TAMPA, Fla.—The Society for Advanced Opticianry (SAO) has been formed “to elevate the profession of opticianry through advanced education thus providing a higher level of skill and care,” a statement said.

The group was created at the third annual ABO/NCLE National Education Conference Cincinnati, Ohio, last month.

According to SAO public relations board member Gary McArrell, a licensed optician with The Hour Glass in Tallahassee, Fla. the idea for the group was generated from discussions among opticians. “The consensus seemed to be that like other allied health professions, formal education is necessary for the growth of our field,” he told VMail, adding that a group met at the Southeastern Opticians Conference in July and then again in Cincinnati to formally create the SAO.

The society said it elected its initial slate of officers including:
• President—Thomas Blair, Jr., ABOM, president, Opticians Association of Georgia, adjunct instructor, DeKalb Technical College, Decatur, Ga.
• Vice President—Bob Klomann, ABOM, president, Scuba Optics, Inc. Rock Falls, Ill.
• Secretary—Carrie Wilson, ABOM, optician, Walmart, and board member, Contact Lens Society of America, Dalton, Ga.
• Treasurer—John Bruening, president, Geauga Vision, Middlefield, Ohio

Laurie Pierce, LDO, ABOM, an instructor at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. and the society’s public relations chairperson, said, “For opticianry to grow and flourish as a profession, educational standards must be raised. The society was created to foster growth in education requirements and recognize opticians who reach higher educational standards.”

As for what those education requirements are, McArrell said that the SAO plans to “recognize opticians who have reached an educational and certification level beyond basic certification. We will focus on encouraging formal education for opticians and are working on options to help opticians pursue their education through traditional and nontraditional venues,” he said, “We do not intend to offer education or testing ourselves but rather work with the existing organizations.”

McArrell also said that the ABO/NCLE and OAA are “strongly behind” the SAO.

The SAO’s next meeting will be at the Opticians Association of America’s Leadership Conference will be held January 20-22, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas. McArrell told VMail the organization will begin discussing that agenda via teleconference in November.