2017 KOA Spring Congress Registration for Paras/Opticians/Staff 

The 2017 KOA Spring Conference will be  April 28-29  at the Hyatt Hotel in Lexington, KY.  The KOA is offering 13 hours of continuing education for Paras/Opticians/Staff.  There will be an exhibit hall during the meeting.  Food functions are included in the registration price. 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

Friday, April 28

7:00am            Registration/ Continental Breakfast

8:00am -9:00am        “Prism: Everything You Need to Know”
Prism is not a four letter word, but can be frustrating for some.  This fun and interactive course makes understanding and calculating prism easy.  We will explore both prescribed and accidental prism, contact lens and prism applications and limitations.                                                                                                   Phernell Walker, II, BSB, NCLC, ABOM   1 Hour CE    (AOA Pending- ABO Approved)

9:00am-10:00am        “Troubleshooting: What’s Wrong with My New Glasses”
Every office has heard these famous words - What’s Wrong with My New Glasses? Troubleshooting and solving vision and other eyewear complaints takes critical thinking and a little investigative work at times.  This course helps solve some of the toughest challenges that manifest in Rx eyewear.                     Phernell Walker, II, BSB, NCLC, ABOM   1 Hour CE    (AOA Pending- ABO Approved)

10:00am-11:00am        “Secrets to Balancing Aniseikonia”
This course will help explain and explore Aniseikonia. Calculating spectacle magnification  and learning how to design iseikonic lenses will be discussed.
Phernell Walker, II, BSB, NCLC, ABOM   1 Hour CE    (AOA Approved - ABO Approved)

11:00am -12:00pm        “Advanced Optics - Through the Looking Glass”
Ophthalmic Optics encompasses geometric, applied, and physiological optics.  Optical  formula plays a vital role in understanding these spectacle and contact lens arrays.  Identify the refractive index of the unknown material, explore ramifications of lens horizontal and  vertical tilt, advanced resolving and resultant prism, and optics of contact lenses vs eyewear.
Phernell Walker, II, BSB, NCLC, ABOM   1 Hour CE    (AOA Pending- ABO Approved) 

12:00pm - 2:00pm       Presidential Lunch

2:00pm -4:00pm    “Practice Administrator and Optical Managers Workshop”

Today’s optical managers and practice administrators have unique challenges operating a modern optical dispensary.  This course will review some of the fundamental management  concepts of leadership style, forms of motivation, managing by the numbers and a deep look  into ratiocination of performance, coaching techniques and business SWOT analysis.  
Phernell Walker, II, BSB, NCLC, ABOM   2 Hours CE    (AOA Approved- ABO Approved)

4:00pm-5:00pm        “Solutions to Optical Inventory”

One of the fundamental parts of running a successful optical dispensary is inventory control.  This course helps analyze and effectively manage optical turnover rates.  
Phernell Walker, II, BSB, NCLC, ABOM   1 Hour CE    (AOA Pending- ABO Approved)

5:00pm-7:30pm        Exhibit Hall Opening Reception

Saturday, April 29

7:00am            Registration/ Continental Breakfast

8:00am-9:00am        “Professional Ethics to Practice By”
How well do we really know our colleagues?  Because we spend most of our waking hours at work, it is extremely     important that we try our best to respect another in the work environment.  Not just for all staff members, but in the eyes of patients as well.  Communication and respect are key to a successful and productive workplace.  This course touches on conflict resolution with co-workers/patients and discusses ways to solve with positive results.  
 Jackie O’Keefe, LDO, ABOC    1 Hour CE (AOA Pending- ABO Pending)

9:00am-11:00am        “The DNA of Ophthalmic Lenses”
Ophthalmic lenses have unique properties like lower specific gravity, higher safety, precise optics and thinner profiles.  Each lens has its own story. Becoming familiar with lenses is a great place to start when relating to patient’s visual concerns, recommending and troubleshooting when there is a complaint.  This course drills deeper and explores unique properties of plus, minus, cylinder, multifocals, progressives, prisms and the plethora of material choices.  Will be a hands on breakout session to help identify lenses.
Jackie O’Keefe, LDO, ABOC    2 Hours CE (AOA Approved- ABO Approved)

11:00am-1:30pm        Luncheon in the Exhibit Hall

1:30pm-2:30pm        “The Dark Side of Blue Light”
Our ophthalmic world has been paying closer attention to blue light lately.  Whether artificial or from the sun,  blue light can actually cause harm to the human eye and has an effect on our daily rhythms.  And with the  increase use of electronics like smart phones, tablets and laptops, our exposure to blue light is intensifying.  Discover the mysteries of this powerful light and learn how to prevent prolonged exposure for you and your patients.
Jackie O’Keefe, LDO, ABOC   1 Hour CE (AOA Approved - ABO Approved)

2:30pm-3:30pm        “Meeting the Needs of Your Culturally Diverse Patients”
 Ethnic minority populations are increasing rapidly throughout the United States and buying power among these  groups is surging.  This represents an undeniable opportunity for eyecare professionals to grow their businesses.  This seminar provides insights into eyewear perceptions and buying preferences among culturally diverse consumers and share strategies for eyecare professionals to increase patient satisfaction and attract and retain culturally diverse patients.
Jackie O’Keefe, LDO, ABOC    1 Hour CE (AOA Approved - ABO Approved)

3:30pm-4:30pm        “You Deserve a Medal for Handling Patient Complaints”
 Yes, there are days when we would rather be elsewhere because of complaints.  But there is a way to turn the  negative around.  This course offers tips on how to troubleshoot patient complaints and the best ways to handle conflict resolution troubleshoot through protocol.  We will look at the importance of making sure the consumer understands the technology that we are recommending for them in a language they can understand.  This course touches on conflict resolution and discusses ways to solve with positive results.
Jackie O’Keefe, LDO, ABOC   1 Hour CE (AOA Approved - ABO Pending)

***All courses presented by the KOA will count towards CE Renewal credit for those licensed by the KY Board of Ophthalmic Dispensers.***

Register Now!IMPORTANT: If you plan to pay by credit card the KOA only accepts VISA, MasterCard & Discover.  The KOA does not accept AMEX.  There will be an icon on the payment page that shows AMEX, but your payment will not process if you enter your AMEX CC information.  Sorry for any confusion, but constant contact will not allow KOA to delete the icon because it is embedded in their formatting. Thank you.