New president outlines goals for AOA in the coming year

SEATTLE – With America on the cusp of a change in leadership and a possible overhaul of the health care system, the American Optometric Association’s new president told members here that the profession should stay involved to keep its role relevant.

“The outlook for optometry is very strong,” Peter H. Kehoe, OD, said during his acceptance speech before the House of Delegates at Optometry’s Meeting.

The National Eye Institute is projecting massive increases in the number of macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy patients by the year 2020, he said.

“Optometry is positioned to make a significant impact for these millions of patients,” Dr. Kehoe said. “Your AOA and the leaders before me have shaped optometry to be the primary health care profession that we are today. With the upcoming presidential election and talk of reforming health care, we need every optometrist to become fully engaged in the process to ensure that our patients have the opportunity to see their family eye doctor for their care. You can be sure that the AOA and our staff will do our best to position optometry as the primary eye care provider, whatever the new health care system will look like.”

Dr. Kehoe also took time in his speech to promote the AOA-backed InfantSee program that he said, “Like the eradication of polio in the 20th century, could eliminate amblyopia in the 21st century.”

He encouraged practitioners to sign up to provide and promote the exams.

“If all 3+ million babies born in America each year saw their optometrist for that InfantSee assessment in that first year of life and then again at 3 years old and 5 years old before they start school, as our clinical guideline practice suggests, amblyopia could be effectively eliminated for generations of Americans in the future,” Dr. Kehoe said. “Optometry would be the hero in the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and adults whose opportunities are limited because of their amblyopia or other correctable vision.”

Though he did not mention it by name, Dr. Kehoe hinted that he would champion board certification.

“As a professional, we owe it to our patients to stay current in the latest in eye care delivery, including examination techniques, diagnosis and treatment of disease, counseling for a patient’s overall health, as well as recommending and prescribing the most appropriate contact lenses or eye wear to solve their vision needs,” he said. “Although this change in the future may not be what we want, or what we prefer, we have to remember that our patients and the payers in our health care system are increasingly demanding a process that proves our continued competence beyond initial licensure.”

In the coming year, Dr. Kehoe also promised to focus on promoting paraoptometric training, inter-optometry referrals and helping practitioners understand “the dollars and sense of their practice.”

In other election news, Randolph E. Brooks, OD, FAAO, of Ledgewood, N.J., was named president-elect; Joe E. Ellis, OD, of Benton, Ky., moved into the role of vice president; Dori M. Carlson, OD, of Park River, N.D., was named secretary/treasurer; and David A. Cockrell, OD, of Stillwater, Okla., and Ronald L. Hopping, OD, MPH, of Houston, were re-elected to 3-year terms. New board member Christopher J. Quinn, OD, was elected to a 1-year term.