Optometry's Meeting 2026: Show floor highlights and key industry takeaways

This year’s American Optometric Association (AOA) and the American Optometric Student Association’s (AOSA) Optometry’s Meeting kicked off in Phoenix, Arizona, with four jam-packed days of continuing education (CE), initiative launches, and product showcases for a record-setting number of attendees hailing from the optometry space.

We’ve got a look at a few of the event’s highlights from our time on-site—so sit back and prepare to be debriefed.

Where to begin?

The meeting was kicked off by Arizona Optometric Association’s President Jon Beeseon, OD, as well as current AOA President Jacquie M. Bowen, OD.

In speaking to the crowd of attendees, Dr. Beeson emphasized that—more important than the host of exhibits or receptions—the meeting’s most critical purpose is connection.

“It’s about the shared commitment we all bring to caring for patients, advancing our profession, supporting one another, and continuing to move optometry forward,” he stated. “This meeting represents the future of our profession.”

Related: See the AOA’s announcement on expanding its Future Practice Initiative, including plans for the inaugural Practice Growth & Advocacy Conference in Chicago later this year.

And you mentioned record attendance?

Indeed we did. In fact: the AOA reported over 5,500 total attendees at the 2026 event, comprising +3,00 students, residents, new optometrists, and faculty.

Next: updates from the House of Delegates.

The AOA House of Delegates opened on June 18 with a state of the federation presented by AOA Executive Director Jon Hymes, who discussed the AOA’s ongoing legislative advocacy and holding payers (such as vision benefit middlemen (VBM)) accountable.

And on June 19, the session began with a major legislative update: Vermont passed a new optometric scope of practice law, marking it as the 17th state to authorize doctors of optometry to perform ophthalmic laser procedures (check back on Glance for our coverage on this).

Related: See here an update on recent legislative efforts to block VBMs in Texas—and click here for the latest on optometry’s scope of expansion legislation, including major wins in Kansas and Tennessee just this year.

Check out more from the session (including five areas the AOA will be focusing on moving forward).

Before we move on … how did the Delegates end their sessions?

Saturday’s session involved a “consideration of resolutions, amendments, updates, and changes as well as an approval of three bylaws amendments.

Head over here for their latest (and final) determinations.

And most notably: The AOA Board of Trustees selected Terri K Geist, OD, as the 106th AOA president.

Dr. Geist is a comprehensive optometrist currently in practice at Midwest Eyecare in Nebraska.

Alrighty, now to some industry updates—who was there?

With the Eye Care Square serving dual purpose as the conference's exhibit hall and central networking hub (including the EYETalks Stage), more than 150 exhibitors were onsite—including Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, CooperVision, Johnson & Johnson, and Tarsus Pharmaceuticals.

A few (contact lens-themed) highlights:

Alcon introduced expanded parameters across its portfolio of toric contact lenses: PRECISION1, PRECISION7, and TOTAL30 for Astigmatism
Johnson & Johnson unveiled plans for expanded parameters in its ACUVUE OASYS 1-Day for Astigmatism

Any new exhibitors?

Yes! Quite a few, in fact. While not a comprehensive list, we’ll share a few below:

Nice! Can we circle back to Alcon for a moment?

You bet. The company also debuted a first-of-its-kind WaterInnovations Immersive Experience interactive showcase highlighting its line of WaterInnovations lenses—and continued to focus on promoting TRYPTYR (acoltremon ophthalmic solution 0.003%).

To refresh: This dry eye disease drop was launched last summer after receiving FDA approval in 2024.

And Johnson & Johnson?

Ahead of that expanded parameter news—and hosting two symposiums during the meeting—the company also made headlines in announcing an investment of over $1 billion to:

Advance and expand its manufacturing and packaging technologies for its ACUVUE contact lens brand
Construct a new state-of-the-art distribution facility at its U.S. vision operations in Jacksonville, Florida (with plans for completion in 2028)

To note: This latest investment follows its previous commitment of $55 billion for U.S. manufacturing, research and development, and technology through 2029.

And in other news …

Though not industry-focused, per say: The Myopia Collective, a nationwide initiative co-founded by CooperVision and the AOA, hosted its first Day of Advocacy as well as named its first-ever cohort of Student Change Agents to carry out its myopia management advocacy efforts.

The newest group of 22 Change Agents (of practicing optometrists) from 15 states was also announced.

And speaking of CooperVision: The company kickstarted that expanded parameter trend ahead of Optometry’s Meeting with an expanded range for its U.S. inventory of Bioinfinity XR toric contact lenses.

Also while on-site, the company unveiled a new interactive booth.

Talk about a few of the special programs and events.

The AOA Innovation Hub hosted three panel discussions on the latest innovators and startups driving the future of optometric care—from pharma advances in eyecare to surgical procedures and diagnostic equipment.

Another notable topic: How predictive technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and emerging tools are transforming optometry.

The panelists: Topcon’s Rupe Hansra, OD; Newton’s Davis Corley; and EssilorLuxottica’s Carl Spear, OD.

And the basics of their conversation.

Solving workflow challenges requires collaboration between optometrists, patients, industry, and other healthcare providers—AI alone isn't enough.
Wearables were flagged as a major growth area. While today's devices mainly collect data, next-generation wearables are expected to deliver real-time therapeutic benefits.
The takeaway: Optometry must engage with emerging technologies or risk being left out. As one panelist put it, "We're either at the table or on the menu."

Any other AI themes?

During the AOA Experience: Opening Session (supported by Johnson & Johnson), Daniel Kraft, OD, spoke on optometry’s role in shaping the future of eyecare—and how AI is part of a larger wave of innovation reshaping patient care.

His messaging: Framed AI as just one piece of a broader innovation wave — useful for documentation, decision support, and earlier disease detection, but not without risk. Over-reliance, he warned, can lead to "deskilling."

And for optometry, the goal is upskilling: using AI to cut administrative burden and surface better insights, freeing up space for the human conversations that matter most.

Moving on …

One honorable mention: The Ophthalmic World Leaders (OWL) hosted its signature event Communicating with Impact: Storytelling Lessons from TEDx.

Quick OWL rundown: This professional organization unites key eyecare stakeholders in eyecare to drive diversity in leadership via sponsored educational and networking events.

Read up on its background and mission.

And the signature event in question?

Three panelists—Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA; Pamela Theriot, OD, FAAO; and Nishant Maller (senior brand manager, Alcon)—spoke on their recent experiences in presenting TEDx (Drs. Barnett and Theriot) as well as their communications expertise in the optometry practice management space.

Check out Dr. Barnett’s full TEDx exploring the concept of selective vision along with the perceptual bias that quietly determines who becomes visible—and her case for why equality itself should begin with visibility.
See here for Dr. Theriot’s TEDx on the impact of screen time and simple, research-backed ways to protect vision.

What was there for students?

Quite a few targeted events:.

The AOA+ Career Fair kicked off with employment and networking opportunities for optometry students and new optometrists.

And the inaugural AOA EyeQ Championship—previously known as the Student Bowl and referred to as the “crown jewel of student events” at Optometry’s Meeting—debuted as a high-speed test of optometric clinical knowledge for students from each of the 27 optometric schools and colleges of optometry across North America (and Puerto Rico).

Check out who won the iconic EyeQ Trophy.

Plus, the AOA+ Residency Summit offered optometry students the chance to connect in-person with residence directors from North American optometry schools and colleges.

This interactive summit enabled students to learn about post-graduate training options,residency application process and timelines, and other relevant focus areas.

Next up: any new research?

For that, we’ll refer to Bausch + Lomb.

Fresh off of two major products launches—PreserVision AREDS3 eye vitamins and Blink Triple Care Preservative-Free (PF) eye drops—the company shared 13 poster presentations, one live presentation (covering treatment response patterns in DED with XIIDRA [lifitegrast ophthalmic solution 5%]), and hosted several educational events.

Three of those 13 studies to call out:

Comparative Analysis of AREDS2 and AREDS2+B Vitamin Complex in an in vitro Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration presented by Lori-Ann Christie, PhD, senior director of Biological Research at B+L
Patient-Reported Outcomes with a Novel Daily Disposable Toric Contact Lens in Dryness Sufferers presented by Mile Brujic, OD, FAAO
A Phase 3 Randomized Trial of a Novel Hyaluronate-Containing Formulation of Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Solution for the Treatment of Conjunctival Hyperemia presented by Shane Kannarr, OD, FAAO

Any others?

But of course—tons, in fact. However, for the sake of brevity, we won’t go into them. You’ll just have to check at Glance in the coming weeks for more recap coverage from Optometry’s Meeting.