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Welcome!

Special 80th Anniversary Event
Join us! 
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We're celebrating 80 years of the Middle Atlantic Optometric Congress (MAOC) with a unique educational event and you are invited to be a part. 

 

The Middle Atlantic Optometric Congress operates under the auspices of the Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF) and is hosted locally by the Behavioral Vision Project (BVP) Study Group.

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Reading and the Visual Process, Infant Vision, and More

​Congress recordings are available for purchase

The recordings of all sessions (with the exception of those noted below) are available for purchase. If you have already registered you have access to the recordings.

You have not purchased access to Mid Atlantic Congress.

Click here to purchase access for more days

80th Anniversary Middle Atlantic Optometric Congress

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Reading and the Visual Process, Infant Vision, and More
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Featuring:
Virginia Donati, OD
John Abbondanza, OD
Gregory Kitchener, OD
Kristin Adams, OD
Paul Harris, OD
Steve Gallop, OD

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Under the Auspices of OEPF

 

 

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Sponsored by: Bernell and Vivid Vision

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Congress Schedule

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Friday – October 16

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SESSION 1: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (US ET) 

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Behavioral Vision Project - Study Group Session

VT Demonstration & Discussion: Walking Rail and Eye Movements. This study group style session will incorporate demonstration of two procedures that can be useful in both testing and training along with constructive dialogue among attendees about the use of such procedures in their practices. 

 

SESSION 2: 2:00 – 3:30 PM (US ET)

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Virginia Donati, OD

Infant Eye Exams: Get In, Get Out, Get the T-Shirt

 

Let's face it: babies are loud, they smell bad, and they don't know which is better (1 or 2). That doesn't mean that we can ignore them until they turn three years old!  In this hour, we will break down the infant eye exam in simple steps so that you can get in and get out without leaving you crying louder than your littlest patients. Just don't be surprised if you earn yourself a reputation for being "that optometrist who's great with babies!”

 

SPONSORED LECTURE:

Paul Harris, OD - Functional Binocular Assessment Test (FBAT)

 

The FBAT is a series of free-space targets allowing for the assessment of binocularity in non-verbal patients, pediatric patients, and excellent for patients with amblyopia and strabismus.

 

SESSION 3: 3:45 – 4:45 PM US ET

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Paul Harris, OD

Innovations in visual field testing - Implications for Function and Pathology (Part 1)

        

Visual field testing is critical for the diagnosis and management of many visual conditions, some of which are secondary to systemic disease. We are at a crossroads where visual field testing is about to change radically from using large fixed bowls that patients have to sit at for extended periods of time hitting buttons, and either getting anxious or falling asleep. These devices take up lots of space in our offices and we need well trained technicians to run the tests. The revolution coming is shifting the testing setup to tablets and virtual reality testing. This presentation will include a demonstration of tablet testing and help the attendees know how to evaluate any new technologies as they emerge.

 

At the end of this session, participants will be provided a link to perform a visual field test on themselves before the Part 2 session on Sunday. 

 

SESSION 4: 5:00 – 6:00 PM (US ET) - *Not included when purchasing recordings per speaker's request*

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John Abbondanza, OD

My Approach to Children with Vision Related Learning Problems (Part 1)

 

So many children struggle with learning. No one knows how many of these children struggle because of diagnosed, and more often undiagnosed, visual deficiencies. The behavioral model of vision provides the most powerful means of enabling many of these children to reach their potential. This is the story, in two acts, of how Dr. Abbondanza helps these children find their hidden abilities by unlocking the tremendous potential of the visual process.  

 

Saturday – October 17

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SESSION 1: 10:00 – 11:00 AM (US ET)

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Kristin Adams, OD

The Mysterious Case of Cyclo-rotation

It is always an adventure to find answers when eyes go rogue. Treating strabismus provides challenges but also tremendous rewards for both patient and doctor. Perhaps one of the most interesting, and challenging, is attempting to remediate cyclo-rotations. This is a unique and interesting case of cyclorotation and the application of virtual reality as part of a vision therapy program. 

 

SESSION 2: 11:15 AM – 1:15 PM (US ET)

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Behavioural Vision Project - Study Group Session

VT Demonstration & Discussion: Form and Digit Tach 
This study group style session will incorporate demonstration of two procedures that can be useful in both testing and training along with constructive dialogue among attendees about the use of such procedures in their practices. 

 

SESSION 3: 6:00 – 8:00 PM (US ET)

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Virginia Donati, OD

Eyeball Control: The Other Potential Side Effects of Atropine

 

"Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should." - Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park)

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Atropine use for myopia control is gaining in popularity all across the globe. Numerous studies and lectures have shown the pharmacological side effects of Atropine. This is NOT one of those lectures. During this 90 minutes, we will look at the OTHER potential side effects of atropine and what can happen when we disregard that which we don't fully understand (at least there are no raptors or t-rex at the end of this story). 

 

SPONSORED LECTURE:

Tamara Petrosyan, OD - Petrosyan Workbook Series

 

In this session, Dr. Petrosyan will review and take questions about the various Petrosyan Series Workbooks designed for perceptual, oculomotor, accommodative, and binocular dysfunction.

 

SESSION 4: 8:30 – 9:30 PM (US ET)

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Greg Kitchener, OD

Visual Speech and Language Connections 

 

People distinguish visual processes from auditory processes and visual learners from auditory learners.  Are the usual separations necessary or even helpful?

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Sunday – October 18

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SESSION 1: 9:00 – 10:00 AM (US ET)

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Paul Harris, OD

Innovations in visual field testing - Implications for Function and Pathology (Part 2) 

 

Part 2 will be a continuation of Part 1 presented on Friday including discussion and review of visual field tests that participants took on themselves following Part 1. 

 

SESSION 2: 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM (US ET) - *Not included when purchasing recordings per speaker's request*

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John Abbondonza, OD 

My Approach to Children with Vision Related Learning Problems (Part 2)

 

Part 2 will be a continuation of Part 1 presented on Friday.

 

SESSION 3: 1:30 – 2:30 PM (US ET)

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Steve Gallop, OD

Thoughts on VT

 

Vision therapy. What is it? Who does it? What is it good for? Does it really work? 

Dr. Gallop attempts to answer these questions and share his perspective on what vision therapy means to him – live, without a net, except for the internet, while definitely wearing pants.

 

SESSION 4: 2:45 – 3:45 PM (US ET)

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Greg Kitchener, OD

The VT Ecosystem

 

Visual Training is not exercises, activities, or procedures.  Neuroscientist Beau Lotto describes ecology as “the interactive relationship between things and the physical space in which they exist.”  How do we cultivate our VT ecosystems?

 

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Congress Details

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Pricing:

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Single day - Friday only: $80 USD

Single day - Saturday only: $80 USD

Single day - Sunday only: $80 USD

Full Congress - $200 USD
 

Optometry students: No charge - Registration required

 

  • 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, access to the live Congress sessions, and access to the Congress recordings for 30 days. 

 

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

  • This seminar is presented in English

  • Open to participants around the world

  • This is a virtual event.

 

Technical requirements for attending:

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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.

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Reading and the Visual Process, Infant Vision, and More

Congress recordings are available for purchase

The recordings of all sessions (with the exception of those noted above) are available for purchase. If you have already registered you have access to the recordings.

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Set up your account

If you have never created an I HEART VT account with:

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Once registered you will be able to pre-register to the MAOC seminars listed above. If you'd like access to the complete VT Archive of hundreds of sessions, you can purchase a plan for that here.

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If you already have a paid I HEART VT subscription

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Once you log in, visit MAOC Seminars to access the sessions.

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If you joined us in April but have not logged in since then you will need to first reset your password:

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How to join the sessions

Once you have created your account, pre-registered, and log in, you can click the "MAOC Sessions" button below to see the list of sessions. Click the registration link to register before a session begins.

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Join us for more great content!

Once you set up your account, you will be able to access the MAOC seminar above as long as you are pre-registered. If you are interested in accessing any of the other wonderful content on the I HEART VT platform you will need to purchase a subscription. This will give you access to all of the content, live and recorded, on the platform! You can choose either a month to month 30 day subscription or a rolling, uninterrupted subscription that automatically renews each month. 

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In June we had an exclusive interview with Dr. “Stereo Sue” Barry hosted by Dr. Paul Harris as well as content from speakers David Cook, Richard Bruenech, Curt Baxstrom, Rob Lewis and more!  

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For any questions regarding your I HEART VT access please contact us at iheartvt@seevividly.com​

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