WCO announces partnerships for Optometry’s Meeting 2025, names myopia management ambassadors

Image Credit: AdobeStock/MonkeyBusiness

An upcoming optometric event will be held as part of a collaborative effort between the World Council of Optometry (WCO), the American Optometric Association (AOA), and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) in addition to the appointment of a myopia management ambassador team with CooperVision.^1,2 WCO’s 5th World Congress of Optometry, to be held during the 128th Annual AOA Congress and 57th Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting 2025, will take place from June 25 to 28 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minnesota.

“It is truly a momentous decision for us, the WCO, to have the opportunity to collaborate with the AOA and AOSA at Optometry’s Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2025,” WCO President Sandra S. Block, OD, MEd, MPH, FAAO, FCOVD, said in a news release. “The AOA is a great leader, as they have been a strong advocate for optometry in the US. WCO has learned a great deal from their leadership over the years. As WCO focuses on advocacy on the global level, we take the knowledge and lessons learned to build optometry beyond the borders of North America. We look forward to working together with AOA and AOSA to make the 5th World Congress of Optometry one that will deliver great insight and education to help strengthen the profession globally.”

The 2025 World Congress of Optometry event is expected to bring presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities. “Through advocacy, education, policy development, and humanitarian outreach, the Congress and Optometry’s Meeting will empower optometrists to play a pivotal role in promoting eye health and vision care for all, fostering a world where everyone can enjoy the benefits of visual health,” the release said.

“This precedent-setting connection of Optometry’s Meeting with WCO’s World Congress provides us with a unique opportunity to highlight the great collaboration and synergies we have as organizations and as a global optometric community,” AOA President Ronald L. Benner, OD, said in the release. “We look forward to spotlighting and advancing the world of opportunities we have ahead of us as essential and valued eye health care providers.”

“As future leaders in optometry, students are excited for this unparalleled chance to engage with global experts through the collaboration of the WCO, AOA, and AOSA,” Emily Benson, AOSA president and student at The Ohio State University College of Optometry in Columbus, said. “We’re not just preparing for the future of optometry but actively shaping it to ensure our patients receive the eye care they deserve.”

Website information for the 2025 event is to come soon, according to the release.

CooperVision

Additionally, WCO partnered with CooperVision to appoint a team of 4 ambassadors to assist with education, outreach, and practice-building initiatives.² The team will serve a global role by representing a variety of different regions, with each member having extensive experience with myopia management in both clinical practice and education settings, according to a news release.

The new team members include Nicola Logan, PhD, MEd, MCOptom, SFHEA, FHEA, of the School of Optometry at Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom; Jagrut Lallu, MSc Specialty Lenses, BOptom, FIAOMC, of Rose Optometry in Hamilton, New Zealand; Síofra Harrington, PhD, FAOI, of the School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences at Technological University Dublin in Ireland; and Ashley Wallace Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Dipl ABO, of Bellaire Family Eye Care and The Contact Lens Institute of Houston, both in Texas. Each member is a representative of a certain geographic region, with Logan as the global representative, Lallu as the Asia-Pacific representative, Harrington as the European representative, and Tucker as the US representative.²

“With cases of myopia soaring among children, there is an urgent need to adopt myopia management as a standard of care on a global scale. It is an important cause to each of our ambassadors, and I’m thrilled to collaborate with them to expand awareness around the world,” Block said in the release. “Each ambassador will play a crucial role in our efforts, using their platforms to engage with the optometry community and reach a broader audience. Although more eye care professionals have embraced evidence-based approaches focused on the mitigation, measurement, and management of myopia, there is still much work to be done. We have new and exciting endeavors planned for this year, and we’re ready to hit the ground running.”

References:

• World Council of Optometry to host 5th World Congress of Optometry (WCO5) in partnership with American Optometric Association (AOA) at Optometry’s Meeting 2025. News release. World Council of Optometry. March 28, 2024. Accessed April 15, 2024. https://worldcouncilofoptometry.info/world-council-of-optometry-to-host-5th-world-congress-of-optometry-wco5-in-partnership-with-american-optometric-association-aoa-at-optometrys-meeting-2025/

• World Council of Optometry announces ambassadors for myopia management outreach initiatives. News release. World Council of Optometry. April 2, 2024. Accessed April 15, 2024. https://worldcouncilofoptometry.info/world-council-of-optometry-announces-ambassadors-for-myopia-management-outreach-initiatives/