OpticalCEUs--Annual Conferences for Opticians and Optical Personnel

Autumn 2010 Conference Sunday, Oct. 24, at Foxwoods Resorts and Casino. Registration in mid-September.

OpticalCEU

NAO names Linda Conlin
of OpticalCEUs
Ambassador of the Year.

FYI: F.E.Enterprises, the parent company of OpitcalCEUs, maintains attendance and course completion records for five years.

Semi-Annual OpticalCEU
Conference Scheduled

Linda Conlin recently announced that F.E. Enterprises's OpticalCEUs will hold its annual Autumn Conference for opticians and optical personnel at the Foxwoods Resorts Hotels and Casinos on Sunday, October 24. Conlin, the president and founder of OpticalCEUs, noted that the conference will offer opticians and optical personnel seven continuing education credits. Conference attendees can apply these CEUs towards the requirements for their licenses in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. They can also apply them towards their certifications for American Board of Opticianry (ABO) and National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE).

She explained that opticians and optical personnel will be able to register for the conference some time in September. They will be able to register online through this Web site. They will also be able to register by phone, mail, or email.

OpticalCEU's Starts Two News
Services for Opticians

Starting in early July, OpticalCEUs started a news service that is updated daily. The site gathers news stories from around the world and links opticians to them. There are stories about new develops in the field, how athletes use optical equipment to improve their games, and how opticians are helping the world. The site is called Optical News from OpticalCEUs.rs (NCLE).

OpticalCEUs has instituted an additional blog about new developments regards products in the field and how manufacturers are promoting them. It's call Optical Product News from OpticalCEUs

Opticians can reach the sites by clicking the link in the left-hand column. They can also hook up to the sites using an RSS feed.

OpticalCEU's Adds New
Feature to Website and News Site

Recognizing the value of social networking to many individuals, OpticalCEU's has added a share link to its main webpage and to the individual items in the news site. It's called AddThis. It works simply. Place you cursor over the button, which has icons for Facebook, Google, email. Click the item you want, and then you can send the link to friends via email, Facebook, Google, MySpace, and many other Web 2.0 sites.

Attendees Give Spring 2010
OpticalCEU Conference High Marks

As required by the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) and the National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE), OpticalCEUs asks opticians and optical personnel attending each of its annual conferences to rate the presentations and the speakers. Based on the questions required by ABO and NCLE, this is what attendees had to say about the Spring 2010 Conference. (Click the image.) For information about the evaluations of the 2009 Autumn Conference, click here.

Record Attendance at OpticalCEUs
12^thAnnual Spring Conference

On April 18, 2010, there was a record at the Foxwoods Resorts and Casinos. It went largely unnoticed by most, except for several score optical personnel. More than 150 opticians from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island learned about problems associated with contact lens solutions to a unique program about fitting eyewear at the 12^th annual spring seminar for continuing education run by F.E. Enterprises. This year's program was held in the Grand Pequot Ballroom of the Grand Pequot Hotel. Back in October, a similar number of opticians came to the MGM Grand Resort and Casino at the Foxwoods Resorts for a similar program, which attendees have always rated highly. At the spring 2010 conference, opticians from the New England area listened as speakers discussed problems associated with contact lens solutions, ANSI standard for contact lenses, analyzing Eye-Q's, nutrition and vision, competition from Internet providers of eyewear, chromatic lenses for driving, and eyewear fitting problems. Attendees could earn as many as four NCLE continuing education credits and three ABO credits. The sessions were presented by Linda Conlin, founder of F.E. Enterprises, Jean Davidson, and a visiting speaker. Each spring and fall, F.E. Enterprises produces a conference that enables opticians and other optical personnel to earn seven ABO/NCLE credits, which opticians need to maintain their state licenses and their ABO/NCLE certification. And again it was a sold-out conference, fifth in a row.

Linda Conlin founded F.E. Enterprises in 1998 as way of providing opticians with an additional option for earning continuing education. The periodic challenges found in a typical practice inspired her time and again to use her science background to find answers for the questions and issues that arose during her career. With such a wealth of information at her disposal, Linda found starting the conference—called OpticalCEUs—a natural extension of what she had been doing for years.

Attorney General Demands Businesses Immediately Halt Illegal Sale of Non-Corrective Cosmetic Contact Lenses

April 5, 2010: Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today demanded that two retailers and two distributors immediately stop illegal sales of non-corrective cosmetic contact lenses, which under state law can only be sold to consumers by licensed eye care professionals.

Blumenthal sent letters to 7-Eleven Inc., ExxonMobil, Wholesale Club, and AAA Discount demanding they stop selling the lenses, which change or enhance eye color. He also is seeking information on past sales, distribution, and any lens-related lawsuits. Blumenthal further demanded that consumers who request them be given refunds.

Attorney General's Office investigators found the lenses for sale in Hartford at a 7-Eleven and were notified by a consumer they were being sold in West Hartford at an ExxonMobil Station. They also learned that two distributors, Wholesale Club and AAA Discount, are selling the lenses to non-eye care professional retailers in Connecticut.

“These lenses may be tainted as well as tinted,” Blumenthal said. “To protect their sight, consumers seeking cosmetic contact lenses should consult an eye care professional.

“Improperly used cosmetic contact lenses can cause serious and severe injury—infections, corneal damage, even blindness. Sales of cosmetic contact lenses by non-professionals is illegal and dangerous and must cease immediately. Unlicensed retailers are breaking the law as well as putting consumers at risk of infection and vision loss. I urge consumers to shun store lenses, obtaining them instead from eye care professionals.

“I will act aggressively—including court action if necessary—to halt illegal sales and distribution of cosmetic contact lenses in Connecticut.”

Blumenthal's letter demands an immediate sales halt and gives the businesses seven days from receipt to provide additional information.

Web site note: Report suspected violations to your state Department of Health: CT—860-509-7648 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 860-509-7648 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; MA—617-624-6000; RI—401-222-5200; and NH—603-271-4501.