March 20, 2024 — To create an association representing more than 80,000 opticians and contact lens professionals throughout North America, the Opticians Association of America (OAA) and the National Federation of Opticianry Schools (NFOS) have completed a merger, with funding continuing to be provided by the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners (ABO & NCLE).

Named the United Opticians Association (UOA), the new unified organization will provide membership services focused on state societies, individuals, and firm or guild owners in addition to formal education and apprenticeship training, continuing education, and governmental relations focused on both national and state initiatives.

The UOA Board of Directors includes equal representation from each of the pre-merged boards, with OAA president Ronnie Harbert as the new board president; NFOS president Aarlan Aceto, O.D., as the new vice president; ABO & NCLE vice president and ABO chair William Underwood, Ph.D., as the new treasurer; and ABO & NCLE president and NCLE chair Sandy Brown as the new secretary. The restructured organization will begin operations on Monday, July 1.

"With this merger, we have created a model for the future of opticianry that focuses on promoting the profession of spectacle and contact lens opticians, while also adopting the use of structured educational standards keeping vision care patients healthy and safe through high-quality, properly trained opticians,” says UOA president Harbert.

“Our work is well underway, and we are being very thoughtful about moving the best of our systems forward to continue providing the highest quality of representation for the opticianry and contact lens professions that we serve,” says UOA vice president Dr. Aceto. “We will advance our mission and better serve the entire profession together."