“The EAOO 2023 conference provides an unmatched opportunity to share my passion for integrative optometry with this audience of practitioners dedicated to continued learning,” said Caldwell.

Finally, Joseph J. Pizzimenti, OD, FAAO and professor at the Rosenberg School of Optometry at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, will give his keynote address on “Clinical Optometry” and a later presentation on “Humanitarian Eyecare Projects.”

He is the former president of the Optometric Retina Society (ORS). Pizzimenti’s teaching and research interests include oculo-systemic disease, age-related macular degeneration, vitreomacular adhesion, and clinical applications of multimodal ophthalmic imaging. “I am thrilled to join the EAOO 2023, especially in the city of Poznan, where I was teaching and evaluating optometric education programs for Central Europe at the time of my fellowship appointment with the World Council of Optometry,” said Pizzimenti.

The symposium will also feature a number of educational and networking opportunities, including:

  • Joint symposium with the American Academy of Optometry

  • Clinical workshops at the Poznań University of Medical Science (PUMS) and Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM)

  • Paediatrics & Binocular Vision and Technology Rapid Fire Sessions

  • Digital, Clinical, and Humanitarian Optometry

  • Education in Optometry and Optics

  • Contact Lenses and Ophthalmic Optics

  • Myopia Management

  • Exhibition and networking facilities
Register now for the EAOO 2023 conference at www.eaoo2023.com.