Vision Expo East is always an exciting time of year. For one thing, it’s as sure a sign of spring as the return of Daylight Saving Time. Spring means waking up out of winter hibernation to blink in the sunlight at all that’s new and growing, and Expo always provides plenty of that for the optical community. There’s an endless garden of new technology, products, innovation and education.

This year, OptiCon @ Vision Expo brings OptiCon, the ABO/NCLE’s annual education conference, to the best known international expo and conference on vision care. OptiCon @ Vision Expo will offer more than 75 hours of education specifically tailored for opticians and contact lens technicians, including review classes for the basic and advanced ABO/NCLE certification exams.

It’s not all classroom learning; there’s more on the exhibit floor, too. Stop by the Jobson Optical Group Booth #2875 to peruse all of our publications that keep you on the cutting edge as an eyecare professional. On March 16 at 2 p.m. in the Galleria Lounge, you can attend a pop-up talk, “Seeing Eye to Eye” by 20/20 Editor-in-Chief James Spina. James will tell you how the relationship between the optical retailer and eyewear vendor impacts your relationship with your patients. And of course, you can’t miss first-hand looks at the latest in frames, lenses and equipment. It’s all there for you!

In contrast to Vision Expo’s panorama of optical plenty, this month’s Pro to Pro presents an article about one optician’s travels to Haiti to serve the vision care needs of people in one of the world’s poorest countries. “Doing the MATH for Haiti” is a remarkable story of Bruce Tooker’s ingenuity in making the most of the least resources to identify vision problems and provide eyewear to those who may never have had any kind of vision care and the group Medical Aid to Haiti (MATH) that made his journeys possible. MATH is a sustainable mission with a goal not only of immediate assistance, but of “helping Haitians to heal Haitians” to provide continuous care after the volunteers return home. It’s a story about one optician who made a difference in about 500 lives. After you read it, ask yourself what you can do to make a difference in someone’s life too.

• Linda Conlin
[email protected]
2020mag.com/education