The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry is now accepting nominations for the various achievement awards that will be presented at the ASCO Annual Business Meeting in June 2026.  

 

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry is now accepting essays for the 2026 Student award in Clinical Ethics.

The Clinic Directors and Administrators and the Externship Directors special interest groups convened for their annual meetings at Indiana University, School of Optometry, from November 12–14. The program opened with a joint reception, providing members from both groups an opportunity to network with one another as well as with attending sponsors.

The 2026 Future Faculty Program is officially underway! Designed for individuals exploring a potential career in academia, this program welcomes participants with an OD degree, current optometry residents, and PhD candidates.

The Optometric Education Leadership Institute (OELI) will be held on April 8-9, 2026, at the Alcon headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Board of Directors of the Association of Optometry Schools and Colleges held its Fall Board Meeting in Boston in conjunction with the American Academy of Optometry’s (AAO) Annual Meeting.

ASCO’s “Profile of Applicants to OD Degree Programs for Fall 2025 Entering Class” is now available on the Association’s website.

Following a 12% decrease last year, direct costs for research at ASCO member institutions rose 3.8% in 2024-25 to about $36.6 million, according to ASCO’s latest Research Survey Report. 

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) announces Eye Opener Sessions, a complement to ASCO’s public awareness campaign, Optometry Gives Me Life.

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry offers a Career Center resource, hosted by Boxwood.

Alcon Completes Acquisition of LumiThera

Stronger Together: How The Myopia Collective is Advancing Optometry

2025 Highlights: Advancing Eye Care, Strengthening Communities

Johnson & Johnson Eyecare Welcomes Dr. Erin Rueff

Let NIDEK Help Your Practice with Proven Topography Performance

Advancing Optometry’s Future: Supporting Students, Educators, and Scientific Discovery

Topcon Healthcare, Inc. Receives 510(k) Clearance and Announces Launch of OMNIA - a 4-in-1 Automated Pretesting Solution

VSP Vision Awards 2025 Vision of Hope Scholarship to Sydnee' Lowe

Optometry Student Internships Available

Dr. Ruth Manny passed away unexpectedly on the morning of January 3rd, 2026. In consultation with the family, the University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) will host a memorial service for her on January 26th from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at UHCO in the Texas State Optical Alumni Auditorium. The memorial will be streamed live as well. The link will be posted on the college website prior to the event at https://www.opt.uh.edu/.

Southern College of Optometry (SCO) announces three promotions for key leadership roles within the institution's Student Services department. The department oversees the Admissions and Records process, student governance, financial aid, and other key functions.

There’s been a great deal of interest in concussions over the past decade, especially as they relate to concussion-related vision problems, according to Mitchell Scheiman, OD, PhD ‘16, FAAO, FCOVD, senior associate dean of research at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Drexel University.

Kirsten Tran ‘27OD admits she’s been feeling a little burned out, and during her busiest and most demanding weeks, it’s easy for her to lose sight of what she’s working toward in graduate school.

 

Optometry's Meeting® will be held June 17-20, 2026, in Phoenix, at the Phoenix Convention Center. As the profession's premier annual event, Optometry's Meeting intersects peerless, contemporary optometric continuing education and professional development with influential networking and business opportunities among colleagues, industry professionals, and our profession's leaders, as well as special AOA+ student and new grad programming.

Nominations are officially open for AOA’s 2026 annual awards, including the AOA Excellence Awards—featuring the 2026 Optometric Educator and Student of the Year awards.