OAO News Feed

OAO's Sheldon Salaba on AM 900

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

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OAO Vice President Dr. Sheldon Salaba was interviewed on Hamilton's AM 900, speaking about the Eye See... Eye Learn children's vision initiative. Dr. Salaba is the point man for the program and has helped support the growth of the program into new municipalities.

The Eye See…Eye Learn program was developed to raise awareness among parents of the importance of having their children’s eyes checked before starting school.

Children, who cannot see the board, focus on a picture or follow words in a book may struggle to achieve their full learning potential. Vision problems can also impact their hand-eye coordination for physical activities and even impact their social development. In fact, 80 percent of learning comes directly through vision.

The Ontario Association of Optometrists recognizes the important link between eye health and learning, and recommends comprehensive eye examinations for all children entering kindergarten. The Eye See…Eye Learn program will help make sure our kindergarten students get the best start to learning.

Listen to the interview online at: http://www.900chml.com/CHMLMorningNews.aspx

Read more about the Eye See... Eye Learn program here.

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ESEL in Hamilton Spectator

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

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The Ontario Association of Optometrists has rolled out the Eye See... Eye Learn (ESEL) initiative in kindergarten classrooms in Hamilton.

Last month, parents of junior kindergarten and first-entry senior kindergarten children received a flyer reminding them they can bring their child for an eye examination.

The program was recently profiled in the Hamilton Spectator and the ESEL team has been fielding numerous calls from interested parents and educators.

The Hamilton Spectator article can be reviewed here:

http://www.thespec.com/go/healthfitness/article/717213

To find out more about Eye See... Eye Learn, click here.

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OAO Partners With CAN-ADAPPT

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

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As clinical practitioners, optometrists have a key role to play in the comprehensive healthcare of their patients, working in tandem with physicians, regulators and research groups to ensure the best possible understanding and treatment.

Smoking is a factor in vision loss and impairment from cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Ontario's optometrists are active in managing prevention and care guidelines for smoking cessation to protect the eyesight of Ontarians.

To that end, OAO's membership has been invited to participate in the Practice-Based Research Network, Canadian Action Network for the Advancement, Dissemination and Adoption of Practice-informed Tobacco Treatment (CAN-ADAPTT).

CAN-ADAPTT is a national project, funded by Health Canada committed to facilitating knowledge exchange among researchers and practitioners in the area of smoking cessation. Its goal is to provide easy access to the tools and information needed to deliver up-to-date evidence-based smoking cessation interventions.

The CAN-ADAPTT network fields a practitioner's participatory portal online (http://www.can-adaptt.net) where physicians, optometrists and other healthcare providers can access dynamic clinical practice guidelines for tobacco control in Canada through CAN-ADAPTT’s discussion board, and many other important tobacco control resources.

OAO encourages our members to participate in comprehensive healthcare initiatives such as this and is an active party in creating future healthcare practices and standards that will ensure their patients are given the best care available.

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2010 Symposium Registration is Open!

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

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OAO is now taking exhibitor registrations for the 2010 Symposium and Infomart. If you want exclusive, person-to-person access to Canada's largest and most successful optometric community then this is a must attend event!

This year's networking opportunities are better than ever. Take a swing at Lionhead Golf Course, one of Canada’s premier golf courses at our pre-symposium golf tournament on Wednesday May 5th. Have a chance to mingle with optometrists. Watch for details on our website or call Melissa Secord (905.826.3522 EXT: 243) for tournament participation and sponsorship opportunities.

There is no better optometric sector business opportunity this year. Add your name to the roll call of major industry players by signing up today!

Visit the Symposium page for more details.

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OAO Wins at OCFP Conference

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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OAO is honoured to have garnered the Prize for the Use of Innovation and Technology at the recent OCFP conference.

The Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) is the Ontario Chapter of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). The OCFP is a provincial, voluntary, not-for -profit organization whose mandate includes undergraduate, post-graduate education, the continuing professional development of family physicians and the maintenance of high standards of medical care and education in family practice.

This was the OAO’s first foray into this tradeshow. There were approximately 750 delegates in attendance.

The delegates come from the following groups: Family Physicians, Retired GPs. Residents, International Medical Graduates, Allied Health Professionals (RN, NP, PA), and Medical Students.

Topcon Canada graciously donated a retinal camera, and this was a success and a very useful tool. We were able to draw in the delegates and engage in conversations with the volunteers.

GPs in addendance and the OCFP Committee were equally impressed by the knowledge and scope our optometrists brought with them to the show, and by the application of optometric technology to demonstrate today's diagnostic capacity in use by our members.

As a result, OAO was awarded the Prize for the Use of Innovation and Technology; an honour that we are proud to accept and we look forward to working with our healthcare partners in continuing to educate on optometry's key role in comprehensive care.

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OAO's Joe Chan on CityTV

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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OAO Past President Dr. Joe Chan appeared on City TV discussing the signs, symptoms and risks of retinal detachment.

The story focused on risk signs such as floaters and other indications that a high risk situation such as retinal detachment has occurred. Dr. Chan noted that in most cases floaters themselves are not worrisome, but the sudden onset of floaters and/or other signs can indicate a more serious problem.

Although a dangerous eye condition can occur at any time, it is important to have a yearly eye exam with an optometrist as a baseline healthcare step as this allows your optometrist to be familiar with your eye health and vision care, and to be able to respond promptly to urgent situations.

The City TV story can be reviewed here:

http://citynews.video.citytv.com/video/53493095001/Floaters-A-Common-Problem/

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Eye See... Eye Learn in Best Start Hamilton

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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If a youngster can't see the board, can't focus on a picture or follow worrds in a book, it will be a struggle to reach his or her full learning potential. In fact, learning experts have determined that 80 percent of learning comes through vision. Sight issues have also been proven to negatively impact hand-eye coordination and social development.

"We're finding some statistics that parents are not taking children for eye exams," said Dr. Sheldon Salaba, a Hamilton optometrist. "About 13 to 14 percent have eye exams before grade 1. Our goal is to see that be 50 percent or more."

The Ontario Association of Optometrists has recognized the link between eye health and learning and has recommended comprehensive eye exams for all children entering kindergarten. Now the assiation has begun Eye See...Eye Learn, which offers eye assessments for children entering kindergarten for the first time in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board. Participating children needing glasses will get them for free, thanks to sponsors Bo Optik and Hoya Vision Care.

Click here to read more

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Dedication of the Witer Learning Centre

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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The Board of Directors, President and several Past Presidents of the Ontario Association of Optometrists were pleased to attend the dedication of the University of Waterloo School of Optomtery's Witer Learning Resource Centre on Monday, November 2.

Alumnus and friend of the University, Dr. Marta Witer and her husband Ian Ihnatowycz made a landmark historical gift toward the School's ambitious expansion campaign, demonstrating a leadership commitment and vision that supports the future of optometric education.

In honour of this generous gift, the Optometry Learning Resource Centre (OLRC) has been renamed the Witer Learning Resource Centre (WLRC).

The WLRC supports teaching, research and learning at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry. Serving the only English language Optometry school in Canada, the WLRC collection and services support research and clinical faculty, Optometry Doctoral (OD), Vision Science Graduate and International Optometric Bridging Program (IOBP) students. In addition, the WLRC provides alumni of the OD and IOBP programs as well as OAO members with evidence-based resources that support clinical decision making.

OAO was well represented, including President Dr. John Mastronardi, outgoing President Dr. William Ulakovic and Past Presidents Dr. Derek MacDonald and Dr. Barrie Conron. The President of the Canadian Association of Optometrists, Dr. Kirsten North of Ottawa, was also in attendance, along with OAO Executive Director Barbara Wattie Fuller.

This dedication event showed Ontario's vibrant leadership in optometry and demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting patients and the profession for decades to come.

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OAO's Joe Chan on Canada AM

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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OAO Past President Dr. Joe Chan appeared on a recent episode of Canada AM, discussing the causes, risks and treatments of Computer Vision Syndrome.

Computer Vision Syndrome describes a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer use. Many individuals experience eye discomfort and vision problems when viewing a computer screen for extended periods. The level of discomfort appears to increase with the amount of computer use.

Many of the visual symptoms experienced by computer users are only temporary and will decline after stopping computer work. However, some individuals may experience continued reduced visual abilities, such as blurred distance vision, even after stopping work at a computer. If nothing is done to address the cause of the problem, the symptoms will continue to recur and perhaps worsen with future computer use.

Prevention or reduction of the vision problems associated with Computer Vision Syndrome involves taking steps to control lighting and glare on the computer screen, establishing proper working distances and posture for computer viewing, and assuring that even minor vision problems are properly corrected.

To find out more, visit the Canada AM website to view the video.

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Supreme Court Sends a Strong Message

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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The Hamilton Spectator (June 12, 2009) has reported that Mr. Bruce Bergez - Great Glasses - has had his appeal rejected by the Supreme Court of Canada.

The report states, "Bergez is the founder of the Great Glasses chain of stores, which operates throughout southern Ontario using its well known '3-for-1' business model.

Bergez was asking the Supreme Court for the chance to overturn a November 2006 finding of contempt in Hamilton court that led to the largest fine for a civil contempt case in Canadian history.

Bergez had been fined $1 million and a further $50,000 a day for every day since that he hasn't been in compliance with Ontario legislation governing the prescribing and dispensing of eyeglasses and contact lenses."

OAO supports Ontario legislation legislation governing the prescribing and dispensing of eyeglasses and contact lenses.

A refraction test alone does not constitute a medically sound eye exam. Refraction alone does not check for diseases of the eye and vision system, it does not take into account other medically critical factors and is not in accordance with the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA).

A complete eye examination when performed by an optometrist or physician consists of a minimum of 8 elements to ensure the eyes, and visual system, are healthy. These combined elements help form the basis of a prescription for eye wear if needed.

A stand-alone refraction test, in the absence of a complete eye examination, substantially increases the risk of harm by removing the safeguard of early detection and diagnosis of eye diseases. Any changes in vision – such as those that would prompt an individual to seek a new prescription for eye glasses – should be thoroughly evaluated in order to determine the underlying cause.

The full Hamilton Spectator article can be reviewed online here.

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100th Anniversary Gallery

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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In April OAO held its 2009 Annual Symposium and Trade Show, AGM and 100th Anniversary Gala. We were pleased to welcome many special guests including the former Minister of Health, the Honourable David Caplan.

We were honoured by Minister Caplan's attendance and his greetings at the start of our 100th Anniversary Gala were encouraging and superbly witty in equal measure.

OAO only turns 100 once and this was indeed an excellent opportunity for long-serving and new members alike to reflect on where we've been over the past century and where we can go tomorrow.

This year's event also featured a record attendance at the Symposium and Trade Show, demonstrating that the optometric community is thoroughly committed to building new ideas and new knowledge.

Check out our Gallery here in the News section to see more photos of the event!

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OAO at UW Jurisprudence

Wed, 6 May 2009 14:56:52 GMT

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OAO continues its ongoing student outreach efforts on Wednesday, May 13 with attendance at UW's Jurisprudence Exam in Waterloo.

OAO ODs will be on site to field questions from students about starting up in optometric practice in Ontario; what to do, what to expect, who to contact - and OAO will once again provide our popular "Getting Started in Ontario" guide.

Getting Started in Ontario is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to establishing an optometric practice in Ontario and provides a one-stop shop for all the information you need to start up in style.

Pottruff & Smith Insurance Brokers will also have a representative on hand to discuss practice and liability insurance.

See you there!

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OAO at Primary Care Today

Wed, 6 May 2009 13:39:21 GMT

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Primary Care Today is designed for today's busy family physician and top physicians in a number of fields of practice will be delivering 25 lectures, from Allergy to Urology, covering the latest updates and clinical challenges common to your practice.

As a key player in comprehensive healthcare in Ontario, OAO is pleased to participate as an industry stakeholder and to have member optometrists on hand to discuss eye and vision health.

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OAO Student Outreach

Wed, 6 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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OAO continues its ongoing student outreach efforts year round, providing information nights, outreach luncheons and regular attendance at Jurisprudence Exams in Waterloo and Toronto.

OAO ODs are on site to field questions from students about starting up in optometric practice in Ontario; what to do, what to expect, who to contact - and OAO provides our popular "Getting Started in Ontario" guide to provide a detailed Q&A resource.

Getting Started in Ontario is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to establishing an optometric practice in Ontario and provides a one-stop shop for all the information you need to start up in style.

We also work with industry partners, such as Pottruff & Smith Insurance Brokers, to provide representatives able to discuss practice and liability insurance and other aspects of practice management.

If you're interested in attending an OAO event above and beyond the contact opportunities at Jurisprudence, please email the OAO office for more information.

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Eye See... Eye Learn

Wed, 6 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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Launched in Alberta in 2003 by the Association of Optometrists partnered with public schools, the Ministry of Children’s Services, the Eye See…Eye Learn project was designed to ensure eye health and vision problems weren’t a factor in preventing children from reaching their full learning potential.

Parents of kindergarten students were encouraged to obtain comprehensive eye health and vision examinations for their children through local optometrists or ophthalmologists.

Raising the awareness of the importance of eye health examinations resulted in 30% more kindergarten children having their eyes examined. In children at this age level, it is common for approximately 6% to be prescribed eyeglasses and about 8% to have a binocular or accommodative vision problems. This means that 14% of kindergarten-aged children will have some form of a vision problem.

Based on these results, and on further deployments, OAO is launching Eye See...Eye Learn in Ontario in conjunction with partnering school boards this fall. As part of this initiative, OAO will be utilizing the Fribbit Eye See…Eye Learn mascot; designed to make learning about eye health and getting their eyes examined project more fun for children.

Teachers have resource material for their classrooms where Fribbit is highlighted as they teach about eye health and eye safety. Optometrists have Fribbit in their offices as well so the children can identify with him at the time of their eye exam.

More information will be made available as the initiative rolls out; makes sure you check the OAO website for details.

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Read OAO's Annual Report

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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The ACE Report is developed annually as a milestone review of our efforts and accomplishments over the past year.

ACE - Advocacy, Community, Education - serves as OAO's abiding mission statement and focuses our goals on our communities and our profession.

With many of our communities facing economic hardship, our goals come with a greater sense of responsibility.

To quote OAO President Dr. William Ulakovic, "This year, while we celebrate and reflect on the past, we must also act to reinforce our future. Difficult times in our communities call for strong leadership. Collectively, as optometrists in various communities across the province we must take this opportunity to work for change."

Given this heightened sense of community focus, OAO is pleased to release our Annual ACE Report for the first time as a formal document and for the first time as a publicly accessible document. Read more online.

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OAO Awards

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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With the 2009 AGM and Symposium now complete, OAO is proud to announce the winners of notable optometric awards.

Dr. Jacob Sivak - H. James Cobean Memorial Award Winner
The H. James Cobean, O.D. Memorial Award is the highest accolade awarded by the Ontario Association of Optometrists. The Cobean Award recognizes a lifetime of service to the profession. The award is presented only when a meritorious candidate is identified and then approved by the OAO Board of Directors. Recipients must make contributions to at least two, if not all three, of the traditional venues for service to the profession: Education, College and Association.

OAO is pleased to bestow this honour on Dr. Jacob Sivak. Dr. Sivak's career has been noted by many milestones, accomplishments and awards and is fitting that we celebrate his career.

Dr. Sivak received his optometry degree from the University of Montreal in 1967, his master's degree in physiological optics from Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1970, his PhD from Cornell University in 1972, and a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1981. At the School of Optometry, University of Waterloo, Dr. Sivak served as Associate Director from 1980 to 1982 and then as its Director and Associate Dean of Science from 1984 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1999. From 1999 to 2002 he was Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Sivak was a member of the College of Optometrists of Ontario’s Council from 1984-1990. Currently he is serving as Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Industrial Research Chair. Over the years, he has earned numerous academic awards, including the I. Taylor Chair, department of biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, in 1982; Glenn Fry Award, American Optometric Foundation, in 1984; Medaille d'Honeur, Universite de Montreal, in 1988; the Canadian University Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Research in Optometry in 1992 and is the 2003 recipient of the Proctor Medal awarded by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmolgy.

He holds six patents on a variety of optical devices and has over 200 refereed publications.

Dr. Christopher Nicol - President's Award Winner
For services to optometry in policy, advocacy and decades of dedication to speaking up in support of healthcare, OAO has this year given the OAO President's Award to Dr. Christopher Nicol.

The President's Award is given by the OAO at the discretion of the President and Dr. Nicol is indeed a worthy recipient. He maintains a hectic pace of work as a Policy Advisor on staff with OAO and has been highly influential throughout his career in defining the standards of patient care and the scope of practice for optometry.

As a Past President of both OAO and the College of Optometry of Ontario, Dr. Nicol is known for his candour, a down-to-earth approach and boundless energy. In his role as key advisor he takes the time to answer many patient and community inquiries directed to the OAO offices.

Dr. Derek MacDonald - Distinguished Service Award Winner
For his continued commitment, leadership and insight, OAO is has this year noted Dr. Derek MacDonald with a Distinguished Service Award.

The Distinguished Service Award celebrates ongoing efforts and participatory leadership that go beyond the regular call of duty. Dr. MacDonald is not only a Past President of OAO, but in his time as a volunteer he has been a driving force in achieving improved OHIP regulations for optometry, a steadfast supporter of the student community and a spokesperson for his patients.

Dr. John Astles - Distinguished Service Award Winner
Having recently stepped down from the OAO Board of Directors, it is only fitting that Dr. John Astles is presented with a Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Astles has worked with great aplomb and deft leadership in his role as the political action leader for Ontario optometry. His efforts to reach out to government and opposition alike and to build relationships and consensus has been peerless. Dr. Astles is also a keen participant in community outreach and has given his time to create awareness and forge alliances with other healthcare professionals.

Public Education Award - Dr. Melissa Dattilo-Kidd
Dr. Melissa Dattilo-Kidd was commended for her on-going promotion of the Children’s Vision program. This past year, she contacted the Windsor District School Board and arranged to have 18,000 “Seeing is Believing” flyers distributed to the school board. The flyers have been distributed to all the Catholic elementary schools in the Winsor-Essex area.

Honourary Membership - Dr. Jean Dubuc

Dr. Jean Dubuc was unanimously selected for Honoury OAO Membership by the OAO Board in August 2008 to honour a lifetime of service to optometry.

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Welcome to our New Website!

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:00:37 GMT

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Welcome to our new website. Over the next few months you can look forward to a rapid rollout of a number of new and innovative resources to help patients and optometrists alike.

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Who Inspires You?

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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Although there have been many great inspirations to us in the profession of optometry, we asked our members to Think Big, to keep with our 100th theme of Focus on Tomorrow.

In keeping with that focus we catalogued a series of inspirational leaders and profiled each one’s view in a banner presentation for our 100th Anniversary Gala on April 3 – an event attended by Ontario Minister of Health, Hon. David Caplan.

In marking OAO’s 100th Anniversary, we asked our members "Who inspires you?" The results were noble, interesting and perhaps surprising in equal measure.

Agnes McPhail - The first woman to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons and one of the first two women elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Mahatma Gandhi - Political and spiritual leader of the Indian Independence Movement and a pioneer in resisting oppression through non violent means

Martin Luther King Jr. - A leader of the American civil rights movement and in 1964 the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation

Nelson Mandela - The first President of South Africa to be elected in a fully representative and democratic election, anti-apartheid activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993

Barack Obama - 44th President of the United States and the first African American ever to hold the office; making him an inspiration to all those who hope and dream for the future

Our Students - We believe that our students are our future; they bring new ideas, new goals, new commitments and will help us give back to our communities in the decades to come

Is it surprising that we chose to highlight social and political leaders rather than optometric leaders of the past? Perhaps.

But we are keenly aware that OAO’s leadership has been humble in its work to forward the profession and that by doing our small part for society we seek to live the vision of tomorrow defined by those with greater dreams.

If greatness can be wrought from humble beginnings then we each aspire to do all that we can to make the world a better place in the next 100 years.

View the complete OAO Focus on Tomorrow banner set online.

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2009 Symposium and Infomart

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:09:15 GMT

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