Download Fall 2010 - Armed Forces Optometric Society

The Armed Forces Optometric Society
Proudly Serving Federal Service Optometrists Since 1970
October 2010
OFFICERS
*Donovan Green, OD, MBA
President
*Keith Cespon, OD
President Elect
*Mike Sunman, OD, MBA
Vice President
*Alyon Wasik, OD
Secretary-Treasurer
*Penny Walter, OD, MPA
Immediate Past President
COUNCIL MEMBERS
*Adrienne Ari, OD
*Jeffrey Autry, OD
*Jennifer Camp, OD
*John Kim, OD
*Angela Musick, OD
*Margaret Read, OD, MBA
*Jeffrey Weaver, OD, MBA, MS
Adam Preston (student)
*Denotes FAAO
__________________________
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dave Simpson, OD
Inside this issue:
Navy Update
2
VA Update
3
USAF Update
4
Army Update
5
PHS/HIS Update
6
Awards Committee
7
Executive Director
8
CE Committee
9
Abstracts - Students
10
M & C Committee
11
Membership Comm.
12
It is hard to believe that 2010 is almost
over. The summer months have come and
gone. I hope each of you had the opportunity to travel or take some much needed
time off from work. It has been a busy
few months for Federal Service Optometry as we launched our new website and
continue to find new ways to increase the
amount of information available to our
members. I encourage everyone to continue to visit the website regularly to get
the latest updated information. Thanks to
all my executive council members as well
as the committee members for the awesome job they do each and every day. I
don‘t know what I would do without your
support.
Annual Meeting Survey: The survey regarding the best venue for our Annual
Meeting that was requested by our membership in February is now complete. I
encourage all our members to visit the
AFOS website and take this survey. Your
input is a very important part of this process. Your executive council needs honest
feedback from our AFOS most valuable
resource - You. This survey will determine where our Business Meetings will be
held over the next few years.
Sponsorship: Thanks to our Executive
Director, Dave Simpson, we have outdone
ourselves this year in our sponsorship
contributions. Our sponsors are coming
out of the woodwork and asking how they
can support AFOS. Each sponsor has indicated their willingness to contribute
amounts ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
Our number of sponsors continues to
grow. One year ago we had 11 sponsors
and today we have 21. Our sponsors last
year contributed $60,000 and this year we
will reach beyond $100,000
In the future we will not only be able to have
receptions at each major conference, but we
can also host a presidential reception during
our FSO meeting. Please do not forget to
support our sponsors as well as thanking
them for their contributions.
IMPORTANT READ
Membership Mandated Survey
regarding the best venue for our Annual
Meeting is now ready
For membership participation
Specifics on page 13
AOA Dues Increase Jan 2011: Effective
Jan 2011, you will notice that your AOA
dues has increased by 4.4%. This increase is
a direct result of the demand placed on AOA
to strengthen its advocacy as well as upgrade the IT department in the area of social
networking to better enhance membership
services. As your President, I do understand
this increase probably does not sit well with
you especially in such difficult times. However, I do encourage our members to continue their support of the AOA because with
―One Voice‖ we will continue to strengthen
our profession
FSO meeting: This year‘s FSO meeting will
be the best that you have ever attended. Our
keynote speaker is Tom Sullivan and for
those of you who have never heard him
speak, you are in for a treat. I had the opportunity to hear him speak at the AOA Presidential meeting last January and it was indeed an honor to be in that audience. There
was not a dry eye in the room during his
speech. If you have any doubts about why
you chose to practice optometry, Tom Sullivan will definitely renew your faith in our
profession
(Continued on page 7)
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
INTERESTING TIMES: As you are reading
this, depending on where you are, the leaves in
the trees are changing color, the kids are back in
school, with maybe the exception of the folks on
the USS Iwo Jima in support of Operation Continuing Promise and those assigned in the Middle East, the missions are done for the year.
Those of you who had orders should already be
settled into your new assignments and things are
quieting down getting ready for the winter. Lots
have happened this year and we have experienced a lot of changes.
NSPS: What is interesting is that, since the last
Newsletter, we have been focusing on a lot of
stuff that may have impact for the future of
AFOS Optometrists and, if you need a reason
why it is important to be a member, this is why.
First, most of you know about the delay in the
conversion of civilian optometrists from NSPS
to GS. The reason for that is thanks to all of
your efforts to make certain that they were being
paid to the highest level possible and, due to the
efforts of AOA, was also recognized as an important issue for consideration. Our current GS
scale was developed back in 1974. For those of
you who were not even born yet, optometrists
could not do much back then. Look at who we
are now. Anyway, another benefit of AOA and
AFOS is that my counterparts and I regularly
meet at and with the AOA to discuss stuff. So,
when the tasker came out to respond to where
we thought Optometry belonged, we all spoke
as one voice in DOD and our counterparts in the
DVA and USPHS were extremely helpful in assisting us. All, again, thanks to AFOS and the
AOA. So what do I think the outcome will be?
The reality is that my guess is that your pay will
be about the same as it is now when we convert
back, but that the potential for increased pay in
the future will be available to you.
PAGE 2
For now, support AOA and keep your fingers
crossed.
INTEGRATION: As many of you are aware,
NNMC Bethesda and Walter Reed Army Medical
Center are merging into one command with hospitals here in Bethesda and another down at Fort
Belvoir which means that we are merging with
them as well. I am learning lots of interesting
things. For example, I now know and understand
the importance of Training Holidays!!! I am very
fortunate that the Optometrists in the National
Capitol Area regularly meet so I already knew all
of my counterparts and, the fact is, we work as one
team. If you are also not aware, soon, the offices
for TMA and the three Surgeons General will be
co-locating as well. For those of you who will be
in for awhile, it will be interesting to see how we
all work together once all of the services are
physically aligned.
NICOE: The National Intrepid Center of Excellence is an amazing new facility located here on
the compound at Bethesda. Its purpose is to assist
Wounded Warriors who have not been successful
in rehabilitation elsewhere and determine if any
underlying issues have not been detected and to
develop new treatment protocols that will assist
the patients in their Quality of Life. Needless to
say, Optometry and Ophthalmology will have a
very important role in the future success of this
organization and, through the efforts of the Vision
Centers of Excellence, a lot of important and exciting research will be accomplished.
And that is not all, but enough for this go round.
As I said, interesting times. And the good news is
that it probably will get more interesting for those
of you lucky enough to be around for a while.
Enjoy!!!
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 3
National Association of VA Optometrists
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The InterContinental San Francisco Hotel
888 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
NAVAO is pleased to announce our annual dinner meeting
to be held in conjunction with American Academy of Optometry meeting.
Our keynote speaker will be Robert L. Jesse, M.D., Ph.D.,
VA Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health
Business Meeting Intercontinental Ballroom B 7:00 pm – 7:45 pm
(Members only)
Dinner InterContinental Ballroom C 7:45 pm – midnight
Dinner Selections: Lemon Oil-Scented Steamed Fillet of Alaskan Salmon
or
Provencal Slow-Roasted Chicken
**There is a $45 charge for NAVAO members/$20 for Resident members
$45 Nonmember residents/ $95 for guests to attend the dinner**
Please RSVP, make payment, and select entrée online at www.navao.org
by: October 1, 2010
*Seating is limited. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis*
After October 1, reservations will be accepted only on a space available basis and with payment of a $15
late fee
Payments/checks will NOT be accepted at the dinner
VA Residency & Research Fellow Coordinators: Please consider encouraging your Residents and/or Research Fellows to join the NAVAO. All Resident and Research Fellow Members have a discounted membership rate of $25
and receive special pricing for the annual NAVAO dinner meeting. Any VA staff, attending, consultant, research
fellow, resident optometrist, or any other optometrist having an interest in VA optometry is eligible for membership.
Please visit the NAVAO website at www.navao.org and click on ―Join Us‖ for more details about joining our organization.
Your newsletter committee is hard at work putting together the Fall 2010 edition of Optimum VA, but WE NEED
YOUR HELP! We are trying to create a continuing education section to help our members easily locate local CE outside of the major optometric conferences. We are asking that members submit information on small conferences that
they have attended that they felt were a good resource for continuing education. This will be a work in progress, but
the more people who submit information, the more our members will benefit. Please take a moment to email us at
[email protected] with any recent annual CE event that you have attended that you feel other members might
want to attend next year.
In addition, we are always looking for submissions to our "Keeping in Touch" section. Any note-worthy events,
whether professional or personal, can be included, such as promotions, clinic openings, publications, marriages,
births, retirements, etc.
We need your submissions for the Fall newsletter by Thursday, September 30. With your help, we will continue to
work hard to provide you with a comprehensive resource for all VA optometrists.
Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 4
Ø Deputy Assistant Surgeon General for Healthcare Operations: Congratulations to Col George ―Nick‖ Nicolas Jr
on his selection to the position of Deputy Assistant Surgeon General at Rosslyn Va.
Ø Squadron Command Candidates: Congratulations to Lt Cols Scott McKim and Dave Peterson on their selection as
candidates for squadron command! This is a competitive selection process and well deserved.
Ø Group Command Candidate: Optometry again leads the way in command opportunities with Lt Col Jim Dienst
being selected to compete for Group command. I don‘t have access to the exact numbers but am comfortable in saying
that there are few AFSCs in the AFMS that have a greater percentage of personnel in command positions than optometry. Best wishes to all as they now begin the matching process for 2011.
Ø AF Optometry Research: I would like to recognize the research conducted by Lt Col Randy Collins, Lt Col Pat
Clark, Maj Jeff Autrey, and Dr's Steve Wright, John Gooch, et al, on their poster presentation at the Aerospace Medical
Association 2010 Annual Meeting. Their study, "Wavefront Derived Spectacle Lens Prescription for Keratoconus",
demonstrated that they could not achieve any clinically significant difference between performances of wavefront
guided iZon derived lenses and traditional sphere-cylindrical lenses. Additionally Lt Col Pat Clark and Lt Col Michelle
Aaron with Dr. Jim Gaska and Marc Winterbottom published a study conducted by AFRL/RHA, Warfighter Division,
of "Pixel Size Requirements for an Eye-Limited Flight Simulation Laboratory for Operational Based Vision Assessment." This was a trade-space study to determine requirements for the USAFSAM's effort to build the world's most
advanced aviation flight simulator resolution display. Their study showed that a 0.5 arcmin/pixel display will be robust
enough for studying even pilots with 20/12 acuity. This study was presented at the Aerospace Medical Association
2010 Annual Meeting. He also coauthored a publication with Drs. Rodger Thomas, Steve Wright, John Gooch, and
Mr. Bill Thompson in the Sept 2010 Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine journal, "Optical Filter Effects on
Night Vision Goggle Acuity and Preservation of Dark Adaptation". Their research found that some defense manufacturer companies have advocated the use of optical filters to be used over NVG's in order for operators to recover faster
when going off goggles. The study found that while such filters do aid in the recovery, they also reduce operator spatial
acuity performance under low luminance conditions. Commanders and operators should be cognizant of the costbenefit use of such filters in operational use.
Ø Deployments: Lt Col Scott McKim, Maj Eva Walker, Capt Christine Giblin and Capt Michael Sapp will be deploying in Dec in support of OEF.
Ø New Air Force Flight Frame: There is a new frame, AFF-JS, which is now available AF-wide in addition to the
AFF-OP and AFF-DR. The frame was designed for JHMCS and JSAM so has a smaller eye size and different face
wrap. NOSTRA and the entire Optical Fabrication Enterprise are ready to receive orders. Although it was intended to
work with JHMCS/JSAM, any aircrew member is eligible to wear the JS frame. For questions regarding the new frame
please contact Dr. Ron Tutt at the ACS, DSN 240-4534 or Lt Col Michelle Aaron, DSN 240-4453.
Ø New application form for Warfigther (non-AASD) CRS has been posted on the USAF Refractive Surgery
Website: The new application process eliminates the cycloplegic refraction for Warfighter candidates (this is still a
requirement for aircrew and aviation special duty candidates) and streamlines preoperative testing. Thanks to Dr. Sheridan Martin and Dr. Ron Tutt for their efforts in getting this new process going. For questions regarding the new form
please contact Dr. Ron Tutt at the ACS, DSN 240-4534 or Lt Col Michelle Aaron, DSN 240-4453.
Ø MAJCOM Consultants: I would like to welcome Lt Col David Koles as the AFMC optometry consultant and Maj
Chuck Beatty as the AFSPC optometry consultant.
Ø Congratulations to Michelle and John Aaron on the birth of their daughter! Kathryn Jewel Aaron arrived on 15
July 2010, 6 lbs 6 oz, 18.75 inches.
Ø Optometry Operations Officer: After years of work and a little luck we were able to get an Optometry Operations
Officer position established at AFMOA South in San Antonio. Maj Weilun Hsu who recently graduated from ACSC in
residence arrived in July. Maj Hsu joins Lt Col Aaron, and Maj Jarecke who assist me almost daily as we work through
the many operational and policy issues in AF optometry. I am very fortunate to have such talented staff of officers
available to assist me.
PAGE 5
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
ARMY
COL TJ Lantz
I took over for COL Neil Glenesk as the Chief of Army Optometry and Consultant to the Army Surgeon General on
15 July. In the past few months, I‘ve had the opportunity to speak with a number of our optometrists and AFOS
members in all branches and departments that comprise our association. My interactions have shown me the depth
and strength of our professionals. We are not only the 13th Largest Affiliate; we are one of the strongest and most
diversified. I am confident we will always be a driving force in our profession and that is a direct reflection of the
quality of our membership and leadership.
I must express my sincere gratitude to COL Glenesk for his outstanding achievements while serving as the Army‘s
thirteenth Optometry Chief. His performance and contributions to Army Optometry, the DoD, and our profession are
numerous and can only be characterized as exceptional and unparalleled. His list of accomplishments includes:
championing the G-Eyes Program, overhauling the Vision Readiness Classification System (VRCS), implementation
of the Sunglass Program for Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury, brokering a partnership between Occupational
Therapy, Physical Therapy, Optometry, and other medical specialties in developing a program of care and protocols
for addressing resultant visual sequelae that accompanies Traumatic Brain Injury, and many more. COL Glenesk and
his wife, Pat, are headed to Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington where he will serve as the Chief,
Optometry Service and Western Regional Medical Command (WRMC) Optometry Consultant.
Sad News:
Army Optometry and Federal Service Optometry experienced the loss of two remarkable colleagues:
Dr. James Stout lost his battle against cancer on August 30, 2010. Dr. Stout retired from active service in the United
States Army in 1992 at the rank of Major. For the past 18 years, he worked as a civilian Optometrist for the United
States Army Public Health Command, formerly the United States Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive
Medicine. He supported the creation of the Tri-Service Vision Conservation and Readiness Program that educates
and promotes eye safety, vision surety and military vision readiness across the Department of Defense. Over his career, Dr. Stout provided hundreds of lectures to optometrists, technicians, occupational health providers and nurses,
industrial hygienists and safety personnel to promote eye safety in the occupational and environmental medicine
arena. He was also the lead or supporting author on numerous eye safety Army Regulations, Department of the
Army Pamphlets, Technical Guides and a chapter in the Textbook of Military Medicine. Dr. Stout touched the lives
of countless individuals and will forever be remembered as a man devoted to his faith, family, friends and profession.
He will be sorely missed.
COL(Ret) Arthur R. Giroux was our sixth Army Optometry Consultant. He passed away August 29, 2010 at age 78.
He was born and educated in Waterville, ME and earned his Bachelor of Science and Doctorate in Optometry at Massachusetts College of Optometry in Boston. He was a graduate of Pepperdine University with an MBA. After serving 26 years in the U.S. Army as an Optometrist followed by 11 yrs with the American Optometric Association, he
retired and moved to Florida. Interment was at Jacksonville National Cemetery with full Military Honors provided
by the U.S. Army. COL Giroux was an AFOS Life Member and Orion Award recipient.
Departing Service (8 Officers): Army Optometry will miss retiring officers: COL Joel Postma, LTC Gary Seal,
LTC Jack Hughes, and LTC Julie Tanada. Retiring for a ―second time‖ is COL Ronald Fancher, who managed the
Fort Campbell Clinic as a Retiree Recall. A group of younger officers completed their Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO). Leaving the service are CPT Blane Tarr, CPT Natalia Gordillo, and CPT Jennifer Bateman. The
Army Medical Department, the Medical Service Corps, and the Army are indebted to each officer for their service to
our Nation.
PCS Moves (43 Officers): We experienced a large number of PCS moves this summer. COL Glenesk and LTC
Kris Calero, our 67F Assignments Officer, cracked the code to this difficult puzzle that includes placing officers who
have priority following a deployment, ensuring officers acquire diversity in assignments, and providing opportunities
for positions of greater responsibility.
(Continued on page 15)
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 6
● RADM Epifanio Elizondo was selected by Surgeon General Regina Benjamin as the Chief Professional
Officer for the Health Services Officer category effective 10 August 2010. As Chief Health Services Officer,
RADM Elizondo leads the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) Health Services
Officer category professional affairs, and advises the Office of the Surgeon General and the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) on the recruitment, assignment, deployment, retention, and career development of Corps Health Services Officers.
● The IHS and University of New Mexico School of Medicine will be hosting the 2011 Advances in Indian
Health Conference (May 3-5, 2011) which offers CME for primary care health professionals who work with
American Indian and Alaska Native populations at federal, tribal and urban sites. The 2011 conference will
offer an Eye Care track for primary care clinicians across the Indian Health System. Topics will be presented
by various IHS Optometrists and include diabetic eye disease, eye care in the ED, pediatrics, ocular disease &
systemic manifestations and the primary provider & eye care.
●Deployments/Missions
CAPT Steve Glover and LCDR Chris Cordes are deploying on the USS Iwo Jima, which is currently anchored
off the coast of Guatemala supporting Continuing Promise 2010, a humanitarian and civic assistance mission.
The assigned medical and engineering staffs, embarked aboard Iwo Jima, are working with partner nations'
teams to provide medical, dental, veterinary, and engineering assistance to eight different nations. Most recently, Puerto Barrios residents lined up behind gates surrounding the school to receive medical services that
include surgical screening, optometry, adult and pediatric care, women's health education and dental services.
● Transformation
The Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management (OCCFM), in coordination with the Office of Commissioned Corps Operations (OCCO), and the Commissioned Corps Systems Branch, have developed a new
instrument and updated the system. The new COER will be implemented and launched on 1 October 2010.
● The billets transformation process has begun and will result in the creation of unique billets for all non-flag
positions in the Corps. The goals of billets transformation are twofold. In the short-term, to create unique, position-specific billets for all positions currently encumbered by Commissioned Officers. In the long-term, to
create unique, position-specific billets for all positions that could possibly be encumbered by Commissioned
Officers. Optometry Officers are earmarked for on-line billet transformation dates TBA.
Dr. Fred Hudson Past ED — Dr. Henry Turner Past President 76
Dr. Don Dunton Past President 77 — Dr. Marv Baum Past President 89
Life Members Dr. Greg Luehrs
& Dr. Chuck Rhoads (l to r)
T HE A R ME D FO R C E S O P T O M E T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 7
AWARDS
Dr. Carol Rymer
Dr. Margaret Read
AFOS AWARD NOMINATIONS – A Message from LTC (P) Carol Rymer
WE CHALLENGE YOU!! It‘s that time of year. There are five possible AFOS awards
available to spotlight the talent amongst our AFOS community. The November 15 th
(HST) deadline is creeping up – so step up and take a moment to put forth a submission.
The AFOS awards include the Orion Award, AFOS Optometrist of the Year, AFOS Junior Optometrist of the Year, AFOS Reserve Optometrist of the Year and AFOS "Bzdula"
Student Award. AFOS has an excellent way to recognize our superior Federal Service
Optometrists and students.
AFOS provides this exceptional opportunity to acknowledge our superior Federal Service Optometrists and
students. Please don't let our talented providers slip through without recognition!
Please take the time to visit the AFOS website and review the simple procedure to submit some of our talented doctors: http://www.afos2020.org/AFOS_Awards.asp Easier format has been incorporated which is
aligned with the AOA Awards.
These awards are highly recognized within the Optometric Community and it is an excellent way to let our
folks know that we are aware of their dedication, talent, and devotion to Federal Service and the optometric
profession. If you have any questions, feel free to contact LTC (P) Carol Rymer at: [email protected]
or LCDR Margaret Read at [email protected]
President’s Column (Continued from page 1)
Executive Council: In accordance with our by-laws, we must increase the number of our council members. Our first
priority will be to fill these openings from our committee members. I also welcome recommendations from our Service Chiefs. Please contact me or any of our Council Members if you would like to be considered.
The following combinations of members will be added:
Two (2) for PHS/IHS — One (1) for USAF —-One (1) for Navy —-One (1) for VA
The above mix of council members will satisfy our bylaws and will give the council two members from each service.
Remaining Vigilant: In July while vacationing in Spain with my family, I experienced something I never thought
would occur on a beach not to mention in such a non-tourist area. Although I was merely hanging out on the beach
with my wife and son, being the Soldier that I am, I remained vigilant. I noticed a young man walking toward the
water to take a swim. After he got out of the water, I saw him take a hand bag from a baby stroller. My sixth sense
kicked in and I told my wife that I believed the young man had just stolen a hand bag from the stroller which obviously belonged to a couple who were a few feet from the stroller. I immediately told my wife about the incident and
she told me that I should alert the couple. Not knowing whether or not they spoke English, I ran over and told them
what I witnessed. Luckily, the woman did understand English and we both began to chase after the fellow who by
that time was just a few meters away from us. Without giving a thought to the hot sand and asphalt, with the lady in
tow, I chased after the man in my bare feet. I was very upset about the incident and determined to catch him so I ran
as fast as I could. As he fled, the man threw the handbag under a car. Even though we never caught the thief, the
handbag and its contents were recovered. The lady was very grateful to me for taking the initiative to alert her. She
said she believed that most people would have turned the other way and done nothing. This incident was a reminder
to me that no matter where we are in the world, we must always remain vigilant. As it turns out, recovering that
handbag was the highlight of my summer.
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 8
Survey: The survey our membership requested at the annual meeting to decide if we should continue our
annual meeting at SECO or move it to the FSO prior to the Academy, is now ready for your participation.
Please go to our Home Page and take this important survey. The results will be announced at the FSO
Meeting. The close date for the survey will be November 1st.
Website: Our New Website was launched 5 months ago and I am receiving very positive feedback for the new
―member friendly‖ website. It has a public and private section and the private section has 3 pages — (1) ―Pay
Membership Dues‖ which has a complete statement of your AFOS and AOA dues for the year and our recent
newsletters (2) ―Update Profile‖ which allows you to change your personal information and the ability to voluntarily add text and/or a photo. If you have an address or name change and you are an AOA member, the AOA
will automatically receive an e-mail with the new information (3) ―View Member Profiles‖ which is a directory
of all AFOS members viewable only by other members. You will be able to continue making dues payments
online 24/7 and you will also be notified quarterly via email of your dues balances and any other important information. Starting in January 2011, AFOS will not mail out the newsletter to our membership who have e-mail
addresses. As a service to our older members who have not mastered 21st century technology and who think emails are a communist plot by the USPS, we will continue to mail them the newsletters.
AFOS Growth: If you didn‘t know it before, AFOS began the year as the AOA‘s 14th largest affiliate. We
are now the 13th largest and I confidently project that we will be the 12th largest by the time our FSO Conference convenes in San Francisco. The new AFOS-AOA member that propels AFOS into 12th place, will receive a
very special honor and reward to be announced at the Academy Meeting in San Francisco. Our goal is to be the
AOA‘s 10th largest affiliate within the next 24 months.
Sad News: Life member and Orion recipient, as well as the Army‘s sixth Optometry Consultant Colonel Arthur R. Giroux (USA Retired) passed away August 29, 2010 at age 78. His obituary and guest book are available
on the Home Page of our website.
Sponsors: Life has been good to AFOS this year — we have increased our sponsor grants from $60,000 in
2009 to over $100,000 for 2010. This means that we now have the ability to return our presence to the AOA‘s
―Optometry‘s Meeting‖ in Salt Lake City for 2011 with a reception and the presence of our Section Chiefs.
This is the beginning of a renewed and enhanced relationship with the AOA. In these turbulent times, we rely
more than ever on our parent organization the American Optometric Association.
Licensure by Endorsement: We are fortunate to have Dr. Michael Feeser as our chairperson for Licensure by Endorsement. He will tackle this ―monster‖ and work closely with our AFOS members and the AOA. A
comprehensive overview and historical record have been collated by him for your review on the AFOS website.
AFOS and the AOA : This has been a challenging year for AFOS as VA optometry has been under attack
by ophthalmology, and the AOA has responded with all its resources including tens of hours by their Officers in
defending and heralding VA Optometry all the way to Director Shinseki. This attack on VA optometry affects
all federal service ODs and it becomes ever more apparent that our dues are a wise investment for our future and
the continued enhancement of eye care provided by federal service ODs. Your AFOS Officers and Council
have received a personal conference call from the AOA‘s president Dr. Joe Ellis regarding this important issue.
Accolades: To Ensign Adam Preston our Council student representative — he has personally arranged for
four (4) additional student scholarships funded by Hoya for the AFOS Annual Meeting in Atlanta
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 9
Greetings from the Continuing Education Committee
Branch
Air Force
Members
MAJ Anthony Jarecke, OD, MBA, FAAO [Co-Chair]
CAPT Justin Sandholm, OD
Army
MAJ Jason Hales, OD, FAAO
CAPT Ina Lee, OD
Navy
LCDR Tyson Brunstetter, OD, MS, PhD, FAAO
CDR Kevin Jackson, OD, MPH, FAAO
Public Health
LCDR Michael Davis, OD, FAAO
LT Christopher Cordes, OD, FAAO
VA
Wm. Scott Slagle, OD, FAAO [Co-Chair]
Joni Scott-Weideman, OD, FAAO
**Angela Musick, OD, FAAO [Past Chair]
Retired/
Civilian
LtCOL (Ret) Brian Meier, OD [Past Chair]
The AFOS Continuing Education Committee is looking forward to another exceptional FSO meeting in
November. The finalized schedule includes the following noteworthy speakers and topics:
Time
0800-0940
1005-1145
Presentation
(25343-FV) Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation: MultiDisciplinary Solutions for Treatment of Acquired Brain
Injury...Walking, Not Just Talking
(28852-GO) Military Combat Eye Protection
and
(24910-GO) The Incidence of Eye Injuries
Speaker
Tracy Ammann, OD
Tony Jarecke, OD
and
David Hilber, OD
1325-1505
Navy Course Selection
(23409-AS) Cases from the ER
Gary Oliver, OD
1530-1710
Air Force Course Selection
(22350-AS) Corneal Grand Rounds
Paul Karpecki, OD
Outlines and handouts will be posted on the AFOS website as they are finalized by each speaker. Printed
handouts will not be available at the meeting, so please feel free to print a personal copy from the website
and bring it to the lectures if desired.
Again this year we will not be using ARBO scanners to track attendance. We will, however, continue to
use paper sign-in sheets which will be sent around the room to verify attendance. A record of attendance
will be submitted to ARBO based on these sign-in sheets, so please don‘t forget to sign in. Also, to ensure proper credit is recorded, please remember to bring your OE tracker number. Hard copy CE attendance certificates will be traded for evaluation certificates near the door at the end of each lecture.
Please keep checking the AFOS website (www.afos2020.org) for updates.
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 10
ABSTRACTS
Dr. Binh Nguyen
Perry M. Acute proptosis in trauma: retrobulbar hemorrhage or orbital compartment syndrome--does it
really matter? J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008 Sep; 66(9):1913-20
Purpose: To assess the true cause of acute proptosis and evaluate visual prognosis in patients after craniofacial
trauma.
Patients: All patients included in this prospective study had severe proptosis secondary to blunt craniofacial trauma.
Methods: In all patients, the ―tense proptosis‖ diagnosis was made by subjective globe palpation since an objective
assessment (i.e. tonometry or exophthalmometry) was not possible. Data was obtained from mechanism of injury,
presence of multiple injuries, location of ocular lesion on CT scans, IOP measurement, and visual recovery.
Results: The proptosis in all patients was found to be secondary to retrobulbar edema (aka compartmental syndrome)
rather than retrobulbar hemorrhage.
Discussion: It has been proposed that a tense, proptosed, nonreactive, and blind eye after facial trauma is secondary
to retrobulbar hemorrhage. However, this study showed that the proptosis is resulted from the edema of retrobulbar
tissues. Differentiation between RBH and OCS is difficult, and yet important due to different methods of management. While mild proptosis is self-limiting, a tense proptosed eye with (+) APD and IOP > 40 mm Hg indicates critical ischemia, which requires urgent intervention. In this case, CT scans can be helpful for identifying possible causes
of proptosis, and IOP measurement reflects tissue perfusion. Flash VEP as well as the amount of macula and optic
nerve damage are good predictors of vision loss. In conclusion, a combination of CT scans, tonometry, and flash
VEP can be used to fully determine the proptosis and evaluate the need for surgical intervention in all patients, especially in those who are unconscious.
This past Optometry‘s Meeting in Orlando was the beginning of many years of greater student involvement in AFOS. We
had students from all military branches meet AFOS Executive Director Dr. Dave Simpson, AFOS President LTC Donovan
Green, and several active duty and reserve optometrists. I would highly encourage all students to try and make it to the
Federal Service Optometrists meeting November 15-16 (held in conjunction with the Academy meeting in San Francisco)
and/or the AFOS annual meeting March 1-2 (held in conjunction with SECO in Atlanta). Attending these meetings can be
an excellent way for you to get to know your future colleagues and commanders – as well as gain some insight into what
duty stations to request and glean invaluable career advice.
A recent survey of AFOS students cited travel and boarding costs as the primary factors for not attending these meetings.
While we‘re currently working on securing some scholarship funds, I would encourage students to apply for some of the
many travel scholarships that both the AAO and SECO offer. For those of you who can‘t make it to these meetings, don‘t
forget the student forum on the AFOS website at http://www.afos2020.org/! At next year‘s ―Optometry‘s Meeting‖, AFOS
will have a very big presence including a reception with all the service chiefs – so plan on visiting Salt Lake City next
June!
Remember that most military scholarships require a rotation at a military facility during your fourth year. I assure you that
your days won‘t be filled with ‗young healthy 20-year-olds who need another click of minus.‘ Since I arrived at my second
externship at US Naval Hospital Okinawa three weeks ago, I‘ve seen military members, dependents, and civilians ranging
from ages 4 to 74, diseases of the cornea, uvea, and retina, and even treated a few binocular vision cases. Federal service
certainly encompasses the full scope of optometry! This can be an excellent opportunity to travel to amazing locations
around the world, learn how optometry operates within your branch of service, and gain firsthand experience from some of
the brightest and most talented optometrists in the world. Don‘t forget that you can get some of your requirements (such as
CPR training renewal, immunizations updates, etc.) completed free at certain military installations. Plan ahead and talk to
your school‘s externship coordinator to work your military rotation around your other externships. Many schools will give
you first pick of site for your military rotation. If you don‘t have any military rotations set up with your school, contact
your branch of service‘s student liaison or specialty leader. E-mail me anytime at [email protected].
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 11
MARKETING/COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE
Air Force
Army
Navy
Public Health
VA
Maj Rich Yoo, OD, FAAO ([email protected])
Maj John Kim, OD, FAAO ([email protected]) (Chair)
2 Lt Chris Alferez ( [email protected])
Vacant
Tyler Miles, OD, FAAO ([email protected])
LCDR Rodel Divina, OD, FAAO ([email protected])
Vacant
Vacant
David Lynne, OD ([email protected])
Patrick Till, OD ([email protected])
MARKETING/MEMBERSHIP SUB-COMMITTEE
Air Force
Army
Navy
Public Health
Jeffrey Autrey, OD (Chair)
Bill Johnston, Jr., OD ([email protected])
Robert Senko, OD, FAAO ([email protected])
Vacant
VA
Mark Ostermeier, OD ([email protected])
Greetings AFOS members! We are proud to announce that our new AFOS website is up and running! The Marketing and Communications Committee would like to thank Dr. Dave Simpson for help creating the content and architecture of the website. It is his handiwork that allows us to enjoy the webpage as we see it today.
We hope you appreciate the new design elements. For example, we have simplified navigation buttons for quicker
page access. In addition, the new website has demystified the dues paying process. You can now access your current
dues balance as well as prior and current payments. We have retained the Pay by PayPal feature to make payment
convenient and easy. Please also take advantage of added features such as latest news, meeting announcements, photo
albums, and membership applications.
To reduce printing costs and enable quicker communication to our AFOS members, we now offer our newsletters
electronically! Please note the newsletters are available to paid AFOS members only, so get the latest news by joining
AFOS!
Also as a reminder, connect with us on the AFOS Facebook, AFOS Forum, and AFOS Twitter pages by clicking on
their respective icons.
We are still looking for enthusiastic and energetic AFOS members to join our Marketing and Communications Committee. If interested, please contact any of our committee members.
Lastly, thanks to all AFOS members for all your feedback and making our website a success!!
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 12
MEMBERSHIP
Dr. Megan Hunter
Hi AFOS members. I hope many of you are looking forward to our Federal Service Optometry meeting coming up November 15th and 16th in San Francisco. If you are attending the American Academy of Optometry
meeting please come to SF early and check out the FSO meeting. It is an incredible value! For only fifty dollars you can obtain another 8 hours of continuing education credit, enjoy the keynote speaker, Tom Sullivan,
and network with fellow federal service optometrists. Registration is available on our website and you can always register on site.
Our committee plans to meet in San Francisco so that we can brainstorm ways to reach our goals which remain
recruiting new members especially from the VA and IHS where we have the biggest opportunity for growth,
increasing member participation at our meetings, and encouraging timely dues payments. We are the 13th largest AOA affiliate but know we can move up the ranks.
I would like to use this opportunity to clarify something that seems to bring confusion to those switching their
affiliation from their state to AFOS. If the switch is made at some point in the middle of the year but no dues
payment was made to the AOA through the state affiliation a member will still owe the full year‘s worth of
AOA dues in order to maintain consecutive years of membership. Please feel free to contact anyone on the
membership committee or our executive director, Dave Simpson, with any questions about dues. We are
happy to clarify and understand that it can get confusing.
2010 AFOS Membership Committee
Service
Air Force
Army
Navy
Public Health
Veteran‘s Affairs
Representative
vacant
David Meltzer
Andy Archilla
Keith Cespon
Megan Hunter (chair)
Annual Meeting Atlanta 1991
(l to r) RADM Mittelman, Drs. James Mason, Bob Buckingham,
Henry MacPherson, Tim Ray, Russ Mattern, & Frank Behan
Special Assistant(s)
Brian Blanchard
Andy Gregory
Robert Senko
Michael Davis
Janel Chou, David Shen, Nancy Wong
The Passing of the President’s Plaque (r to l)
Past President Dr. Buzz Bzdula (95) to
Past President Dr. Bob Aitken (96)
T H E A R ME D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 13
Your feedback on the survey is especially important because this is the only means to get feedback from
AFOS members no matter what you physical location. AFOS leadership understands that not all AFOS
members can make it to the Annual AFOS meeting, and thus your feedback/input may not be reaching
AFOS leadership.
It is important to understand some historical background regarding AFOS’s Annual Meeting.
The AFOS Annual Meeting was held in conjunction with the AOA‘s Annual Meeting from 1970 to 1989.
AFOS leadership decided in 1989 to move the Annual Meeting to SECO effective 1990. This was done because member attendance showed a far greater number of participation at the SECO versus the AOA. The leadership felt this was imperative to permit more members to vote on issues concerning AFOS. (see attendance
chart below).
Year
AOA
SECO
1985
85
85
1986
78
120
1987
85
120
1988
60
130
There were three (3) main reasons for the increased attendance at the SECO versus AOA (1) SECO CE was
more robust for therapeutics and this was important for primary care federal service optometry (2) Hotel rooms
were less expensive at the SECO and (3) Funding was easier to obtain because the conference occurred earlier
in the year.
Because the AFOS Annual Meeting includes the business meeting where policies and direction are voted on by
the membership, having the highest attendance ensures that the greatest voice is heard regarding important issues for AFOS. Organizations lose their vitality and importance if only a small percentage of their members
participate.
Since 1990 to the present, AFOS has held its Annual Meeting in the late winter just prior to the SECO in Atlanta and it includes: break-out sessions for the various services, continuing education, business meetings for
both the AFOS Officers and the general membership, and a reception. The SECO meeting requires a registration fee with some CE included, but there are fees for additional classes.
In a sense, it currently is felt to be a traditional location for AFOS to hold its Annual Meeting, however, for
AFOS‘s first 20 years, the AFOS Annual Meeting was held at the AOA‘s Annual Meeting.
Although the AFOS Annual Meeting was switched to the SECO in 1990, AFOS continued to have a significant
presence at the AOA until 2003. AFOS continued to hold an Officer Mid-Year Meeting and reception but that
was only discontinued because of a lack of funding. The AFOS president Dr. Stanek promised to ―restore the
reception when financial conditions improved since almost all of the leaders in optometry meet there. AFOS
must run with the big dogs rather than staying on the porch‖.
The important change this year for AFOS is that we are now financially able to return our presence to the AOA
and starting next year (2011) in Salt Lake City, the AOA is hosting the all day meeting for the five (5) Service
Chiefs with the AFOS Officers in attendance, and the AOA Officers and Board of Trustees will meet with the
Service Chiefs. The AOA meeting also includes the ―House of Delegates‖ (HODs) where affiliates provide
input/feedback on national level optometry concerns. Voting is by proxy as AFOS leaders present at the HOD
vote on AFOS member‘s behalf on the resolutions discussed at the HOD. AFOS will once again host a reception as well. We are optimistic this will lead to a greater involvement of AFOS in shaping our federal service
optometric policies as well as ensuring that AFOS will play a greater role on the ―national scene‖ for the delivery of eye care.
(Continued on page 14)
PAGE 14
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
Survey (Continued from page 13)
In 2006, It was decided to stop having the Federal Service Optometry (FSO) Meeting as a ―stand alone‖
meeting which lasted 5 days. Instead it was decided to make it a shorter meeting that was attached to
(preceding) the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) meeting beginning in 2007. The FSO Meeting
was an annual meeting where the services rotated being hosts at a venue of their choice. The FSO Meeting
was competing with the Academy and this diluted AFOS participation and contribution. Most federal service optometrists are familiar with the AAO, as many have undergone the process of Fellowship in the
AAO. Fellowship in the AAO has been an important career aspect for all federal services. The AAO meeting has ―one fee‖ for continuing education, you do not register for particular classes, but attend as few or as
many CE lectures that fit into your schedule. That decision by the AFOS leadership to ―marry‖ the FSO
with the Academy has proven to be a wise one, particularly now that the Academy requires ―Maintenance
of Fellowship‖. The FSO Meeting has continued to improve and expand each year now that AFOS provides
all the financial and member resources.
Meeting locations noted below:
Meeting
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
FSO
Tampa
Anaheim
Orlando
San Francisco
Boston
Phoenix
Seattle
Denver
New Orleans
AOA
Boston
Seattle
Washington
Orlando
Salt Lake
City
Chicago
San Diego
Philadelphia
Seattle
SECO
Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta
The attendance for the FSO has been excellent and continues to expand while the SECO is diminishing in
attendance. See Attendance Chart Below
Year
SECO
FSO-Academy
2006
149
167
2007
2008
2009
2010
153
138
125
126
154
157
179
195 (projected)
This historical information mandates your AFOS leadership to survey our membership to assess if it is appropriate to change the AFOS Annual Meeting to the Academy so that we can have greater membership
participation in making critical decisions that affect our Society?
WHY A SURVEY, WHY ALL THAT HISTORY?
AFOS leadership has many tasks. One of paramount concern is how do we make AFOS a continually
stronger and better organization?
How does AFOS not only improve membership numbers, but how does AFOS get more participation in
committees and other projects?
Please go to our website at www.afos2020.org and take the survey on the Home Page —
the survey is available as a (1) Survey Only or the (2) Survey with the historical overview.
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 15
Army (Continued from page 5)
Newly arrived in the Army (16 Officers): The recruiting program and incentives are working extremely well and
Army Optometry welcomes sixteen new officers to our ranks. Most are new to the Army and all are new graduates
about to embrace a lifelong professional career.
The new APEL is out!
The updated Authorized Protective Eyewear List (APEL) is now available and is posted
on the Military Combat Eye Protection (MCEP) website that is within Army Knowledge
Online (AKO). The link is embedded in
the first paragraph on that website: https://
www.us.army.mil/suite/page/533920
The APEL is also posted on AKO‘s Army
Optometry site within the Military Combat Eye Protection folder and a new poster
was added that features the full complement of approved MCEP items. To review these documents go to the Optometry Knowledge Center and open the Combat Eye Protection folder at: https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/407 .
O4 Promotion Results: The Major‘s list was released on 28 July 2010. Congratulations
to the following officers:
CPT(P) Joshua C. Baker
CPT(P) Jason P. Moran
CPT(P) Grace L. Dewars
CPT(P) Keith H. Schmidt
CPT(P) Jennifer A. Filiatreau
CPT(P) Kyle A. Smith
CPT(P) Matthew C. Geiman
CPT(P) Charles M. Tessman
O6 Promotion Results: The O6 board process was extremely competitive this year for Army Optometry. Congratulations to LTC(P) Jeffery Cleland on his selection for promotion to Colonel.
Special Recognition: The American Academy of Optometry commemorated the anniversary milestones of 25 years of
membership for the following retired Army Fellows:
COL(Ret) Donald E. Dunphy —- COL(Ret) Joel T. Postma —- LTC(Ret) Amy M Postma
Currently in Theater:
Iraq: CPT(P) Kyle Smith, CPT(P) Charles Tessman, CPT Eric Neelans, CPT Brittany Ellis
Afghanistan: CPT Benjamin Uhl, CPT Riz Khan,
Kosovo: MAJ Christopher Burgess
The 167th MED DET together
as a team in Kuwait before
departing to their current
destinations in Iraq.
(left to right)
CPT(P) Kyle Smith,
CPT(P) Charles Tessman,
SGT Kendra Towner,
SPC David Hawkins,
SPC BJ Rowe, and
SPC Ronnie Wilder
(left to right)
CPT Neelans,
CPT Ellis,
SSG Wood, and
SPC Gonzalez of
the 554th MED
DET in Iraq.
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 16
Paraoptometric
Dr. Darren Rhoton
● I am pleased to announce the re-organization of the AFOS Paraoptometric Committee and extend our
appreciation to Dr. Patricia Allen the immediate past chair for her service. I would also like to formally
welcome and introduce our committee members: Dr. Kenney Wells represents the Army and is stationed at
Ft Campbell, Kentucky, Dr. Samuel Jarvis represents the Navy and is stationed at Yuma, Arizona, Dr.
Robert Hillsgrove represents the VA and is stationed at Cocoa, Florida. As the Director for the Air Force
Ophthalmic Technician School, I recently moved to Ft Sam Houston, Texas to assist with the standing up
of the DoD‘s new Medical Enlisted Training Campus (METC). As mandated by congress all enlisted
medical training for the DoD is being consolidated at Ft Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. In February
2011 the Army and Air Force will welcome the inaugural consolidated Ophthalmic Technician class.
● Our Committee structure calls for one representative from each of the 5 service branches. We currently
have an opening for a representative from the Public Health branch. Anyone from Public Health/IHS interested in serving on the committee is encouraged to please contact myself or Dr. Simpson. The goals of the
Paraoptometric Committee are to promote paraoptometric career development, to include national certification and clinic optimization and to mentor/advocate for the AFOS Paraoptometric Section. In conjunction with AFOS/SECO in Mar 2011, the Paraoptometric Section is organizing a CE program for technicians. They are soliciting for lecturers that would be available on the 1st or 2nd of March and able to speak
to one or more of the following topics:
▪ Common clinic walk-ins, triage, and red eye
▪ Clinic optimization, questioning your clinic processes, and increasing efficiency
▪ Humanitarian missions, what to expect, and why we need to be there
▪ Flight physicals, AFI 48-123, and AFPAM 48-133
▪ Corneal diseases and conditions to include patient induced issues (i.e. CL over wear)
▪ Things to recognize in retinal photography (dot blot, cotton wool, DR, ARMD, etc.),
▪ Standardization across optometry clinics (i.e. technician testing, doctor exams, and how to better assist
the providers)
Please e-mail me at [email protected] if you are available and interested in addressing one of
these topics for the our paraoptometrics.
Moving?
Please go to our website at
www.afos2020.org and log on and
go to “Update Profile” and make
the appropriate changes — if you
are an AOA member, an e-mail
will automatically be generated
with the changes and sent to the
AOA
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 17
Greetings to my fellow AFOS Optometrists.
●It was a very productive and exciting year for Navy Reserve Optometry. We provided clinical support
to several Naval Hospital Commands worldwide providing backfill and vacation relief for our active
duty counterparts, ensuring that the established level of quality care was maintained. In addition, we
were able to provide clinical support on six MEDRETES/IRTs. Three of the missions were to Haiti,
and one each to Nicaragua, Panama and the Hoopa Indian Reservation.
●CDR Morell went to Darien, a province of Panama which borders Columbia.
She traveled to three different school sites in this region and conducted seven days
of patient care. CDR Morell was the sole Optometrist and worked with two outstanding Navy Corpsmen. CDR Bishop, also a Navy Reserve Optometrist served
as the OIC of the Mission. The Team was able to provide eye care to 1,007 patients and dispensed a total of 1,027 pairs of glasses. Due to the fact that there is
no eye care in the region, the demand for eye care was extremely high. CDR Morell tells us this heartwarming story. She examined an old farmer, who came to
see her being guided by his son because he could not see well enough to walk
alone. He had advanced cataracts and needed a very high myopic correction. He
CDR Morell
left the clinic that day with his first pair of glasses. The next day, CDR Morell saw
this farmer at the closing ceremony all by himself, proudly wearing his new glasses and a big smile.
●CDR Lou Perez participated in Haiti MEDRETE #1 and provided eye care to 988 patients and dispensed 1,700 pairs of glasses over ten clinic days. He reports that the majority of patients required reading glasses and found a high incidence of ocular disease like macular degeneration, cataracts and parasitic infections. He said it would have been great to have more sunglasses to dispense to protect them
from the elements.
● CDR Pat Steiner participated in Haiti MEDRETE #2 and worked in the Gonaives region. For ten
days, she along with HM3 Abney worked out of a local school house providing eye care to 1,472 villagers and dispensed over 1,800 pairs of glasses! CDR Steiner reports that conditions were challenging,
due to the extreme heat, torrential downpours and humidity, but extremely rewarding. One of the highlights of her trip was when the mother of her Corpsman, a native of Haiti had his mother come to the
base to cook an authentic Haitian meal. What a treat it was.
●LCDR Sharlene Gee had the unique opportunity to serve as the sole Optometrist on the Hoopa Indian
Reservation‘s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT). The Hoopa Indian Reservation is located in Northern California and is the home to over 2,600 tribal members. This is the largest Reservation in the State
of California, encompassing over 90,000 acres. A total of 500 Tribal Members were provided care during this thirteen day Mission.
●Bravo Zulu to all these outstanding Optometrists for volunteering to take on these operational missions
with such enthusiasm and dedication.
●We are fortunate to have four new Shipmates join our ranks. Welcome Aboard to: CDR Frederic Kelley, CDR Don Wilhelmus, LCDR Patricia Anderson, and LT Damita Zweiback. We look forward to
seeing great things from them all.
T HE A R M E D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
Diamond AFOS Sponsors
($10,000 + Year)
Platinum AFOS Sponsors
($5,000 + Year)
PAGE 18
T HE A R ME D FO R C E S O P T O ME T R I C S O C I E T Y
PAGE 19
Platinum AFOS Sponsors (Continued)
($5,000 + Year)
Gold AFOS Sponsors
($2,500 + Year)
Silver AFOS Sponsors
($1,000 + Year)
AFOS members can now pay their AFOS and AOA dues on our website.
http://www.afos2020.org
T HE ARMED F ORCE S
OPT OMET RIC SO C IE T Y
904 V IST A GRA NDE ST R EET
PASO ROBL ES, C A 93446
805 -226 -8292
FAX 805 -226 -8362
T OLL FREE 866 -940 - 7941
Presorted Standard
US Postage
PAID
Permit 550
Paso Robles, CA
REMEMBER:
2010 AFOS
FSO Meeting
San Francisco California
November 15-16, 2010
Top quality 8 hours,
COPE approved continuing education
Service-specific breakout session
Sunday before wine tour to Sonoma Valley
Keynote Speaker Actor Tom Sullivan
*******************************************************************************************************
2010 DUES STRUCTURE
AFOS
AOA
<2 yrs Service
$ 45
1st full yr after grad $ 76.80
>2 yrs Service
$100
2nd full yr after grad $153.60
Associate
$ 40
3rd full yr after grad $384.00
Student
$ 15
4th full yr after grad $576.00
Life (Ret) (1 time pay)
$250
5th full yr after grad $768.00
NOTE: AFOS dues are due in full on 1 Jan. AOA dues may be paid in full or quarterly. Quarterly AOA payments of $192.00
are due on 1 Jan, 1 April, 1 July and 1 Oct. You may now make your dues payments online 24/7 by logging on and clicking on
―Pay Membership Dues‖. If you prefer to pay by check instead of online -- Make checks payable to AFOS and send all pay-
ments to: AFOS, 904 Vista Grande St., Paso Robles, CA 93446-1830. DO NOT SEND DUES PAYMENTS TO
THE AOA.
The dues owed by each member are no longer printed at the top of your mailing label
Your dues history for 2009 and 2010 are now available for viewing by logging on the
AFOS website and clicking on “Pay Membership Dues”
―Contributions or gifts to the American Optometric Association are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for income tax
purposes. However, they may be tax deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses subject to restrictions imposed as a
result of association lobbying activities. The American Optometric Association estimates that the non-deductible portion of your
AOA 2010 dues - the portion that is allocable to lobbying - is 13.5%. ―