The three-and-a-half-day symposium offers an expansive curriculum with everything from clinical to practice management courses in addition to networking opportunities and access to exhibitors.

Welcome to your guide to the Optometric Management Symposium (OMS), set to take place from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL, featuring hours of accredited education and access to a broad range of exhibitors. Plus, the venue—which will be dressed in Disney holiday magic—is walking distance from Epcot and a short boat ride to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  

We connected with the event’s education committee chair, April Jasper, O.D., FAAO, to gain insight into the upcoming event and the industry overall:

How does OMS benefit eyecare professionals—from those just entering the field to those with decades of experience? 

“OMS is a meeting that is large enough to get a chance to hear amazing speakers and see your favorite vendors yet small enough to feel like a family-and-friends special event. Everyone feels welcome from the moment they walk in the door. The event is set up to foster education in clinical areas as well as education in practice management for doctors and their teams. [Hot topics such as] myopia, glaucoma, retina, geographic atrophy, presbyopia, contact lenses, anterior segment disease—[OMS] will cover it all!”

How do you feel about the state of the eyecare industry? 

“It is a great time to be an optometrist. As an industry, we will continue to flourish as we bring value to patients. At OMS, we continue to learn how to best bring value to our patients in the areas of medical, optical, and contact lenses.”

Hours of Clinical Continuing Education + More for All Eyecare Professionals

The jam-packed schedule of continuing education at OMS is divided into four tracks, designed to streamline your own curated continuing education experience: 

>> The EB Retail Strategies + Business Management track offers intel to boost your practice performance—from staff training + retention strategies to an overview of foundational eyecare topics to benefit both opticians and optometrists.

>> The Optometric Management (OM) Clinical track delivers 26 hours of education on a range of clinical topics with courses such as “Anterior Segment: When to Play and When to Pass,” “Innovation in Glaucoma, Cataracts, and the Future,” and “Menopause, Manopause & Presbyopia: Emotional Roller Coaster of Presbyopia.”

>> The Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS) Contact Lens track provides the latest information on myopia management, the art and science of scleral lenses, and the power profiles and lens designs of soft contact lenses for managing various conditions. 

>> Within the Florida Board of Optometry track, learn strategies to prevent medical errors and avoid medical malpractice. Plus, optometrists practicing in the state have an opportunity to refresh and dive into Florida’s jurisprudence laws and rules of practice.

Here, EB shares some education highlights from the robust schedule:

Thursday, Nov. 30

10-11:50 a.m.
Different Perspectives of Myopia Management,
GSLS Contact Lens

From an international standpoint, explore different perspectives regarding myopia management of two health professionals to understand differences in approach and bridge the gap from approaches around the globe.

4-5 p.m.
Power Profiles and Lens Designs of Soft Contact Lenses for Myopia
Management and Beyond, GSLS Contact Lens

Discuss what is known about the front and back surface design of soft lenses, including fit, specifically for myopia management. 

Friday, Dec. 1

Part one: 7:30-8:25 a.m. | Part two: 9:45-10:40 a.m.
Myopia Management: Where Are We Today?, OM Clinical 

April Jasper, O.D., FAAO; Maria Liu, O.D., Ph.D., MPH, MBA; and Ashley Wallace-Tucker, O.D., FSLS, FAAO, present a well-rounded discussion of the current state of myopia management.

2:05-3 p.m.
Not Your Mama’s Dry Eyes: Detection, Treatment,
and Practice Benefits, OM Clinical 

Discuss the usage of technology, nutraceuticals, and therapeutics for dry eye diagnosis and treatment and the benefits they can bring to your patients and practice.

Part one: 2:05-3 p.m. | Part two: 4:50-5:40 p.m.
How to Build Value in Your Business, EB Retail Strategies + Business Management 

Carl Hubbell Spear, O.D., MBA, leads this engaging workshop exploring different strategies for enhancing the value of your eyecare practice. 

3:10-4:50 p.m.
How to Profit From Vision Plans, EB Retail Strategies + Business Management

Katie Gilbert-Spear, O.D., J.D., MPH, and April Jasper, O.D. FAAO, present strategies for boosting profits when managing patient vision care plans.

Saturday, Dec. 2

Part one: 7:30-8:25 a.m. | Part two: 9:45-10:40 a.m.
The EB Key Retail Opportunities Panel Discussion, EB Retail Strategies + Business Management   

This open-panel discussion will explore ways to increase capture rate in the face of increasing online eyewear sales, including strategies on creating rapport with patients to increase revenue and sales of multiple pairs for different lifestyle purposes.

10:50-11:40 a.m.
The Staff Role in Myopia Management, EB Retail Strategies + Business Management 

A panel comprising EB editor-in-chief Erinn Morgan, Glenda A. Moheeputh, O.D., Harbir Sian, O.D., and optician Sheena Taff will explore a multifaceted approach that involves all practice and optical staff members in serving myopia management to patients. 

11:45-12:35 a.m.
The Back-to-Basics Masterclass for Optometrists + Opticians, EB Retail Strategies + Business Management 

Designed for everyone in the optical, this course will unpack + refresh your understanding of the fundamentals of frames and lenses. Explore how prescriptions paired with the features staff recommend translate into a patient’s visual experience with crucial intel on key retail dispensing product areas—from photochromics and frame materials to premium lens add-ons and sports eyewear. 

2:15-3:10 p.m.
Using Contact Lens + Disease = Practice Success, OM Clinical 

Explore the ways various eye diseases can be managed and treated with contact lenses—soft, scleral lenses, rigid gas permeable lenses, and more—including tips on billing and coding for medically necessary contact lenses.

2:15-3:10 p.m.
The Digital Prowess Bootcamp: Expert Strategies, EB Retail Strategies + Business Management 

Learn in-depth strategies on leveraging your social media presence alongside digital marketing campaigns to increase virtual and physical traffic to your business, including steps to curating content, when to employ influencer marketing, and how to use paid ads.

3:20-5:10 p.m. The Staffing Crisis Series, EB Retail Strategies + Business Management 

Diana Canto-Sims, O.D., shares strategies on hiring, training, and integrating qualified staff into your practice—and how to retain them.  

Sunday, Dec. 3

9:35-11:25 a.m.
Prevention of Medical Errors, Florida Board of Optometry 

Increase your understanding of medical errors with a focus on the optometric setting, including the definition and categories of medical errors that can occur, how to prevent them, and a review of root cause analysis. 

Explore the Exhibits

The Optometric Management Symposium is designed so you don’t have to miss a thing, with continuing education sessions scheduled to not interfere with your time on the exhibit floor, plus opportunities for you and your team to recharge with refreshments. 

Take advantage of breaks in between education sessions and get acquainted with exhibitors, located in the Newport Ballroom unless otherwise noted:

Thursday, Nov. 30

• Exhibit hall open, 8:25-10 a.m.

• Sponsored breakfast talk, 8:40-9:25 a.m.

• Exhibit hall open, 11:50 a.m. to1:15 p.m.

• Sponsored lunch talk with Glaukos, 12:05-12:50 p.m.

• Refreshment break, 3:05-4 p.m.

• Sponsored talk, 3:30-4 p.m.

• Exhibit reception, 5-6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 1

• Exhibit hall open, 8:25-9:45 a.m.

• Sponsored breakfast talk with Bausch + Lomb, 8:40-9:25 a.m.

• Exhibit hall open, 12:30-2:05 p.m.

• Sponsored lunch talk, 1-1:45 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 2

• Exhibit hall open, 8:25-9:45 a.m.

• Sponsored breakfast talk with Iveric Bio, 8:40-9:25 a.m.

• Exhibit hall open, 12:35-2:15 p.m.

• Sponsored lunch talk, 12:50-1:35 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 3

• Sponsored breakfast talk, 8:35-9:25 a.m., Cape Cod Hall A-C