Volume 6, Issue 26 │July 1, 2022
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The sights and sounds of fireworks are a trademark of summer celebrations. Unfortunately, injuries from sparklers and fireworks sent an estimated 11,500 Americans to the emergency room last year, according to a report issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, (CPSC)1.
The IOA sent out a press release reminding the public of the dangers involved with fireworks, especially during the Fourth of July season.
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Editor's Note: The IOA office will be closed on Monday, July 4th in honor of Independence Day. We wish you a safe and happy holiday weekend. |
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Submit your opinion and enter to win a $100 Starbucks gift card
The IOA is conducting a survey to determine what member benefits mean the most to members and where improvements may be made. This survey will help IOA to determine future association goals and prioritize initiatives valued by members.
Your responses will be used during the IOA Board of Directors' strategic planning meeting as we decide the goals and priorities of the association for the next few years.
The responses are anonymous; however, respondents will be asked to submit their name and email if they want to enter into the Starbucks gift card drawing. Names and survey answers will not be shared outside of the IOA office and will not be shared with the Board or members.
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Mark Your Calendar for the IOA Annual Meeting!
September 29-October 2
Some meeting highlights you don't want to miss:
- 18 hours of CE, all except the workshop are offered tested
- 8 hours of CE for paraoptometrics
- Illinois Optometry’s Celebration on Saturday night where we will present the OD & Young OD of the Year Awards
- Howl at the Moon dueling pianos performing at IL Optometry’s Celebration
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Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
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2022 Medicare Fee Schedules
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Labor Law Poster - 2022 Updates |
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Students Focus on Optometry Careers at Midwestern Summer Program
Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Optometry (CCO) held its 4th Annual Summer Eye Experience (SEE) program on the Downers Grove Campus for 30 college students and recent graduates interested in pursuing a career in optometry. Students representing states spanning from California to Florida attended the three-day program that took place in June.
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Get to Know an IOA Board Member: Toseef Hasan, O.D.
What Dr. Hasan loves most about his job:
"What I love the most about my job is my patients. They share insights into not only their eyes but their lives as well."
Advice for new optometrists?
"The one piece of advice I tell every student I meet at ICO and CCO; join the I.O.A. the information you get here is invaluable. The friendships you make here will last a lifetime."
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2022 Optometrist and Young Optometrist of the Year Awards
Do you know an outstanding optometrist who should be recognized for their efforts in the field of optometry? Consider nominating them for the 2022 Optometrist of the Year or Young Optometrist of the Year awards. The Optometrist of the Year award recognizes an individual for performance of outstanding services on behalf of the profession and to the visual welfare of the public. The Young Optometrist of the Year award recognizes an optometrist who, within their first decade of practice, has shown leadership skills when serving their profession, their patients, and their community.
A nomination may be made by a member in good standing or by a society. Nominees must be current members of the IOA. Nominations for each award should be submitted online via the links below. A typed statement, not to exceed 2,000 words, should accompany the nomination explaining the primary reason the nominee should be named as the award recipient. A head and shoulders photograph must be included with the nomination. Nominations must be submitted by August 15, 2022.
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IOA Member Rep. Paul Jacobs, OD Wins House Seat |
IOA member Dr. Paul Jacobs won his primary bid for re-election for the 118th District of the Illinois House of Representatives. WSILTV reports that Dr. Jacobs won his primary race with 68% of the vote in his district. Dr. Jacobs has served in the House since 2020. He currently has no opponent in November's general election.
Dr. Jacobs practiced optometry in Carbondale, IL for 34 years, but sold his practice in order to focus on the 118th District. "I'm happy that we're here. I'm very happy that we had a very successful campaign and a very good election,” Jacobs told reporters.
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On Wednesday, June 29, the Mid-State Optometric Society held a society meeting & CE on "What Every Optometrist Should Know About Low Vision" taught by Thomas Porter, OD.
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The Fox Valley Optometric Society also held a society meeting & CE on Wednesday, June 29 on treating pediatric patients. Mohammad Al-Khudari, MD, (pictured right) & Ryan Edwards, OD, (pictured left) presented on the topic from an MD and OD perspective. |
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ANNUAL MEETING SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
Paul Chous, O.D.
Everything Eye Doctors Should Know About Non-Ophthalmic Diabetes Complications
This course will take a deep dive into the myriad complications of diabetes outside of the eye, as well as their relationship to diabetes-related eye disease and the panoply of therapeutic choices for treating hyperglycemia, hypertension and dyslipidemia ubiquitous in patients with diabetes. Attendees will be better able to identify non-ocular complications most associated with diabetic retinal disease and counsel patients about systemic treatment options that lower the risk of cardiovascular, neurologic, renal, and ocular diseases.
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Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!
Taylor Eye Care - Carmi, IL - full or part time optometrist opportunity Full scope primary care optometry practice ( Read more) |
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2022 Primary Election Recap
The 2022 primary election was held on Tuesday, June 28. Below are the results of the races for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Congress, and the IL General Assembly. The general election will be held on Tuesday, November 8.
Primary race winners are bolded
Governor
Democrats: Pritzker
Republicans: Bailey v. Irvin v. Sullivan v. Rabine v. Schimpf
Secretary of State
Democrats: Valencia v. Giannoulias v. Moore
Republicans: Brady v. Milhiser
Attorney General
Democrats: Raoul
Republicans: Kim v. Devore
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U.S. Congress
(I) = Incumbent
Primary race winners are bolded
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Democrats
District 3 - Ramirez v. Villegas
6 - Casten (I) v. Newman (I)
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Republicans
15 - Davis (I) v. Miller (I)
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Senate Democrats
District 2 - Aquino (I) v. Vasquez v. Maldonado
10 - Martwick (I) v. Jones
12 - Villanueva (I) v. Yanez
16 - Williams v. Preston
31 - Yingling v. Edly-Allen
43 - Mattson (I) v. Ventura
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Senate Republicans
27 - Robertson v. Alvarado
35 - Syverson (I) v. Nicolosi
36 - Evans v. Thoms
37 - Stoller (I) v. Nicklaus
43 - Lee v. Harris (too close to call)
54 - McClure (I) v. Debolt
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Illinois House of Representatives |
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House Democrats
District 4 - v. Villafuerte v. Jimenez, L. v. Jimenez, Jr., M
6 - Harper (I) v. Crump
13 - Mojica v. Huynh v. Dordek v. Struck v. Peters
15 - Kelly (I) v. Rabbitt
16 - Stoneback (I) v. Olickal
19 - LaPointe (I) v. Wallace
21 - Zalewski (I) v. Rashid
25 - Tarver (I) v. Carr
27 - Slaughter (I) v. Ward
29 - T. Jones (I) v. Wilson
62 - Wilke v. Maillard v. Dias
72 - Johnson v. Deppe v. Brooks (too close to call)
77 Willis (I) v. Hernandez
83 - Hanson v. Boxenbaum
91 - Chung v. Bailey-Smith
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House Republicans
71 - Swanson (I) v. Rauschert
74 - Avellano, Jr. v. Fritts
75 - Welter (I) v. Davis
87 - Burrsee v. Hauter
89 - McCombie (I) v. Onorato
90 - Cabello v. Szula
91 - Fisher v. Preston
93 - Luft (I) v. Weaver
95 - Butler (I) v. Gray
105 - Ham v. Kirkton v. Rients v. Tipsword
112 - Hackler v. Korte
117 - Windhorst (I) v. Ellis
118 - Jacobs (I) v. Smith
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Equitable Access: Illinois State’s low vision and blindness program empowers impactful educators
Facing a critical shortage of low vision and blindness educators, Illinois State University’s Department of Special Education is innovating to help fill the nationwide need.
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Dr. Natalie Shaheen and Dr. Mindy Ely '91 |
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ILPMP Data Collection Vendor Change
The ILPMP is changing prescription data collection vendors. We will be transitioning from Atlantic Associates, Inc. (AAI), which is going out of business on June 29, to LogiCoy, Inc. All dispensers currently submitting data to AAI will be required to register with LogiCoy.
All dispensers must register online with LogiCoy. Once registered, dispensers can immediately start submitting to LogiCoy Illinois RxSubmit and stop submitting to AAI.
For technical assistance with registration or submission, help is available 24 hours per day/7 days per week. Dispensers should use the Illinois Data Submitter's Guide to register and set up their account for data submission.
Phone: 217-885-2494
For questions regarding this transition or other requirements, email the ILPMP at dhs.pmp@illinois.gov.
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IDFPR Warns Against Scam Calls; Launches New Web Address
IDFPR is also warning licensees of scam calls by people claiming to be a staff member of IDFPR or law enforcement. The scammer calls the licensee and claims their license will be suspended unless a payment is made immediately. IDFPR will never contact a licensee in this manner. Never give your credit card number or personal identification love the phone if you did not initiate the call. To verify if the call is from IDFPR, contact the Department at 847-294-4900.
IDFPR has also moved its web address to idfpr.illinois.gov to be consistent with the website URLs of other state agencies. Please make sure to bookmark the new website, idfpr.illinois.gov. The idfpr.com website is now defunct. |
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FDA Advisers Recommend Updating COVID Booster Shots for the Fall
Some U.S. adults are a step closer to getting updated COVID-19 boosters this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak shots to better match the most recent virus variants.
The Food and Drug Administration will have to decide the exact recipe but expect a combination shot that adds protection against a version of the super-contagious omicron variant to the original vaccine.
Advisers to the FDA voted 19-2 that some version of omicron should be part of a fall booster campaign, an effort to blunt an expected COVID-19 surge.
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Corneal Transplants Becoming More Common
At one time, replacement parts for the eyes must have seemed unimaginable. Nowadays, if the inner lens of the eye becomes clouded by a cataract, a routine surgery to swap it out with a new artificial lens restores vision.
But what happens if the outer lens of the eye (the cornea) becomes damaged or diseased? You can have that replaced, too. "It’s not as common as cataract surgery, but many people get corneal diseases after age 50 and may need a corneal transplant," says Dr. Nandini Venkateswaran, a corneal and cataract surgeon at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
More than 49,000 corneal transplants occurred in 2021 in the US, according to the Eye Bank Association of America.
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THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS! |
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