The 2026 Southern Council of Optometrists (SECO) annual meeting kicked off Feb. 25 through March 1 in Atlanta, Georgia, with industry innovations at top of mind.
From over 150 exhibitors to five days of continuing education (CE) sessions (including 16-hour laser and surgical procedures certification programs), attendees were also offered an exclusive first look at the future of eye care in the Optometry’s Marketplace within the Exhibit Hall at the Georgia World Congress Center.
For a look at just a few of the happenings on-site—including companies represented and topics discussed—we’ve got a few highlights.
- And take note: This is certainly not all that went down at the meeting.
Where to start?
The five-day event kicked off Wednesday with a two-part Contact Lens Summit featuring a moderated panel of three clinical experts discussing real-world contact lens fitting cases as well as findings from recent research publications and clinical studies.
The moderator: Milt Hom, OD, of Canyon City Eyecare
The experts:
- Jennifer S. Harthan, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FNAP, Dipl CCLRT (Illinois College of Optometry)
- Ashley Wallace-Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS (Bellaire Family Eye Care, The Contact Lens Institute of Houston)
- Aaron Zimmerman, OD, MS, FAAO (The Ohio State University College of Optometry)
Among the topics: dry eye, scleral and multifocal (MF) lenses, and myopia management.
Was there a keynote address as well?
You bet. On Thursday, SECO’s keynote address Eye Care Reimagined: The AI Advantage honed in on how artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to revolutionize clinical eyecare practice over the next decade.
The session featured a panel of key opinion leaders (KOLs) moderated by Scot Morris, OD, FAAO, an optometrist in practice at Eye Consultants of Colorado with expertise in dry eye and technology.
Those KOL panelists included:
And which areas of this topic were covered?
The panel discussed today’s use of technology in clinical practice, with particular focus on AI’s integration into everyday use for enhancing operations from three unique perspectives:
- The impact on audience engagement
- A clinician’s viewpoint
- From the standpoint of an industry advocate and technology expert
The speakers emphasized that practices need to shift their mindset to focus on improving value and efficiency within their practice by changing how they work.
Go on …
Specifically: They detailed a 5-year plan for adopting new technology, placing particular emphasis on why and how the use of CE and staff training can be used to support better optimization of AI and an overall understanding of data in practice.
Also discussed: Current challenges in eye care—patient intakes, clinical care, eyewear sales, and office management—in which common problems include disconnected data systems, repetitive manual work, heavy mental workload for providers, and limited use of predictive tools.
So how might AI resolve these issues?
By ECPs using (and viewing) it as a tool that could not only advance patient care but also enable eyecare providers (ECPs) to focus more on what truly matters: the patient.
- The panelists recommended practices should start small with AI by where it may be needed the most and focus on where improvements are needed.
The big-picture takeaway isn’t whether AI will change eyecare (it already is), but whether ECPs will be able to get in front of the changes and use it to their advantage.
Duly noted. What education opportunities were there?
Aside from all those CE sessions? Here’s a look a few other offerings:
- Laser and Procedures 2.0 programs
- Introduced intravitreal injections, advanced eyelid procedures, and comprehensive hands-on training
- Surgical & Aesthetics Skills Education Pavilion (within Optometry’s Marketplace)
- Offered unlimited introductory access to lasers, aesthetics devices, and surgical equipment
- Cutting Edge Eyecare workshop
- Featured three new technologies
- Eyewear Catwalk Unleashed and Optical Throwdown
- Presented by SECO’s new Optical Theater, featuring Phernell Walker (newly-appointed chair of the American Board of Opticionary) and Bill Gerber (founder / CEO of OMG! Optical Marketing Group)
- Basic Optics & Optician Training (BOOT Camp) program
- Offered fast-paced training for new optical staff and team cross-training
Now moving on to the exhibit hall …
The show floor opened bright and early Friday morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony led by SECO President Tim Barry, OD.
Dr. Barry described the marketplace as a hub for innovation and technology bringing together education and industry partners to offer attendees unique technologies and hands-on clinical experience.
- He referenced the expression “Think globally, act locally,” to the crowd of attendees. “You are our conduit to bringing this information and technology to the (optometric) world,” he said.
And which exhibitors were on the show floor?
We did mention that list of 150+ exhibitors at Optometry’s Marketplace (the Exhibit Hall), right? Check them out here.
But for the sake of brevity (practically our middle name around here), we’ll just mention a few—starting with Tenpoint Pharmaceuticals.
- Their (recent) big news: The FDA’s January 2026 approval of YUVEZZI (carbachol and brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution) 2.75% / 0.1% for the treatment of presbyopia.
- Its claim to fame: YUVEZZI is the first (and only) dual-agent, presbyopia-correcting eye drop
- Learn more about its star ingredients: brimonidine and carbachol.
- Its claim to fame: YUVEZZI is the first (and only) dual-agent, presbyopia-correcting eye drop
Who else?
We can’t not mention Alcon.
Their latest news: The company introduced its latest TOTAL30 contact lens to the U.S. market just within the last couple of weeks.
- Those details: TOTAL30 MF for Astigmatism is the first (and only) MF toric contact lens designed with its proprietary water gradient technology.
- Its target patients: Intended for astigmatic presbyopes with a monthly replacement schedule.
For a complete rundown on all of the lens’s unique and proprietary properties—think: PRECISION BALANCE 8 | 4 lens, Water Gradient Technology, and CELLIGENT Technology—click here.
Any other notable mentions?
A few others (and we’ll also include our last coverage on their updates)
- iOR Partners
- Did you hear about their new MD-OD surgery partnership model?
- Nanodropper
- The volume-reducing eye drop bottle developer recently consolidated and is now operating as MuMedical
- Newton (formerly Neurolens)
- We (quite literally) just reported on data from a large-scale, real-world study supporting its Neurolens with Contoured Prism tech as a first-line treatment for digital eye strain symptoms
- Olleyes
- VisuALL VRP developer has introduced the new HearALL virtual reality (VR)-based screening test as an addition to its VR-virtual field assessment system.
- Orasis Pharmaceuticals
- The company’s strong presence at SECO (think: education sessions and scientific content) follows its April 2025 U.S. commercial launch of QLOSI (pilocarpine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) 0.4% for adult presbyopia.
- Rinsada
- Maker of the FDA-cleared irrigating eyelid retract recently expanded its distribution to Canada.
- Scope Health Inc.
- Learn about its new OPTASE HYLO Forte Dry Eye Drops, which launched this past fall (and see our deep dive into its glycerin / hyaluronic acid-based formulation).
- Sun Pharma
- Check out these Onset of Action Trial results on the FDA-approved CEQUA for dry eye patients preparing for cataract surgery.
- Topcon Healthcare
- Recently integrated the WAVE Lens Designer Software with its TopconMYAH—and partnered with Remoni Health on remote at-home vision testing.
- Viatris Inc.
- In case you missed it: The FDA just accepted its (and Opus Genetics’) supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for phentolamine ophthalmic solution 0.75% to treat presbyopia.
So! Is it too soon to ask about SECO 2027?
Not at all. Next year’s event is scheduled for March 2-7 in (where else?) Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center.
And in the meantime See more from SECO 2026 here.