Volume 9, Issue 13│April 4, 2025 | | | |
IOA member Tracy Matchinski, OD was the recipient of the AOA Dr. Jerry P. Davidoff Vision Care Award. This award is given annually to a doctor of optometry who is active in a clinical vision rehabilitation practice and is committed to giving back to optometry through education.
Congratulations Dr. Matchinski! 🎉
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Congratulations to IOA member Samuel Forzley, OD, on being elected to the Lemont Village Board! He will be serving as the new Village Trustee.
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Mark your calendar for the 2025 IOA Annual Meeting held at the Renaissance Convention Center Hotel in Schaumburg on September 25-28, 2025. The meeting will kick off with the Annual Golf Classic and Gray Cup on Thursday, September 25 followed by three days of CE on September 26-28 where doctors may earn up to 18 hours of TQ CE.
This gathering serves as a platform for professionals to come together, exchange knowledge, and foster meaningful connections within the industry.
Registration will open in July, offering you the opportunity to join us for an enriching experience filled with insightful discussions, innovative ideas, and networking opportunities. We look forward to welcoming you!
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Now Accepting Nominations for 2025 OD & Young OD of the Year Awards
Do you know an outstanding optometrist who should be recognized for their efforts in the field of optometry? Consider nominating them for the 2025 Optometrist of the Year or Young Optometrist of the Year awards. The Optometrist of the Year award recognizes an individual for performance of outstanding services on behalf of the profession and to the visual welfare of the public. The Young Optometrist of the Year award recognizes an optometrist who, within their first decade of practice, has shown leadership skills when serving their profession, their patients, and their community.
A nomination may be made by a member in good standing or by a society. Nominees must be current members of the IOA. Nominations for each award should be submitted online via the links below. A head and shoulders photograph must be included with the nomination. Nominations must be submitted by July 31, 2025.
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ELIGIBILITY FOR OPTOMETRIST OF THE YEAR
- Any member in good standing who has been practicing for 11 years or more.
- Cannot be a current member of the Board of Directors or a Past President of the Association that has served in the last 5 years.
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ELIGIBILITY FOR YOUNG OPTOMETRIST OF THE YEAR
- The nominee must be a member in good standing and be in active optometric practice 10 years or less (including residency or fellowship).
- Cannot be a current member of the Board of Directors.
| | Now Accepting Student and Paraoptometric of the Year Nominations | | |
The IOA recognizes a student entering their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year of Optometry School who shows leadership skills when serving their profession and their community, as well as earning academic achievements. Students may nominate themselves or another student.
The Student of the Year will be awarded a $2,000 grant to be used at the winner's discretion and will be recognized at the IOA Annual Meeting.
Nominations are due by July 31, 2025.
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The IOA Paraoptometric of the Year Award recognizes a deserving individual paraoptometric who has made outstanding contributions to the profession of optometry, patients, and the public. This individual must be employed by an IOA member doctor.
A paraoptometric is one who works under the direct supervision of a licensed doctor of optometry, collects patient data, administers routine and technical tests of patient’s visual capabilities, and assists in office management. A paraoptometric may assist the doctor in providing patient care, examination and treatment services, including, but not limited to, contact lenses, low vision, vision therapy, ophthalmic dispensing, and office management.
The Para of the Year will be awarded free registration to the IOA Annual Meeting and will be recognized at the IOA Annual Meeting.
Nominations are due July 31, 2025.
| | Ramadan came to a close last week, marking a month of daily fasting from dawn to sunset for Muslims worldwide. To celebrate and break their fast together, ICO’s MOSA hosted a special iftar, bringing students together for a shared meal and a moment of community in the final few days of the holy month. | | |
First-year optometry student Luke Pellegrino builds on passion for working with low-vision patients by raising a puppy for Dogs Inc
UMSL Daily | By Heather Riske
March 31, 2025
For the past two months, Luke Pellegrino has had a new companion tagging along for his classes in the College of Optometry at the University of Missouri–St. Louis: a six-month-old black lab puppy named Electra. Pellegrino, a first-year optometry student, is currently volunteering as Electra’s puppy raiser through the nonprofit Dogs Inc.
Pellegrino has known he wanted to pursue a career as an optometrist since his senior year of high school. While working with low-vision patients at Dream Oaks Camp, a camp in southwest Florida for children with varying ability levels and chronic and terminal medical conditions, he learned firsthand of the significant need for guide dogs for those with vision loss. In particular, Pellegrino worked closely with one 9-year-old camper with optic nerve hypoplasia who could only see a few inches in front of his face.
On the last day of camp, he spoke with the camper’s mother, who expressed concern about how her son would navigate high school a few years down the line. While she knew her son would benefit immensely from a guide dog, she noted that the cost can be exponential – often stretching upwards of $50,000. Instantly, Pellegrino knew he wanted to find a way to help.
“I thought, ‘That’s really interesting,’’ he remembered. “That sounds right up my alley. I love dogs, and I love optometry, and I love working in low vision. And after working with those kids, I was like, ‘This is my career path.’ I really just stuck with it. I told myself, ‘I want to go to optometry school, I want to graduate and I want to get a residency in low vision.’ One day, I want to start my own guide dog clinic, and I want to be able to help my patients match with guide dogs.”
Pellegrino began researching different organizations, seeking a nonprofit that could help get guide and service dogs to the people who really need them. Last December, he was connected with Dogs Inc, which trains guide dogs for teens, adults and veterans with vision loss as well as service dogs and skilled companion dogs. Unlike many other organizations, Dogs Inc is able to provide guide and service dogs, as well as additional services like online and in-person training, lifetime alumni support, dog food and preventative veterinary care, at no cost to recipients.
Earlier this year, Pellegrino welcomed Electra, who had already spent a few months with a volunteer raiser in Texas, into his home. Initially, he was nervous – he’s never had a dog before – and he didn’t want Electra to be a distraction for his classmates in the College of Optometry.
Quickly, though, Pellegrino and Electra found their groove. Electra’s previous raiser had trained her well – though she’s still a puppy, she’s incredibly well-behaved and knows when it’s time to work and when it’s time to play. The pair quickly bonded as Pellegrino began teaching Electra basic cues and exposing her to new environments. He brings Electra with him to classes in the College of Optometry to get her acclimated to a school setting and while riding the MetroLink to classes to get her used to public transportation. They’re working on learning cues such as switching sides when doors open, ignoring distractions and settling close next to Pellegrino in crowded classrooms or train cars.
“These individuals with vision loss are going to be taking these dogs to restaurants, movies and all that, and they need to be able to settle right underneath their feet,” he said. “I’ve only had her for a few months, and I love it so much. I really know that this is what I want to do.”
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According to Dogs Inc, Pellegrino is the first optometry student to raise a puppy for the organization, and they’ve been extremely impressed with his work. Sandi Alsworth, a senior advisor in puppy raising services at Dogs, Inc., has worked closely with Pellegrino and Electra during weekly Zoom calls and digital trainings. She’s been a dog instructor for nearly 50 years and said Pellegrino has been a model puppy raiser, constantly thinking about ways to expose Electra to new situations and improve her learning.
“He’s very good at articulating his concerns and the dog’s needs and very quick to pick up on what I’m showing and telling him,” Alsworth said. “He’s like the perfect raiser that I got gift-wrapped and handed to me. He really is that talented in what he’s doing as far as his dedication and his thoughtfulness to people around him.”
Pellegrino will continue to raise Electra for the rest of the year, after which she’ll return to Dogs Inc to start advanced on-campus training at the organization’s Canine University, learning skills such as navigating crosswalks, opening doors and finding bathrooms and cars. While challenging, the experience has been incredibly rewarding, and if his schedule permits, he’d be interested in raising another dog after Electra moves on.
Pellegrino recently found out he was awarded a scholarship through the U.S. Navy and Air Force Health Professions Scholarship Program, which will cover his full optometry tuition. After he earns his degree, he’ll be stationed on a naval base for three years practicing optometry, which he sees as a crucial stepping stone toward eventually opening his own low-vision practice and continuing his work with service dogs.
“This is something I want to do for the rest of my life,” he said. “I think it’s the coolest job ever. I can be in health care and I can raise dogs – I can’t think of a better job. It’s very rewarding.”
To learn more about raising a puppy with Dogs Inc, visit the organization’s website.
| | The Eyes on Tomorrow Fund, previously known as the Legislative Equity Fund, is a dedicated resource created by and for optometrists to support the Illinois Optometric Association’s (IOA) state-level advocacy efforts. This fund directly empowers optometry’s fight for scope expansion, the regulation of Vision Benefits Managers (VBMs), and other legislative battles crucial to protecting the profession and ensuring patient care. Unlike political action committees (PACs), this fund is not used to support candidates but instead provides critical resources for advancing optometry in Illinois. | | |
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We want to hear from YOU!
Do you have a business question or a dilemma we can answer for you? Others may have the same inquiry. Ask away! We will answer your question in an upcoming issue.
(Don't worry, we won't include your name.)
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Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
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Report Vision Plan Abuses to the IOA
The IOA recognizes that Vision Care Plan Regulation Act constitutes a significant stride forward for optometry. However, it doesn't signal the conclusion of our efforts to champion fair contracting with vision plans. In the next few years, our members will be renewing and amending their contracts to reflect the changes in the new law. Throughout this process, we will gain valuable insight directly from our members regarding instances of vision plan abuses.
If you encounter vision plan abuses, we ask that you fill out the form below to report abuse. The IOA will collect this information to prevent further vision plan abuses on behalf of our members.
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MEMBER BENEFIT: Merchant Advocate
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RFK Jr.'s Massive Purge of Health Agencies Begins
MedPage Today | By Associated Press
April 1, 2025
Employees across HHS began receiving notices of dismissal Tuesday in an overhaul ultimately expected to lay off up to 10,000 people.
The cuts include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff, and senior leaders, leaving the federal government without many of the key experts who have long guided U.S. decisions on medical research, drug approvals, and other issues.
At the NIH, the world's leading health and medical agency, the layoffs occurred as its new director, Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, began his first day of work. "The revolution begins today!" HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on social media as he celebrated the swearing-in of his latest hires: Bhattacharya and Martin Makary, MD, MPH, the new FDA commissioner. Kennedy's post came just hours after employees began receiving emailed layoff notices.
Kennedy announced a plan last week to remake the department, which, through its agencies, is responsible for tracking health trends and disease outbreaks, conducting and funding medical research, and monitoring the safety of food and medicine, as well as for administering health insurance programs for nearly half the country.
The plan would consolidate agencies that oversee billions of dollars for addiction services and community health centers under a new office called the Administration for a Healthy America.
The layoffs are expected to shrink HHS to 62,000 positions, lopping off nearly a quarter of its staff -- 10,000 jobs through layoffs and another 10,000 workers who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers. Many of the jobs are based in the Washington area, but also in Atlanta, where the CDC is based, and in smaller offices throughout the country.
Two lines with hundreds of employees wrapped around the HHS headquarters building Tuesday morning. Workers waited in the chilly spring weather to be individually scanned in for access to the building. Some said they were waiting to find out if they still had jobs. Others gathered at local coffee shops and lunch spots after being turned away, finding out they had been eliminated after decades of service.
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Stay informed: OSHA Regulations for Optometry
Optometry practices are required to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and its regulations. Some of the regulations specifically address hazards associated with risks in an optometry clinic. Two of these regulations, the bloodborne pathogens standard and the hazard communication standard require optometrists to take measures to reduce the risk of infectious agent exposure and hazardous chemical exposure, respectively.
In news that presumably does not come as a shock, there is a third regulation – the electrical safety standard – that optometrists must comply with to reduce the risk of fire and electrical discharge injury. These three OSHA regulations for optometry are discussed in greater detail in the page below.
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34,000 Contact Lenses Recalled in 15 States and Multiple Countries
The Healthy | By Emily Surpless
March 27, 2025
Your morning routine probably includes washing your face, brushing your teeth—and, for over 197 million Americans, wearing corrective lenses to see the day ahead, says the Vision Council. But some of the 45 million people whom national data suggests wear contacts will want an eye on a recent recall for a product that could compromise vision.
This week, the FDA announced a recall of 33,990 contact lenses that are reportedly labeled under the following U.S. brands: MyDay Toric, LensCrafters One Day Premium Daily Disposable Contact Lenses For Astigmatism, Pearle Vision 1 Day Premium For Astigmatism, REVEAL 1-DAY TORIC, Vision Source Reveal Toric, Voyant 1-Day Premium Toric.
Of the nearly 34,000 contact lenses recalled, 17,010 were distributed in the United States and 16,980 were distributed to 19 countries including Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The internationally distributed products fall under brand names that can be found in the FDA link above. The U.S. states affected by the recall are said to be the following: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
The reason for the recall is listed as “a limited number of lots were manufactured with an incorrect cylinder power.” Cylinder power, which appears as “CYL” on a package of contact lenses, “determines how strong a cylindrical lens must be to correct your astigmatism,”
as explained by EyeCare Associates, an Alabama-based optometry practice. When an individual has an astigmatism, meaning the eye’s cornea or lens has an irregular shape (typically one that’s more oval or football-shaped than round), they require a contact lens that’s cylindrical to properly fit the eye and correct their vision.
If a prescription has incorrect cylinder power, the contact lens will not effectively correct the wearer’s astigmatism. This could then presumably cause blurry or distorted vision, which the Cleveland Clinic says is a common symptom of an astigmatism.
Rochester, NY-based CooperVision, Inc. apparently initiated the recall on February 27 before the FDA classified it this week. The FDA has categorized this as a Class II recall, which they define as involving “products that may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health effects.”
The good news is that this recall wasn’t executed for microbial contamination, which we’ve seen happen for multiple products in the past week. Still, when it comes to driving and many other tasks, not having the vision quality you trust in can be dangerous.
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IDPH Presents: 30 Days of Public Health
IDPH | News Release
March 31, 2025
For a second consecutive year, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will celebrate 30 Days of Public Health throughout the month of April. Governor JB Pritzker helped kick off the month with this video message hailing the state’s “Public Health Heroes.” The observance amounts to an extended National Public Health Week (April 7-13) and coincides with National Minority Health Month. The month-long slate of activities includes an IDPH Job Fair on April 23 and is intended to engage Illinoisans about how they can be healthier and safer in their own lives, and raise awareness about all that public health does to protect us from illness, disease and injury.
“National Public Health Week is always one of the weeks in April, but in Illinois, we’ve started a new tradition: we celebrate public health all month long, because seven days just isn’t enough,” Governor Pritzker said. “When it comes to highlighting all the great things our ‘Public Health Heroes’ accomplish throughout the year, we need all 30 days.”
The month will also shine a light on the purpose of public health departments, their connection to the health care system, and the fulfilling careers available in the field. IDPH will host a Job Fair in Springfield on April 23 that will highlight the great job opportunities in public health, from working in labs to disease surveillance to protecting the public from foodborne illnesses.
“Thirty Days of Public Health is back for Year two, and IDPH is more excited than ever to share stories throughout April of the public health heroes in our communities working to protect your health today and prepare you for tomorrow,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “This year’s celebration comes at a challenging and uncertain time for our public health community with big changes from the federal government affecting Illinois. That is why now more than ever we are working to raise awareness of our critical work. Please join us on our website and many social media channels as you learn how we build healthy and safe communities across Illinois.”
IDPH will be collaborating during the month with local health departments, schools that offer public health curriculums and other public health system partners. Activities will include a daily audio series “Public Health History Minute” and two new episodes of IDPH’s in-house “This is Public Health” podcast. The daily audio features will highlight a major moment in Illinois public health history, from the founding of the first statewide public health agency in 1877 to efforts to combat polio, measles, and the harmful effects of lead exposure.
A centerpiece of the month will be the 2025 Illinois Infectious Disease Conference in Champaign on April 15 & 16 which is dedicated to advancing our understanding and fostering collaboration in the field of infectious diseases. The keynote speakers will include Dr. Tania Bubb, the Senior Director of Infection Prevention & Control at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the 2024 President of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology; Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; and Dr. Brad Nieder, a physician who is nationally known as “The Healthy Humorist” and mixes ample doses of comedy with health-related edification.
There is still time to register for the conference HERE.
Observed every year in April, National Minority Health Month raises awareness about health disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minority populations. IDPH’s Healthy Illinois 2028 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) and State Health Assessment (SHA) include addressing racism as a public health crisis as one of the department’s five key priorities.
Currently, four in ten Illinoisians are from racial and ethnic minority populations. However, disease burdens such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, HIV, substance abuse, infant mortality, and COVID-19 infection and deaths rates remain higher among these populations. In partnership with local health departments and community stakeholders, IDPH continues to work towards eliminating health disparities, accelerating health equity and making Illinois a stronger and healthier state.
Also held in April is Black Maternal Health Week 2025 (April 11-17), which features the theme: “Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy.” Governor Pritzker and IDPH have made it a priority to eliminate longstanding racial disparities in maternal health outcomes through the Governor’s ongoing Birth Equity Initiative.
The daily audio series Public Health History Minute will be available on IDPH’s social media channels. Following are the dates and topics for “This is Public Health: The Podcast,” which will also be available on IDPH’s social media channels as well as Spotify:
- 4/1 Topic: “30 Days of Public Health”
- 4/21 Topic: “Local Public Health Transformation”
IDPH encourages all Illinoisans to participate in 30 Days of Public Health, National Minority Health Month and National Public Health Week. For more information about the observance, click HERE.
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Physician Group Seeks $11.3 Million Surgery Center in Mt. Zion
Health News Illinois | By Ryan Voyles
April 1, 2025
A group of physicians has asked state regulators to approve the construction of a new $11.3 million ambulatory surgery treatment center in Mt. Zion.
In their application to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, the physicians said the site would fill the role of such a facility in the Decatur area, where the closest such surgery center is in Springfield.
The surgery center would include three operating rooms.
“As a result, area patients and surgeons do not have reasonable access to the lower cost and more efficient (surgery center) setting afforded in most parts of the state,” they said in the application.
The group said they had conversations with Decatur Memorial Hospital about potential ownership of the site, which will remain an option in the immediate future.
The review board is set to consider the plan at its August 12 meeting.
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