News at OpticalCEUs

20/20 Magazine
(Continuing Education Articles)
“Kids and Kontacts”
By Linda Conlin
“Embyronic Eye Development”
By Linda Conlin

Eyewitness Magazine
“Sellers of Illegal CLs
Target Teens”
By Linda Conlin
“Solutions in Pediatric Myopia
By Linda Conlin
Are Closer Than You Think”
By Linda Conlin (Page 15)
“Contact Lens Fits for Younger Children on the Rise”
By Linda Conlin (Page 13)

Featured Products

Biographies of Speakers

Descriptions of Seminar s

Attendee Evaluation of OpticalCEU's Conferences

2014 Spring Conference
2013 Fall Conference
2013 Spring Conference
2012 Fall Conference
2012 Spring Conference
2011 Fall Conference
2011 Spring Conference
2010 Autumn Conferenc e
2009 Autumn Conference

NAO names Linda Conlin
of OpticalCEUs
Ambassador of the Year.

Industry Sources
All about Vision
American Board of Opticianry (ABO)/National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE)
Contact Lens Society of America
Contact Lens Update
Eyewitness Magazine
National Academy of Opticianry (NAO)
Opticians Association of America (OAA)
Opticians Association of Canada (OAC)
20/20 Magazine
Vision Council
Vision Monday

FYI: Linda Conlin founded OpticalCEUs in 1999 with the goal of providing inexpensive and informative continuing education courses for opticians and other individuals in the optical field. Since that time, she has successfully accomplished that goal with more than ten continuing education seminars, providing continuing education credits for hundreds of opticians. In addition, she has presented training seminars for the ophthalmic/opticianry chain Opticare, presented at CLES, and for state opticians' associations. She also write the “Kid's Korner” column for Eyewitness Magazine.

With more than 30 years experience in the optical field, Linda Conlin is an accredited speaker with the ABO and NCLE. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Fairfield University and optician’s licenses in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She is a Fellow Ambassador of the National Academy of Opticianry, Past President of the Connecticut Opticians Association, and was the 1992 Connecticut Optician of the Year, has consulted for the NCLE, and is presently serving on the CLSA University Curriculum Review Sub-Committee.

F.E.Enterprises, the parent company of OpitcalCEUs, maintains attendance and course completion records for five years for opticians attending OpticalCEUs continuing education conferences.

Attendees Applaud the OpticalCEUs Spring 2014
Continuing Education Seminar for Opticians

At the Spring 2014 continuing education conference, some 150 opticians learned about contact lenses on the job and for athletes, fitting irregular corneas, the fundamentals of sight, diseases of the eye, and use of the slit lamp. They came to the ballroom of the Grand Pequot at Foxwoods Resorts from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. And they were more than happy with what they heard. (See their evaluations of each seminar.)

One attendee summed it up best when he described the seminar as being “consciously planned.” If you want a taste of what these opticians saw, enjoyed, and tasted during a day of ABO/NCLE certified classes, watch our short movie.

Here are more of their comments about the various seminars:

Score with Contact Lenses for Sports: Good basic course, excellent speaker, thank you, Linda
Fitting Irregular Corneas: Awesome, very good, loved the instructor, he's great, very clear and easy to understand, should be a teacher, good speaker, informative, very good, excellent speaker, excellent in every way, great speaker get him again
The Miracle of Sight: Awesome, polarized lenses were an important part of the seminar, The information at the end of this presentation was the most beneficial. More of this!
Diseases of the Eye: Love it!!! , please offer more seminars like this, great speaker, good course, great speaker, learned from him, more, enjoy lectures given by Joe Forte, always interesting and informative, fabulous speaker!, loved it!, great speaker!
Beam Me Up! Understanding the Slit Lamp: Needed this before licensing, nice review!, great video, video was very complementary to the presentation awesome review and understanding the slit lamp, liked the video a lot, good refresher, and great.

Th ey listened to and questioned accredited lecturers Linda Conlin, Deborah Kotob of Vision-Ease and Joe Forte as they presented six courses enabling opticians to earn seven ABO/NCLE credits. For 15 years Linda, an NAO Fellow Ambassador, has provided continuing education and training for opticians at the state and national level. She is ABO and NCLE certified, licensed in CT, MA and RI, and has written for 20/20 and EyeWitness magazines. Deborah, a sales consultant for Vision-Ease, crates and presents ABO seminars related to best practices. A Massachusetts-licensed optician, she has owned an optical business and was a sales representative for MODO and Luxottica. Deborah has achieved ABOM and NCLE certifications. Joe, the director of contact lens services for Raymond Opticians, lectured at CUNY Tech, Vision Expo and Optifair. He was program director of the Interboro Institute College of Opticianry where he taught courses in various areas of contact lenses and optics.

See the Movie of Another OpticalCEUs Successful Conference for Opticians!!!
The scores of opticians from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island raved about the presentations at OpticalCEUs Fall 2013 Continuing Education Conference at Foxwoods on Oct. 20. See the movie on this webpage. Seconds after several speaker finished, opticians were walking up as the speakers packed up their materials and they offered congratulations and thanks. For example, one attendee told Deborah Kotob of Vision-Ease that he learned more from her two-credit presentation than he had at another CEU conference.

The attendees also responded more than favorably to the seminars as indicated by their responses to the questionnaire that the ABO/NCLE asks that participants fill out at the end of each presentation. You can see the results on this webpage.

The six ABO/NCLE courses, offering a total of seven CEUs, helped opticians discover how to fit irregular corneas with contact lenses, provide top-notch patient care by identifying vision health issues, and learn about new technology in spectacle and contact lenses. Here are reactions of attendees to some of the courses offered.

Augmented Reality Contact Lenses (course name): "Very interesting!" "Different - Great speaker." "Incredible! Best hour of all. Very exciting new technology!" "Great!" "Technology is amazing!" “Excellent course on the future of contact lenses. Awesome facts on positive and negative situations to come. Good theory on safety, health concerns and visual distractions. Expressed hypothetical scrutiny that can help to handle upcoming patients. Good critical thinking on who we serve, can and will serve. Provided a vast array of data from experts in our industry. Showed well thought out placement to educate and create a desire to expand on what was given."

Beam Me Up! Understanding the Slit Lamp (course name): "Loved the video." "Keep the videos - super entertaining." "Have more videos with this guy." "Video definitely put the whole process of using the slit lamp." "Very interesting – thanks." "Video/slides were great - great info."

Grading Contact Lens Complications (course name): "My recognition of these situations is still very limited. Have not got the experience with these matters. Great explanation of neovascularization." "Being weak on contact lens grading, I felt I understood better after going through the course." "Slides were great!"

Answers to the survey question, "Considering your other education options, why did you select this seminar?": "Convenience, audio/visual material." "Convenient location and time." "Very helpful to busy person. Appreciate the convenience of the program." "Cost, convenience, informative not overwhelming." "Time, location and topics, great presentation and speakers." "Price, location, topics discussed; like the speakers."

Congratulations to Deborah Kotob
for Earning Her Master ABO Designation

Shortly before Deborah Kotob presented her talk at OpticalCEUs Fall 2013 Continuing Education Conference, she received one of the highest honors available to an optician. She, a sales consultant for Vision-Ease, earned her ABO Master in Ophthalmic Optics certification. "The ABO Master in Ophthalmic Optics designation demonstrates to the public and colleagues that an individual has attained a superior level in ophthalmic dispensing," notes the ABO website. The rigorous program requires candidates to pass a comprehensive exam and to write a Master's paper.

"It's an honor for such an accomplished optician to be a part of OpticalCEUs continuing education program," noted Linda Conlin, founder of OpticalCEUs. "Her continuing education classes always provide attendees with an intriguing look at optics, and our attendees appreciate the professionalism that she brings to every presentation."

"The Master optician certification is worth the effort," said Kotob. "Preparing for the exam and writing the research paper forced me to become more knowledgeable about optical theory and the effects of light, both good and bad, on ocular tissue." When asked about what she enjoyed most about the program, she said, "The best part was learning. I'm an optician. I've dispensed. But to dig deep into all that is required for sight and how that little hockey puck of a lens corrects Ametropia or Asthenopia, to name a couple, was satisfying. Through this program, I expanded the depth and breadth of my understanding of ophthalmic optics."

ABO/NCLE Ends Grace
Period for Certification

ABO/NCLE has ended its grace period for opticians who wish to remain ABO and/or NCLE certified. Here's a copy of the notice that has been emailed to opticians.

This notice is to advise you that your ABO and/or NCLE certification is going to expire on 12/31/2013. This is the absolute last date for you to complete all of your credits and your payment due for re-certification and to submit documentation showing proof of completion of the required number of CECs. There is no 4th year, suspension year, late fee period, or grace period [the blog's emphasis]. If you do not submit your appropriate credits and payment(s) due by 12/31/2013, your certification will expire, and you will be required to re-take the examination(s) in order to become ABO and/or NCLE Certified again. There are no exceptions [ABO/NCLE emphasis].

To renew your certification through 12/31/2016, you must: 1.) Complete the required number of hours of continuing education on or before December 31, 2013. ABO Certified: 12 ABO approved CECs (up to 3 may be NCLE approved). NCLE Certified: 18 NCLE approved CECs (up to 6 may be ABO approved). ABO & NCLE Certified: 21 CECs total (9 ABO approved and 12 NCLE approved). 2.) Submit your CECs or proof of current state licensed (only if your state requires continuing education to renew) by December 31, 2013. The ABO renewal fee is $85. The NCLE renewal fee is $85.

OpticalCEUs Speaker Joe Forte Certified as an Advanced Level III Speaker
ABO/NCLE (American Board of Opticianry/National Contact Lens Examiners) has approved OpticalCEUs speaker Joe Forte as an Advanced, Level III speaker for ABO/NCLE courses. Level III speakers can give level I, II or III courses. ABO/NCLE grants certification based on education, work experience, teaching and/or speaking experience, specialized training and certifications. OpticalCEUs is pleased to have Joe offer this level of education to our attendees.

Joe has lectured at CUNY Tech, specializing in contact lenses and was program director of the Interboro Institute College of Opticianry where he taught optics, anatomy and physiology, contact lenses, fabrication, and ophthalmic mathmatics. He has lectured at Vision Expo and Optifair. He is currently director of contact lens services for Raymond Opticians and a contact lens specialist for Greenwich Ophthalmology. Joe is also a professional musician. He is the percussionist at the Westchester Broadway Theater.

NAO Recognizes Linda Conlin
"In this issue, we are choosing to use this space to highlight a particularly amazing [NAO] ambassador. Linda Conlin...has been an NAO fellow since 1999 and an ambassador for many years. Her work for us is consistently wonderful that she has won our Ambassador of the Year Award twice." That's the start of an article (page 16) in this month's Vision of the Industry, the official publication of the National Academy of Opticianry.

NAO's Apprentice Training Program Valid in Eight States
Eight states—namely Alaska, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas—now allow apprenticing opticians to enroll in the National Academy of Opticianry's Ophthalmic Career Progression Program (OCPP) rather than attend school full-time, notes the National Academy of Opticianry. "These states...view the OCPP as one method for Apprenticing Opticians to achieve their states' rigid education and training requirements via the OCPP's 'home study' apprenticing program," according to a recent NAO email.

Participants in the 28-year-old program must have a high-school diploma or equivalent and must work in an optical position with a licensed and practising optician, optometrist, or ophthalmologist. The student also must interact daily with his/ her sponsor, who assesses the student's progress through the program. The cost of the OCPP is $800. A payment plan is available.

The NAO notes that more than 1450 students in the U.S. and overseas participate in the program while working for such operations as LensCrafters, WalMart, Davis Vision, Empire Vision, National Vision, Pearle Vision, and Sterling.

Since the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) has approved the OCPP as a prep-course for the ABO certification exam, opticians and eye doctors from the other 42 states use the program as a baseline for their training programs. For more information, call NAO (800-229-4828) or click the OCPP button on the association's home page .

OpticalCEUs Spring 2013 Continuing Education Conference a Success
More than 150 opticians from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island raved about OpticalCEUs 2013 Continuing Education Conference for Opticians at Foxwoods. See the movie about the conference. This is what they had to say: "Excellent format", Convenient location, value for $", "Courses are interesting and the price is right", "I like the format", "Lectures were interesting and informative", "Less expensive, fun location, well organized, relaxed", "Less expensive, more room, different eating area, bathroom cleanliness, well organized", "This program has improved so much in quality of speakers and comfort of room", "Like presenters, location, price", "Each class was very informative and not too long. Thank you for offering this seminar - don't change a thing!", "Good food, good location, always enjoy coming to Linda's seminar".

Linda Conlin, founder of the innovative, attendee-oriented continuing education program OpticalCEUs and the increasingly popular optical news site, Optical News from OpticalCEUs, recently released the outstanding performance evaluations from opticians attending its Spring 2013Continuing Education Seminar for Opticians at Foxwoods. As mandated by ABO/NCLE (American Board of Opticianry/National Contact Lens Examiners), OpticalCEUs surveys attendee reaction to each seminar using a standard ABO/NCLE questionnaire. “Clearly our attendees appreciate the time, energy, and professionalism that each speaker puts into her/his work,” said Linda Conlin.

The seven-credit, six-course continuing education seminar for opticians was comprised of the following: Lensology—A Review of Lens Basics Speaker: Deborah Kotob (2 ABO) 9am-11am; Augmented Reality Contact Lenses Speaker: Linda Conlin (1 NCLE) 11am-Noon; Troubleshooting Prism Speaker: Joe Forte (1 ABO) 1 pm-2 pm; Dry Eye and Contact Lenses Speaker: Linda Conlin (1 NCLE) 2 pm-3 pm; Getting Started—How to Start Fitting Contact Lenses Speaker: Joe Forte (1 NCLE) 3pm-4pm; Grading Contact Lens Complications Speaker: Linda Conlin (1 NCLE) 4 pm-5pm NEW! As always, all conference attendees enjoyed a complimentary hot lunch buffet prepared by the resort's culinary staff!