83rd Middle Atlantic Optometric Congress

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Featuring:

 Heidi Bell, OD, Samantha Slotnick, OD, Eric Chow, OD,

Steve Gallop, OD, Gregory Kitchener, OD, Paul Harris, OD

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Under the Auspices of OEPF

 

 

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Sponsored by: Bernell, CooperVision, and Vivid Vision

 

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Congress Schedule

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Saturday – November 11th

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SESSION 1: 8:30 AM – 10:10 AM (US ET) - 2 hours

 

Direction of Movement Generates Form

Workshop/Panel Discussion presented by the BVP Study Group

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Visual appreciation of Form is a fundamental ability which develops from movement.  The Form Tach procedure provides an effective opportunity to develop an individual’s spatial orientation, spatial organization, visual direction of movement that can allow more sophisticated appreciation of form to develop. Specific examples of working with both children and adults will be discussed. 

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SESSION 2: 10:15 AM – 11:05 AM (US ET) - 1 hour

 

Refractive Sculpting in Strabismus & Amblyopia: Part 1 of 2
Presented by Dr. Samantha Slotnick

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This course is designed to help the optometrist use the tools of lenses, prisms and filters in a therapeutic way, rather than in a compensatory way, for the purposes of helping patients with strabismus and/or amblyopia improve their potential for binocular alignment, binocular fusion, and stereopsis, and to reduce the impetus to suppress central visual information.  

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SESSION 3: 11:10 AM – 12:00 AM (US ET) - 1 hour

 

Myopia – It’s Even More Prevalent Than You Thought

Presented by Dr. Steve Gallop

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Myopia is a hot topic these days. Both the topic and the condition(s) have reached pandemic status across the globe. The concept of “myopia control” had been derided by most of the eye care community up until a decade ago. Now there are a growing number of strategies with varying degrees of success being catapulted into the mainstream of eye care. All of these newer strategies are aimed at managing eyeballs for the most part. The process of becoming myopic and progressing into further myopia is much more complex than what occurs within the eyeball. This presentation will focus on a more dynamic approach to understanding what happens behind the eyeballs.

 

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​BUFFET LUNCH (On-Site): 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm

 

 

SESSION 4: 1:15 PM - 2:05 PM (US ET) - 1 hour

 

An Overlooked Visual Training Procedure

Presented by Dr. Gregory Kitchener

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As we are taught Visual Training it is easy to become enmeshed in the figural aspects of each procedure (specific instrumentation, strategies, etc.) and forget the ground structure from which the figure emerges.  This presentation will discuss an integral aspect of the visual training experience which is frequently overlooked, or lost in the shuffle.

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SESSION 5: 2:15 PM - 3:55 PM (US ET) - 2 hours

 

A Functional Approach to Concussion Care

Presented by Dr. Heidi Bell

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This presentation covers Dr. Bell’s approach to collaborative care for best patient outcomes following head injury.  In our primary care clinic many patients present with obscure complaints that, if the right questions are asked, can be traced back to a mild TBI or illness that caused neurological disruption and inflammation resulting in visual symptoms. In this time I will discuss how these patients are triaged, tested and managed through our primary clinic and ultimately in our vision therapy department. I will discuss important professional relationships, connections and referrals that have accelerated and improved patient outcomes and how to find similar providers near you.

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SESSION 6: 4:10 PM - 5:00 PM (US ET) - 1 hour

 

Refractive Sculpting in Strabismus & Amblyopia: Part 2 of 2

Presented by Dr. Samantha Slotnick

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This course is designed to help the optometrist use the tools of lenses, prisms and filters in a therapeutic way, rather than in a compensatory way, for the purposes of helping patients with strabismus and/or amblyopia improve their potential for binocular alignment, binocular fusion, and stereopsis, and to reduce the impetus to suppress central visual information.  

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Sunday – November 12th

 

Registration and Continental Breakfast (On-Site): 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM

 

 

SESSION 1: 8:30 AM – 10:10 AM (US ET) - 2 hours

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Functional Vision for the Primary Care OD

Presented by Dr. Heidi Bell

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Dr. Bell presents her approach to true full-scope practice in a multi-location, multi-disciplinary practice.  Following graduation from SCO in 2012 and a public health style residency in 2013, I had no intention of pursuing vision therapy.  After 1 year of “full scope” primary care optometry in a private practice setting, I realized that by not addressing binocularity and neurological issues in my patients, I was not truly practicing full scope optometry. In this course, I will discuss our progression into what is now a true full-scope optometric clinic that spans 4 clinic locations, 9 optometrists and 60+ team members.

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SESSION 2: 10:20 AM - 11:10 AM (US ET) - 1 hour

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Make Children’s Sight Your Fight

Presented by Dr. Eric Chow
Sponsored by CooperVision

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In light of prescribing myopia management becoming standard of care, implementing it into practice is simple but perhaps not always easy. When you have an FDA approved treatment backed by a 7-year study, your job becomes easier with MiSight 1 day for age appropriate children. Protect their vision from getting worse as they grow. 

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SESSION 3: 11:20 AM – 12:10 PM (US ET) - 1 hour

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Lessons from Working with Professional Baseball Players

Presented by Dr. Paul Harris

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Working with professional baseball players for the past 7 years has provided interesting insights into how to help professional baseball players be the best version of themselves. Mundane measures list visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, reaction time and ocular motility actually seem to be markers for visual performance in baseball.  You will see the testing battery and the range of results, as well as insights into interfacing with the players and the rest of the organization. Just like in nearly every other case we work with, prescribing effective lenses can be a major contribution to the athletes and their teams.

 

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Congress Details

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Pricing:

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Single day - Saturday only: $225 USD

Single day - Sunday only: $125 USD

Full Congress - $300 USD

Optometry students: No charge - Registration required

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• Payment can be made by Credit Card, Debit Card, or PayPal Account

• Refunds will not be available once the Congress begins. 

• Registration includes attendance certificate for live hours attended, attendance hours submitted to ARBO, access to the live Congress sessions, and access to the Congress recordings for 90 days.

• This event is appropriate for Optometrists, Optometry Residents & Students, and Vision Therapists.

• This seminar is presented in English

• Open to participants around the world

• This year’s Congress is a hybrid event with limited registration available for in-person attendance. All registration, in-person or virtual, must go through this registration page.

 

Technical requirements for virtual attendance:

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• Stable internet connection

• Zoom account

 

Once you complete the registration and payment process you will receive a PayPal receipt confirming your payment as well as a confirmation email from I HEART VT with instructions on how to access the connection links for the Congress sessions. You do not need an I HEART VT subscription to participate, but you will need to create an account on the I HEART VT website. There is no additional cost in setting up your I HEART VT account.

In-Person attendance information:

 

Conference Venue:
Regional Learning Alliance
850  Cranberry Woods Drive
Cranberry Township, Pa.16066
724-741-1021

 

Hotel Block:
Hilton Garden Inn Cranberry
2000 Garden View Lane
Cranberry Township, Pa. 16066
724-779-9999 

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Mention Middle Atlantic Congress Room Block: $129/night + tax

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• In-Person registration includes continental breakfast both days, buffet lunch on Saturday, snacks and beverages both days. 

• In-Person attendees will also receive online access

• Registration includes attendance certificate for live hours attended, attendance hours submitted to ARBO, access to the live and online Congress sessions, and access to the Congress recordings for 90 days through I HEART VT.