Volume 9, Issue 25│June 27, 2025

President & Chair Angela Oberreiter carries the Illinois flag during the opening ceremonies of the AOA House of Delegates

IOA Past President Matthew Jones OD, CEO Leigh Ann Vanausdoll, and North Suburban Society President Haris Dzubur catch up in the Exhibit Hall.

Chair-Elect Clint Taylor OD & President & Chair Angela Oberreiter represent Illinois at the Affiliate Connections student event.

World Council of Optometry President Sandra Block, OD, delivers a presentation to AOA members.

Angela Oberreiter OD, Leigh Ann Vanausdoll, Matthew Jones OD, Jon Reid OD, Maya Reid OD, Tim Cundiff OD, Clint Taylor OD, and Brandon Lernor OD enjoy dinner together during Optometry's Meeting.

Special Olympics Opening Eyes 2025

The Special Olympics Opening Eyes program was held last weekend on the ISU campus in Bloomington/Normal, IL. Above are pictures shared by IOA President & Chair Angela Oberreiter, OD.

Give Your Child a Clear Start: Schedule a Back-to-School Eye Exam

River Bender| By Illinois Optometric Association

June 22, 2025

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SPRINGFIELD — As the school year approaches, the Illinois Optometric Association urges families to make comprehensive eye exams a priority on their back-to-school checklist. Vision is a key component of academic success, and undiagnosed vision problems can hinder a child’s ability to read, write, and learn effectively.

According to the American Optometric Association, one in four school-aged children has an undetected vision condition. Unlike basic vision screenings at schools or pediatric offices, comprehensive eye exams with a doctor of optometry can detect a wide range of issues — including focusing problems, eye teaming, depth perception, and eye health concerns — that could otherwise go unnoticed.

“Comprehensive eye exams are necessary to detect problems that a simple vision screening can miss, such as eye coordination, moderate amounts of farsightedness and astigmatism,” says Angela Oberreiter, OD, President & Chair of the Illinois Optometric Association. “Good vision is foundational to learning, and early detection of any issue helps set children up for success in the classroom and beyond.”

Illinois law requires an eye exam for children entering kindergarten or enrolling in a school for the first time in Illinois. These exams help identify conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and binocular vision disorders — all of which can affect learning and behavior in the classroom.

Signs that a child may be experiencing vision problems include:

• Complaints of headaches or eye strain
• Squinting or sitting too close to the board or screen
• Losing place while reading
• Avoiding near work or reading altogether
• Behavioral issues stemming from frustration

Make Eye Health a Priority

Scheduling an eye exam before the school year begins ensures your child starts with clear vision and confidence. Many Illinois optometrists offer flexible appointments throughout the summer, including evening and weekend hours to accommodate busy family schedules. To find an optometrist near you and learn more about children’s vision health, visit https://illinois.aoa.org/find-a-doctor. Let’s give every child the tools they need to succeed — starting with a clear vision for the school year ahead.

Morton Grove Optometrist Points to Patch-Wearing ‘Elio’ in The Disney/Pixar Movie to Focus on Kids’ Eye Health

Morton Grove resident Sandra Block, OD, is using the title character in the Disney/Pixar animated film “Elio,” which was released June 20, 2025, to call attention to children’s eye health. In the film, Elio wears a bright blue eyepatch.

Chicago Tribune | By Myrna Petlicki

June 27, 2025

The new Disney/Pixar film “Elio”— where the youthful title character dons a bright blue eyepatch — has presented a ripe opportunity for a Morton Groove optometry professor and blindness prevention advocate to call attention to children’s eye health.

In the animated film, which debuted in theaters June 20 and took third place at the box office with its $21 million opening, Elio is a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. But he also wears a protective patch after being accidentally poked in the eye.

Morton Grove resident Sandra Block, doctor of optometry, said she appreciates the fact that the film calls attention to eye challenges that children could face.

“The good thing is it’s highlighting that vision is important in daily life,” Block told Pioneer Press. “People don’t think of vision as a problem. This might bring it to the forefront.”

And for kids who may need an eyepatch but refuse to wear it, seeing this fun movie character could help take away the stigma.

Block, who is professor emeritus at the Illinois College of Optometry, president of the World Council of Optometry and emeritus member of the Prevent Blindness Board of Directors, shared her knowledge of eye issues that children can face.

Among them, Block reported that between 2% and 4% of children are diagnosed with amblyopia, more commonly known as lazy eye.

“Many types of amblyopia are not very visible,” Block said.

She said the ones that are obvious can be recognized either when the child is in preschool or by the parent when their child is between 3 and 5 years old, although a large number of them are identified between the ages of birth and 12 months.

Block said some kids with amblyopia are frequently told to wear an eyepatch. They wear it over the healthier eye in an attempt “to get the ‘lazy’ eye to start to use vision more — forcing it to be used when it hasn’t been used for some time,” Block said.

The doctor noted that some children refuse to wear the eyepatch.

But families can draw inspiration from Elio, who is mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader and finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms — wearing a blue eyepatch.

Other issues of concern regarding children’s eye health include nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Block said that a lot of research is being done on these issues and some conclusions have been reached.

“We need to identify it early,” Block said. “We need to get kids outside because the more time they spend outside the better it is. We need to educate the families and the pediatricians to know who’s at risk. And try to keep the screen time down.”

Perhaps Elio can be an inspiration.

MEMBER BENEFIT: Mandated School Eye Exam Resources

Looking for information on Mandated School Eye Exams? The IOA offers valuable resources to help you stay informed. All children enrolling in kindergarten in a public, private, or parochial school and any student enrolling for the first time in a public, private, or parochial school are required to have an eye examination. 

Click the box below to learn more.

7/8: Illinois Valley Optometric Society Meeting

8/26: Southwestern IL Optometric Society

9/25 - 9/28: IOA Annual Meeting

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.

The PAC (Political Action Committee) is a group organized to promote its members' views on selected issues, usually through raising money that is contributed to the campaign funds of candidates who support the group's position to keep our friends in office. Now more than ever, we need strong, principled leaders who will fight for equal rights, and access to essential services —Will you pitch in today to help us protect our profession and the patients we serve?

Contributions to the IOA PAC can be made as a One-Time Donation or as Recurring Monthly Donation and deducted automatically from donor's bank account or charged to their credit card. Selecting to contribute a set amount on a monthly basis is a painless and effortless way to contribute to and support the IOA PAC. Contributions to the IOA PAC fund are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Eye care practitioners should report all violations of the FCLCA, including instances in which contact lens sellers fail to comply with the prescription verification provisions of the law.

Filing a complaint? Use the resources below to get started.

Vision Plans & Insurance Companies:

Dept of Insurance Complaint Submission - How to File a Complaint

Office of the Illinois Attorney General - File a Complaint

Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC:

Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act compliance and safety | AOA

IDFPR:

IDFPR | File a Complaint

Medicaid Managed Care Complaint Portal:

Managed Care Provider Resolution Portal | HFS

AOA Expected To See Female President, President-Elect And Vice President Assume Leadership Roles

According to Women in Optometry  (6/26, Natoli), “For the first time in its more than 100-year history, the American Optometric Association (AOA) is expected to see a female president, president-elect and vice president assume those leadership roles.” Incoming President Jacquie Bowen, OD, FAAO, anticipated incoming president-elect Teri Geist, OD, and the anticipated incoming vice president Terri Gossard, OD, MS, “say this is a reflection of the changing demographics, expanding opportunities and increasing interest in a profession that truly changes lives.” Speaking to Women in Optometry, Bowen said, “Seventy percent of optometry students right now are women, and it’s important for leadership at the AOA board level to reflect that.” The outlet adds that Bowen “wants to ensure her advocacy is informed by the experiences of today’s optometrists.” 

Optometry's Meeting: Live Updates



Check out the AOA’s live news updates

Visit aoa.org/news during Optometry’s Meeting to see a live-running news blog of all the industry news and updates originating from the annual AOA and AOSA meeting. Use the hashtag #OptometrysMeeting to join the conversation on social media or engage in real-time with the event social wall.

Pritzker Directs Agencies to Protect Veterans' Access to Healthcare

Health News Illinois | By Ryan Voyles

June 23, 2025

Gov. JB Pritzker directed agency heads on Friday to ensure veterans have access to healthcare services.

The announcement comes amid media reports that the Trump administration will propose rules that would allow providers at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to deny military veterans healthcare based on their marital status and political affiliation.

“The Trump administration wants to deny our veterans healthcare because of who they love or vote for — and the state of Illinois will do everything in our power to protect the benefits they have earned,” Pritzker said in a statement.

Among the directives include the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation reminding all licensed medical professionals of the state’s anti-discrimination laws. The agency will also begin monitoring complaints or reports related to the issue so that “they are ready to respond swiftly and appropriately.”

The state’s Department of Human Rights will also monitor and enforce laws that protect people from discrimination, including on the basis of religion, race, military status, or marital status. The agency acknowledged they have limited authority over federal facilities, but they will help Illinoisans “explore all possible remedies” for discrimination.

The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs notifies service officers that they continue to meet or take calls from the state’s veterans with any reports of discrimination.

“Service members swore the same oath to defend our country regardless of their marital status or political views,” said Terry Prince, the director of the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs. “In Illinois, we are deeply committed to protecting our veterans from discrimination and providing access to the best healthcare our nation has to offer.”

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is the nation’s largest integrated hospital system, with more than 170 hospitals and more than 1,000 clinics.

A spokesman for the agency said that “all eligible veterans will always be welcome at VA and will always receive the benefits and services they’ve earned under the law.”

Illinois Ranks 27th for Health System Performance

Health News Illinois | By Ryan Voyles

June 23, 2025

Illinois ranked 27th among states and the District of Columbia for health system performance, per a scorecard released last week by The Commonwealth Fund. 

The state ranked third in the Great Lakes region, behind Michigan and Wisconsin.

Illinois performed best on the categories of healthy lives, or indicators like cancer deaths, premature deaths and infant mortality, ranking 16th in the country.

It also received above-average ratings for racial health equity and access and affordability, ranking 20th in both categories, and in income disparity, where it ranked 24th.

The state ranked 31st for prevention and treatment, and 43rd in avoidable hospital use and cost.

The report says Illinois ranked best for the number of youth with depression who did not receive mental health services, children who did not receive needed mental healthcare and uninsured children.

Illinois received low marks for the number of hospital 30-day readmissions for those 65 years and older, skilled nursing facility patients with a hospital readmission and adults with substance use disorder who did not receive treatment.

Nationally, the share of adults without health insurance has been halved since 2013, in part thanks to the rollout of the Affordable Care Act.

AI Tools Improve Patient Knowledge, Satisfaction In Optometric Information, Study Finds

HCPLive | By Ryan Livingston

June 26, 2025

HCPlive reports that a study presented at the 2025 American Optometric Association Conference found that “artificial intelligence (AI) tools used to provide optometric information to patients result in increased patient knowledge, satisfaction, and decision-making confidence.” For the study, researchers “collected data on 384 adult participants aged 18-65.” They were divided into an intervention group, who received an Eye1 AI tool that “provided participants with a smart questionnaire on symptoms/lifestyle, risk scoring, visual health profiles, educational content and pre-visit summaries for optometrists, and personalized recommendations for eyewear and lens types,” and a control group. They found that “the AI group demonstrated a 35% increase in knowledge improvement compared to 20% in the control group. Similarly, 80% of the AI group reported being satisfied, while only 60% of the control group reported satisfaction. Decision confidence increased by 40% in the AI group, but only by 15% in the control group.” 

Women In Optometry Report More Job Stress, Burnout Than Men, Study Finds

Healio | By Justin Cooper

June 25, 2025

Healio reports a study presented at the Optometry’s Meeting found that “among optometrists, women reported higher levels of job stress and burnout compared with men,” with women also reporting “significantly less control over their workload, insufficient time for documentation and a greater amount of time spent on electronic health records at home.” The findings come from “an analysis of a recent study of 1,436 U.S. optometrists who self-reported burnout symptoms using the Mini Z burnout survey. In that study, 53.6% of respondents reported some burnout symptoms, with 8.2% classified as severe.” The analysis also found that “women were significantly less likely to earn $200,000 or more per year, feel they were adequately compensated, perform laser procedures or own their own practice.” 

MedPAC Calls for Higher Medicare Doc Payments Based on Healthcare Inflation Rate

MedPage Today | By Joyce Frieden

June 12, 2025

— But the increases could be slightly below inflation if access remains steady, report suggests

Medicare physician pay should be increased yearly, with the increase based on the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), a measure of healthcare inflation, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) said in a report to Congress released on Thursday.

"In our March 2025 report to the Congress, the commission recommended that the Congress, for 2026, replace current-law updates for PFS [physician fee schedule] services with a single update equal to MEI minus 1 percentage point," the report noted. "That recommendation applies only to one year -- 2026." For future years, "the commission recommends replacing the current-law updates to the PFS with an annual update based on a portion of the growth in the MEI, such as MEI minus 1 percentage point, based on the historical evidence suggesting that updates of full MEI have not been necessary to maintain beneficiary access to care."

"This recommendation would automatically adjust to changes in inflation, improve predictability for clinicians, beneficiaries, and policymakers, be simpler to administer, and balance beneficiary access with beneficiary and taxpayer financial burden," the authors wrote.

At a press briefing for reporters Wednesday, MedPAC executive director Paul Masi, MPP, said that their recommendation is based on several factors, including how hard it is for Medicare beneficiaries to find doctors who take Medicare. "For many years, the commission has found that [physician] access has been as good as or better than that of privately insured patients," he said. "At the same time, growth and clinicians input costs exceeded payment updates under the fee schedule by an average of about 1 percentage point per year, from 2001 to 2020, which suggests that full MEI updates have not been necessary to maintain Medicare beneficiaries' access to care."

"Looking ahead, however, clinicians input costs are expected to exceed current law upgrades by between 1.5 to 2 percentage points, which is more than the 1-percentage-point historical average," he continued.

Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!

ODs Wanted:

Northern IL:

Morrison, IL Practice Seeking Part-time OD (Read more)

Small, Private Practice in Morris, IL seeking Part-time OD (Read more)

OD Needed for Summer Maternity Leave (Read more)

Chicago:

Optometrist Needed for Maternity Leave Coverage (Read more)

Chicago Suburbs:

Full-Time or Part-Time OD Needed in Hodgkins (Read more)

Optometrist Needed in Chicago Suburbs (Read more)

Full-time or Part-time Associate OD Needed (Read more)

OD Needed at Naper Grove Vision Care (Read more)

Seeking OD for Part time, 1-4 Permanent Days or FILL in Only, Summer Fill in Days (Read more)

Optometrist Needed Part-time / Full-time Private Practice (Read more)

Part-time OD Needed at Small Private Practice (Read more)

Central IL:

Join the Community Eye Care Family (Read more)

Optometrist Needed in the Peoria area (Read more)

Mobile OD Needed for Senior Living Facilities (Read more)

Looking for Passionate & Community Focused Optometrists in Decatur & Mt. Zion (Read more)

Mobile Optometrist Needed (Read more)

Southern IL:

Mobile OD Needed for Senior Living Facilites (Read more)

Part-Time to Full-Time Opportunity at Metro Eye Care (Read more)

Full Time Opening in Swansea IL, Metro East 20 minutes from St. Louis (Read more)

Out of State:

FT Optometrist Needed in Kenosha, Wisconsin (Read more)



OD Needed in Door County, Wisconsin (Read more)

Practices for Sale:

Practice for Sale on the Fox River (Read more)

Fully Booked Practice for Sale- Southeast Michigan Community (Read more)