CHICAGO—With an eye toward developing “guidelines for optometric continuing education, including issues related to industry support, disclosure and advertising,” a new steering committee held its first meeting here late last month.

The National Steering Committee on Optometric Guidelines for Educational Support consists of representatives from the American Academy of Optometry, the American Optometric Association, the Association of Regulatory Boards in Optometry, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and SECO International, as well as suppliers Allergan (NYSE: AGN), Essilor of America and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (NYSE: JNJ).

The first meeting included a presentation from the American Council for Continuing Medical Education on its standards for commercial support of continuing education activities. The committee also reviewed guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration, the Office of the Inspector General, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education.

After drafting initial guidelines, the Steering Committee will reconvene during SECO 2009 in early March, “with the goal of establishing support and disclosure policies for the profession of optometry,” an announcement said.

The committee can be contacted at [email protected].