AAOpt 2024: Q&A with American Academy of Optometry president-elect Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD

Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD, FAAO Image credit: American Academy of Optometry

In the ever-evolving field of optometry, leadership and innovation play crucial roles in shaping the future of eye care. As president-elect of the American Academy of Optometry, Jeffrey J. Walline, OD, PhD, is poised to make a significant impact on the optometric industry. In this exclusive Q&A, we Walline discusses his vision for the Academy, the challenges facing the industry, and what to expect at this year's American Academy of Optometry meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, November 6-9, 2024.

Q: First, can you tell me more about your career and how you decided to pursue the Academy presidency?

A: I attended my first Academy meeting as a student. I was thrilled to meet Dr. Ed Bennett who wrote the textbook on contact lenses, and even more thrilled that he took the time to talk to me while drinking a beverage. That certainly affected my love of the Academy. I never really pursued the Academy presidency, but I certainly wanted to be a part of the Board of Directors, and the presidency just happened. I was nominated to interview with the Board of Directors as a young faculty member, but turned it down because I didn’t have enough experience. However, the second time I was nominated, I decided to put my hat in the ring and was lucky enough to be elected to the board. It has been my favorite volunteer activity of my optometric career.

Q: What are you most looking forward to accomplishing during your term?

A: The Academy provides the best continuing education in the profession, and we want to provide that excellence in post-graduate education outside of the annual meeting. Providing people with year-round opportunities for learning about evidence-based patient care will improve patient care and optometric standing.

Q: Do you have any overarching themes for initiatives you’re undertaking during 2025?

A: The overarching theme relates to increasing opportunities for excellent continuing education for optometrists.

Q: Can you tell us more about what will be happening at the 2024 AAOpt meeting?

A: Academy 2024 Indianapolis will open with the Plenary Session, which will help prepare optometrists for the future of optometric care. Artificial intelligence (AI) will very rapidly change how we practice optometry, and the plenary will present information about how AI is currently used, how it will be integrated in practice, and important questions to ask related to implementation of AI. The meeting will close with a reception for Fellows from 4:00 to 5:30 on Saturday.

Q: Are there any hot topics in the industry you’re particularly excited to talk to colleagues about at the upcoming Academy meeting?

A: Everybody knows that myopia control is what excites me most. This year, we will hear a summary of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report Myopia: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment of an Increasingly Common Disease. There are also several hours of continuing education on the topic, so doctors new to myopia control will be able to implement it and doctors who already conduct myopia control will be able to enhance it.

Q: Does Academy leadership have a clear vision for the next year? 5 years? What kinds of initiatives can we expect to see?

A: Our focus is on providing more continuing education outside of the annual meeting. We will create virtual and in-person opportunities to learn about the latest innovations in eye care.

Q: If you had all the resources in the world, what area of eye care research would you expand?

A: That is an easy question for me to answer. I would put all of the resources into myopia, a disease that affects far more people than any other disease. Myopia is an incredibly complicated disease, and we have only been able to control a very modest proportion of the progression of the disease to date. Slowing or stopping that progression and even preventing the disease would be my focus for the world’s research resources.