Eyes On Eyecare’s first, in-person event for eyecare professionals (ECPs) kicked off last month, drawing in over 1,700 attendees in its hybrid format.
That’s exciting! Give me a rundown on this event.
- When: April 19-20, 2024
- Where: Oquendo Campus, Las Vegas, Nevada
- What: The event included in-person networking, virtual access, up to 12 COPE-accredited continuing education (CE) units and hands-on skills transfers—including ocular surface labs and demonstrations
Now let’s talk agenda.
Thanks to the event's hybrid nature, both in-person and virtual attendees accessed expert-led sessions, with a major focus on career development and education at the center of the event.
Topics included:
- Keys to building a powerhouse practice
- Deep dives into dry eye disease
- State of the union on myopia management
- How to detect AMD, GA, and DR even earlier
- Next-gen contact lens technologies
- Mastering a collaborative-care approach to MIGS
- What today’s ODs need to know about keratoconus
- Simplified strategies to enhance NK diagnosis and management
- Co-management pearls essential for patient-centric care
- New innovations in ocular aesthetics
- Overcoming digital impacts on patient ocular comfort and vision
Who were some of these experts?
Educational sessions—moderated by Vision Medical Education (VME) President Michael S. Cooper, OD—featured presentations from 25 speakers, including:
- John C. Affeldt, MD
- Ives A. Valenzuela, MD
- Michael A. Singer, MD
- Mitch Ibach, OD, FAAO
- Cory J. Lappin, OD, MS, FAAO
- Selina R. McGee, OD, FAAO
And how was the virtual version of the meeting set up?
Virtual attendees watched the in-person event in real time, participating in live Q&A sessions following presentations, and connecting with other attendees via Eyes On Eyecare’s paper-to-peer chat function.
Fact: In total, virtual participants consumed over 8,200 hours of content.
You mentioned hands-on labs earlier … what did that include?
Available for in-person attendees only, these unique labs—moderated by Eyes On Eyecare’sAssociate Director of Medical Communications Al Kabat, OD—offered ECPs the chance to work side-by-side with expert instructors during the following sessions:
- Getting started with intense pulsed light (IPL)
- Led by: Aaron Werner, OD; Cory Lappin, OD, MS, FAAO
- Mastering soft multifocal fitting
- Led by: Kurt Moody, OD, FAAO
- Profit first! Eradicating practice poverty
- Led by: Mick Kling, OD
- Prokera demonstration
- Led by: Rachel Valladares (associate product manager at BioTissue, Inc.)
Who sponsored the event?
The event’s sponsors and Exhibit Hall exhibitors were available for attendees to connect with both in-person and virtually on both days. Among the nine sponsors were:
- Johnson & Johnson
- Dompé U.S.
- Astellas
- Lumenis
- Bausch + Lomb
Fact: Each day earned 800+ booth pageviews per sponsor among virtual attendees.
Nice! So what were the vibes after Eyes On Eyecare’s first in-person event?
Overall? Excellent. Here are a few stats, courtesy of a post-event survey sent to on-site attendees:
- 99% of onsite attendees rated they were “very satisfied” with the event
- 94% of onsite attendees rated the education “above average or excellent”
- Majority rated it “excellent”
- 95% of onsite attendees rated the speakers “above average or excellent”
- Majority rated it “excellent”
See here for a few testimonials.
Any plans for a repeat of this event next year?
Perhaps … we’ll keep you posted in the coming months!
In the meantime, what other events is Eyes On Eyecare offering?
Switching back to the company’s virtual meetings, here’s what’s on tap for the next few weeks and months:
- Implementation Pathways to Dry Eye Practice Success
- See here for all the details
- Series 1: Diagnosis to Action: Implementing Cutting-Edge Dry Eye Strategies
- When: Saturday, May 11, 2024
- Series 2: Beyond Dryness: Building Preventative Dry Eye Strategies
- When: Saturday, May 18, 2024
- Register here for both events
- When: Saturday, May 18, 2024
- Eyes on Glaucoma 2024
- See here for everything to know
- When: Saturday, June 15, 2024
- See here for everything to know
And click here for even more events!