Long–Time Fan Finally Meets the Great Mariano Rivera

For some 18 years, Linda Conlin, founder of F.E. Enterprises and the OpticalCEU continuing education seminar for opticians, breathed easier when her now-famous New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera stepped onto the clay. Thanks to Eyefinity, she met her baseball hero at the recent Vision Expo East. The Irvine, CA,-based company set up a waiting area at its booth at two in the afternoon. Scores of fans, including Linda Conlin, waited for two hours. Then “Enter the Sandman,” the anthem played at Yankee Stadium when “Mo” took the mound. Conlin admits that she was a bit tongue-tied when she approach the Hall-of-Fame bound closer. She did say, “God bless you.”  And he offered the same blessing to her. It was not until a few hours later that her hands stopped shaking.

Sell-Out OpticalCEUs Seminar Major Success

Linda Conlin, founder
of OpticalCEUs, presenting.

Yesterday, some 150 opticians from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania learned about contact lenses on the job and for athletes, fitting irregular corneas, the fundamentals of sight, diseases of the eye, and use of the slit lamp. They came to the ballroom of the Grand Pequot at Foxwoods Resorts in Connecticut.

Accredited lecturers Linda Conlin, Deborah Kotob of Vision-Ease and Joe Forte presented six courses enabling opticians to earn seven ABO/NCLE credits. For 15 years Linda, an NAO Fellow Ambassador, has provided continuing education and training for opticians at the state and national level. She is ABO and NCLE certified, licensed in CT, MA and RI, and has dwritten for 20/20 and EyeWitness magazines. Deborah, a sales consultant for Vision-Ease, creates and presents ABO seminars related to best practices. A Massachusetts-licensed optician, she has owned an optical business and was a sales representative for MODO and Luxottica.  Deborah has achieved ABOM and NCLE certifications. Joe, the director of contact lens services for Raymond Opticians, lectured at CUNY Tech, Vision Expo and Optifair. He was program director of the Interboro Institute College of Opticianry where he taught courses in various areas of contact lenses and optics.

OpticalCEUs Sells Out Spring 2014 CEU Seminar

So many opticians from the tri-state region (CT, MA, and RI) have signed up for OpticalCEU's continuing education on Sunday, April 6, that the conference has sold out. Two days ago on-line registration was closed. On Sunday, F.E. Enterprises will offer the following six courses in the Grand Pequot Ballroom, Foxwoods Resort and Casino: The Miracle of Sight by Deborah Kotob (2 ABO); Contact Lenses on the Job by Linda Conlin (1 NCLE)NEW!; Fitting Irregular Corneas by Joe Forte (1 NCLE) —Level III; Score with Contact Lenses for Sports by Linda Conlin (1 NCLE)– NEW!; Diseases of the Eye by Joe Forte (1 ABO); and Beam Me Up! Understanding the Slit Lamp by Linda Conlin (1 NCLE).

Directions to the CEU seminar for opticians: Foxwoods is located at 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket, CT  06338, on Route 2 between I-395 and I-95.  You can get directions to the resort by clicking this link. Valet parking is free.  For accommodations, call Foxwoods at 1-800 PLAY BIG and by clicking this link.  Overnight reservations are not associated with the seminar.

Blog Tops More than a Quarter Million Views

Just before Thanksgiving 2010, we launched this blog to help opticians stay atop news in the field of eye care. Each day we scan the web for news stories relating to seeing the world better--from the latest in frame design to the latest science regarding eye health to the latest eyewear celeb trends. And in those three plus years we have delivered more than 4400 posts, and there are more to come.

14 Eye-Popping Disease Stats Opticians Need to Know

Eye care professionals work on the front lines protecting patients’ most valued sense and that involves prevention, diagnoses, treatment and education.

Education is particularly important for patient care. Only 11 percent of respondents to a 2005 survey knew glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy had no warning signs. (Yes, the data is old, but eye care education among the general population seems to have remained stagnant…excluding trips to WebMD.)

Perhaps exacerbated by ill-informed patients, the figures related to common eye diseases in the United States are staggering. Here are 14 of the most eye-popping stats:

From the Centers for Disease Control and the Research to Prevent Blindness:

1. Sixty-one million U.S. adults are high-risk for serious vision loss, but only half have visited an eye doctor in the past year.
2. In 2004, 3.3 million Americans aged 40 and older suffer from blindness or low vision. That number is projected to double by 2030 due to an aging population and increasing rates of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
3. Refractive correction could improve the vision of 11 million Americans over the age of 12.
4. Nearly 2 million people over 40 years old suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The number of people with AMD will reach 2.95 million by 2020.
5. The number of people with cataract in at least one eye will increase by nearly 50 percent from 20.5 million to 30.1 million by 2020.
6. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness, and retinopathy and vision-threatening retinopathy affect 5 million Americans.
7. Amblyopia, the number one cause of vision loss in one eye for children to middle-aged adults, affects 2 to 3 percent of the population.
8. Ten thousand Americans will turn 65 years old every day for the next 10 years. Estimates show that more than 50 million Americans will be blind, have low vision or have an age-related eye disease.
9. Every seven minutes an American goes blind or becomes visually impaired.
10. Legally blind patients said they would trade more than a third of their remaining years to regain perfect vision. People without light perception would be willing to trade 74 percent of their remaining years.
11. Between 40 and 45 percent of diabetics have diabetic retinopathy.
12. Each year, 200,000 Americans develop advanced age-related macular degeneration.
13. The rate of age-related macular degeneration jumps from 2 percent among 50-somethings to about 30 percent for people over 75.
14. Roughly 50 percent of the 2.3 million Americans aged 40 and older with glaucoma don’t know they have the disease.

Want to know more than statistics about common eye diseases? Join eye care expert Joe Forte at Foxwoods Resort and Casino on April 6 for an opportunity to earn three ABO and four NCLE continuing education credits.

He’ll show you common eye conditions and diagnostic instruments, the anatomy of the eye and external structures, conditions of the anterior and posterior segments and more! Register now!

Attendees Give OpticalCEUs Continuing Education Conference High Rating

More than 150 opticians from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island raved about OpticalCEUs 2013 Continuing Education Conference for Opticians at Foxwoods. See the movie about the continuing education conference. This is what they had to say: "Excellent format", Convenient location, value for $", "Courses are interesting and the price is right", "I like the format", "Lectures were interesting and informative", "Less expensive, fun location, well organized, relaxed", "Less expensive, more room, different eating area, bathroom cleanliness, well organized", "This program has improved so much in quality of speakers and comfort of room", "Like presenters, location, price", "Each class was very informative and not too long.  Thank you for offering this seminar - don't change a thing!", "Good food, good location, always enjoy coming to Linda's seminar".  See the rest of the evaluations on this page.

Linda Conlin, founder of the innovative, attendee-oriented continuing education program OpticalCEUs and the increasingly popular optical news site, Optical News from OpticalCEUs, recently released the outstanding performance evaluations from opticians attending its Spring 2013 Continuing Education Seminar for Opticians at Foxwoods. As mandated by ABO/NCLE (American Board of Opticianry/National Contact Lens Examiners), OpticalCEUs surveys attendee reaction to each seminar using a standard ABO/NCLE questionnaire. “Clearly our attendees appreciate the time, energy, and professionalism that each speaker puts into her/his work,” said Linda Conlin.

OpticalCEU's Spring CE Seminar on April 7

Need to renew your state license and ABO/NCLE certification? Get the best value in continuing education with a full-day, 7-credit program with F.E. Enterprises and OpticalCEUs. From clear-cut lens design techniques to discussions about new contact lens technologies, F.E. Enterprises will offer six courses on Sunday, April 7th,  at the Grand Pequot Ballroom, Foxwoods Resort and Casino. These courses will help you:
•    Discover best practices for addressing dry eye syndrome
•    Provide top-notch patient care with eyewear design strategies
•    Earn accreditation with the industry’s top lecturers and enjoy some casino fun!

Look out for the news about registration.

Sell Out Crowd Enjoys OpticalCEU's Spring 2012 Conference

Some 150 opticians from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island recently attended OpticalCEU's Annual Spring Seminar at The MGM Grand Hotel/Casino at Foxwoods. On the fine, April 29^th morning, they listened as Linda Conlin, Deborah Kotob, and Jean Davidson presented ABO- and NCLE-approved optical courses. They earned seven continuing education credits, which they will put towards their license requirements as well as their ABO/NCLE accreditation.  This year OpticalCEUs improved the classroom environment with more comfortable seating and improved audio-visual. This follows last year's addition of a three-course, banquet hot lunch catered by the fine chefs at the MGM Grand.   

Speakers

For 14 years Linda Conlin, an NAO Fellow Ambassador and member of CLSA's University Review Committee, has provided continuing education for opticians at the state and national level. She is ABO and NCLE certified, licensed in CT, MA and RI, has a BS from Fairfield University and was a columnist for EyeWitness magazine.

With 40 years of optical experience, Jean Davidson now presents continuing education courses. She is certified by the ABO and NCLE. A Fellow of the National Academy of Opticianry, she has trained opticians across the country and authored several articles on vision and eyewear.

Deborah Kotob, a sales consultant for Vision-Ease, writes, edits and presents ABO seminars related to best practices. A Massachusetts-licensed optician, she has owned an optical business and was a sales representative for MODO and Luxottica. Deborah is certified by the ABO and NCLE.

Registration Deadline for OpticalCEUs Spring CEU Conference Looms

Linda Conlin, the head of OpticalCEUs, reports that registration for the 2012 Spring Semester for Continuing Education Credits for opticians is progressing than in the past. Opticians from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts have registered by phone (203-366-5991), online, and by mail.  


The conference will be held on April 29th. F.E. Enterprises, OpticalCEUs parent, has a full-day, 7-credit program at the MGM Grand, Foxwoods Resort and Casino on Sunday, April 29. In response to attendee requests, we’ve added a more comfortable learning environment to accompany our complimentary hot lunch buffet in the luxurious MGM Grand conference space. Accredited lecturers Linda Conlin, Jean Davidson and Deborah Kotob of Vision-Ease will present ABO and NCLE accredited courses. You can apply the credit from all courses toward your state license and your ABO/NCLE certification. So register now online at our secure registration site:

OpticalCEUs Seminar Just Around the Corner

Register for OpticalCEUs Fall continuing education seminar at the MGM Grand, Foxwoods on Sunday, October 16.  To register, go to http://www.opticalceu.com/RegisterNowFall2011.html. The registration fee includes coffee and tea at registration at 8:30 on Sunday, Oct. 16, as well as the lavish luncheon prepared by the MGM Grand, compliments of OpticalCEUs. Here's a list of the courses being presented:

• 9-10: Ocular Allergies by Jean Davidson (1 NCLE);
• 10 1: In the Beginning: Embryonic Eye Development by Linda Conlin (1 NCLE);
• 11-Noon: The Healthy Eyecare Solution by Deborah Kotob (1 ABO);
• 1-2:The Pressure Is On by Jean Davidson (1 ABO pending);
• 2-3: The Three Bugs: Acanthamoeba, Pseudomonas, and Fusarium by Linda Conlin (1 NCLE);
• 3-4: Eye Know Why by Jean Davidson (1 ABO); and
• 4-5: Trends in Fitting Younger Contact Lens Patients by Linda Conlin (1 NCLE).

ECPs can apply their credits toward their state license and their ABO/NCLE certifications. Seminars usually sell out, so reserve by October 7. Any questions? Email f.e.enterprises@opticalceu.com.

A CEU Program Opticians Can Chew On

OpticalCEUs, a division of F.E. Enterprises, will run its 2011 Spring Continuing Education Conference for opticians and ECPs needing ABO and NCLE credits on May 1, 2011, at the luxurious Foxwoods Resorts and Casinos, in Mashantucket, Connecticut, according to Linda Conlin, founder of OpticalCEUs.

The semi-annual event, which has been running for more than a decade, will have its usual line-up of speakers and their excellent multimedia presentations. They will cover a variety of topics regarding vision care, eyewear, and contact lenses, providing opticians and ECPs with as many as seven ABO/NCLE continuing education credits, notes Linda Conlin.

As usual, the economical fee will include free coffee or tea for attendees arriving for the morning sessions. In addition, opticians and ECPs attending a full day of sessions (seven credits), sessions only in the morning (three credits), or sessions only in the afternoon (four credits) can enjoy a complimentary lunch. Here's the menu for OpticalCEUs 2011 Spring Conference for opticians and ECPs:

• Soup and Salads: hearty minestrone soup; crisp iceberg lettuce with pepperoncini peppers, garbanzo beans, chopped tomatoes, and crumbled feta cheese served with either a house vinaigrette or buttermilk ranch dressing; tortellini pasta salad.
• Make Your Own Hot Sandwich: Philly cheese steaks with shaved rib-eye beef, melted cheese, grilled mushrooms and onions; honey BBQ pulled pork; eggplant Florentine; all served with fresh Hoagie rolls and seasoned curly fries.
• Desserts: chocolate fudge cake, blueberry lemon meringue cake, mandarin Earl Grey cake, along with coffee and assorted teas.

Course information and registration will be available online by the middle of March 2011. For directions to the resort, follow this link: Directions by car to Foxwoods. For information about the conference, email Linda Conlin at F.E.Enterprises@opticalceu.com.

Happy New Year

It's 2011. The holidays have passed, football is nearly finished, and CEU time for opticians is creeping up. That's why Linda Conlin recently noted that F.E. Enterprises will announce the date for its Spring 2011 CEU Conference in a short while. "While we do not have a firm date at the moment, it appears that it will be in April." Should anyone need more information, you can email: f.e.enterprises@opticalceu.com.  
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