Featured AOA Program:

Member Benefits & Services

The advantages of membership in AOA are many. AOA's advocacy efforts provide a voice for organized optometry in federal legislative, judicial and regulatory agency decisions affecting optometry. Our professional periodicals and communications provide timely, topical information on issues and events that affect your practice, your profession and the AOA.

Each year, Optometry's Meeting features world-class continuing education, an opportunity to network with others in the optometry field, and comprehensive exhibits.

Our public relations and consumer awareness programs ensure that AOA's mission of improving the quality and availability of eye and vision care are carried out.

Additionally, the Information and Member Services Center includes information on AOA Sections, career guidance and programs such as VisionUSA.

Optometry and the Law:

Opposing organized medicine's efforts to slow optometry's growth and preserving and expanding optometrists' scope of practice remains a priority of the American Optometric Association. AOA advocates for you and the profession of optometry before all branches of the federal government - Congress, the executive branch, federal regulatory agencies and, if necessary, the judicial branch.

AOA maintains an active PAC (Political Action Committee) and Keyperson program, and the State Government Relations Center works with the states to enlarge prescriptive authority and to achieve licensure by endorsement in all 50 states. In 2002, AOA developed an optometry-specific HIPAA Privacy Compliance Manual available at no charge and ONLY to members. In 2005, AOA helped to prevent a significant reduction in Medicare payments from taking effect and achieved a modest increase instead, resulting in millions of dollars in added revenue to optometric practices.

Helping You Practice

The American Optometric Association has created a variety of tangible, value-added services and programs to help you start a practice, find a job or practice opportunity, manage a practice, or solve problems in your practice (regardless of your practice setting). On this page, you'll also find information for your patients, access information about Medicare, and get the information you need to know before you sign a contract.

It's all here:

Helping You Grow Professionally

Networking, information, news updates, library resources, mentoring - these are just a few of the ways in which AOA can help you grow professionally. Are you opening a practice and need to connect with industry suppliers? You'll find hundreds of companies at the annual AOA Congress: Optometry's Meeting™. Got a clinical question you need answered? Check out the Optometric Clinical Practice Guidelines. Interested in adding children's / infants' vision to your practice? And that's just a sampling. See below for more ways AOA can help you grow professionally.

Marketing Your Profession

Your professional association works hard to promote you to the public as THE primary eye care provider. Through its Vision and Mission statements (revised in January 2003) and the Brand Positioning statement developed as part of the ongoing branding process (all three are provided below), AOA markets you to consumers, industry, and the media. Additionally, the Healthy Eyes Healthy People™ initiative and the ongoing, expanding emphasis on the need for children's and infants' eye and vision care place AOA-member optometrists on the leading edge in the movement to improve the public's access to quality healthcare.

AOA Mission Statement

Advance the profession and serve optometrists in meeting the eye care needs of the public.

AOA Vision Statement

The American Optometric Association is the acknowledged leader and recognized authority for primary eye and vision care in the world.

Brand Positioning Statement

To members, potential members and the public at large, the AOA is the professional organization that is THE authority on eye care because it is a recognized eye care advocate and educator on behalf of optometrists and patients, stressing the importance of regular eye exams in a healthy lifestyle.