National View on Opticianry | September 2026
Stronger Together: A Message from the UOA Board President
Dear Reader,
As Aarlan Aceto begins his term as UOA Board President, he's sharing a personal message about where opticianry can go from here. Looking at how professions like physical therapy, pharmacy, and nursing built their standing over time, he sees the same opportunity ahead for opticians, and it starts with people getting involved: joining a state association, volunteering on a committee, mentoring a student, making their voice heard.
Getting involved starts with knowing where the work is headed. Here's what each UOA committee is focused on this year.
FY27 Committee Goals
Membership: Grow state-level and individual membership by positioning Get Certified, Stay Certified. as the profession’s minimum shared standard.
Government Affairs: Strengthen UOA’s national regulatory voice and support three to five states in advancing or modernizing opticianry regulation, building on the model legislation filed in Pennsylvania. Defending licensure in our 22 regulated states remains the top priority.
Education: Bring formal education, apprenticeship, and CTE pathways into one national framework that feeds directly into certification and prepares opticians for the workforce.
Marketing: Elevate the voice of the profession through UOA's Mission:Optician podcast, National View, and social media, showcasing the voices that bring our profession to life.
Conference: Build the One Vision | One Voice | One UOA Conference into a flagship national event, with interactive industry sessions, an entrepreneurial and nonprofit track, a dedicated educators conference, and new networking opportunities.
Interested in serving on a committee? Reach out to Gwen Cooper, UOA Executive Director at gcooper@opticians.org to get involved.
Membership
Add Your Voice Today
From now through October 15, join UOA for just $45 and add your voice to the profession’s shared work.
Already part of a UOA state association? You're covered, no action needed. If you're not sure whether your state has one, check our interactive member map.
State Association Updates
If you’re a state association leader, check your inbox. Your membership renewal notice has arrived.
Advocacy
New Government Affairs Leadership
UOA welcomes John Bruening as the new chair of our Government Affairs Committee, joined by 11 state leaders invested in advocating for the opticianry profession.
The committee’s priorities remain steady: defending licensure in our 22 regulated states, supporting Veterans’ continued access to certified and licensed opticians, backing the Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children (EDVI) Act at the federal level, and partnering with the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved to expand vision care access in Federally Qualified Health Centers.
EDUCATION
New on the Blog
One optician followed her father into a profession he had spent 76 years building a career in. Certified at 18 and still practicing nearly five decades later, her career has taken her through teaching, board work, and running her own business, and eventually back to the dispensing floor and into a new focus on elder vision care.
Her advice for anyone building a career in opticianry? Get certified, then keep choosing to expand from there.
Read our latest guest blog, Connecting the Dots: A Certified Optician's Journey Across Nearly Five Decades.
Your Next Listen
Steve Alexander, vice president of industry and strategic partnerships at Anagram, returns to Mission:Optician for a second conversation with UOA Education Director Bob Alexander. This episode looks at how vision plan structures and reimbursement models shape the decisions opticians make every day, and why giving opticians more control over product recommendations and the patient experience matters for the profession’s future.
Find Rethinking Vision Plans and Optician Independence on our website or wherever you listen to podcasts.
OptiCon Advisory Board Update
The OptiCon Advisory Board is finalizing content for OptiCon at Vision Expo in Las Vegas this March. Want to be the first to know when registration opens? Sign up for Vision Expo communications.
Educator Connect Launch
UOA member schools are joining a new monthly networking series called Educator Connect, built to move formal education programs forward together. Educators who want to get involved can reach out to Bob Alexander, UOA Director of Education, at balexander@opticians.org.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Save the New Date
Mark your calendars. The 2027 UOA Conference date has been updated to June 2–6 in Minneapolis, MN. Watch upcoming issues of National View for registration details and catch the highlights from the 2026 Conference in Chicago.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Empowering Education Marketing Toolkit
The Vision Council has released See What Matters: Empowering Education, a free marketing toolkit, including resources to help eye care professionals encourage children and parents to prioritize eye health year-round. The kit includes brochures, posters, social media posts, and more.
Children's Eye Health and Safety Resources
Prevent Blindness and the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health have new tools for Children’s Eye Health and Safety. Last month’s newsletter, Seven Ways to Prepare for a Vision-Successful School Year, is a good starting point.
For families working through barriers to children’s eye care, the Small Steps to Eye Care Action Plan lays out a clear path forward. Download the Small Steps to Eye Care Action Plan.
On the Calendar
Fri, Sep 11 • 2026 Summer Showcase Conference (Florida)
Wed, Sep 16 - Fri, Sep 18 • The Vision Council Lab Leadership Forum
Sat, Sep 19 • Midwest Spec-Fest + Professional Development Event
Sat, Sep 19 • PNWOA Virtual CEC
Sun, Sep 20 • Nashville Chapter Hours
Sat, Oct 3 • Midwest Spec-Fest + Professional Development Event
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