Access Low Vision in Pennsylvania

I am so proud of what we at the POA have achieved this year. The POA has provided leadership development for over 40 members and established a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Additionally, we have developed a new POPAC Proactive Optometry Initiative. After advocacy efforts this year, we've seen the successful passage of the Early Eye Drop legislation. We have even supported Salus University’s Ophthalmic Lasers Procedures for Anterior Segment certification course. You can register here. 

In addition to our established initiatives with the Pennsylvania Diabetic Eye Health Alliance (PDEHA)  and Children’s Vision Care Alliance (CVCA), the POA has now formed a Low Vision Awareness Committee. The overall purpose of the Low Vision Awareness Committee is to promote Low Vision awareness to Optometrists, Ophthalmologists, other health care providers, and the general public.

We are reminding our members that the standard of care for a patient with low vision is to refer to one of the many Optometrists in Pennsylvania who provide Low Vision rehabilitation.

So, what constitutes a referral for Low Vision services? No longer is the trigger for a referral to Low Vision a certain visual acuity, visual field or diagnosis. The standard of care now is to refer any patient who is struggling with at least one activity of daily living due to their vision loss. Examples could be: difficulty reading mail or pill bottles; trouble keeping up in school (at any age); concerns about driving; difficulty performing work-related tasks; difficulty traveling through unfamiliar environments; trouble reading books, magazines, or computers; inability to see favorites hobbies or past-times; difficulty seeing to provide self-care such as shaving; or difficulty seeing to perform housekeeping such as cooking and laundry. 

If you have provided the best optical correction, but your patient is still struggling, please refer to a Low Vision Optometrist. They can tackle the problem, not only by traditional glasses or contact lenses, but also by use of lighting, contrast, prisms, modified working distances, eccentric fixation, various forms of optical and electronic magnification, training with these devices and techniques, and referrals as needed to other supportive professionals. The earlier the Low Vision Optometrist can become involved, the more successful your patients are likely to be.

Of course, at no time should Low Vision care replace proper medical or surgical intervention. But do remember, Low Vision is an essential treatment modality to those with visual impairments. Also, please do not prejudge a patient’s ability to adapt to Low Vision care or pay for the services. Low Vision consultations are generally covered under a patient’s medical insurance. If not, other funding sources are available such as the Pennsylvania Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services. Get to know your local Low Vision Optometrists. They can guide you. Consider the Low Vision Optometrist a part of your team. They do the rehabilitation and you continue to be the patient’s primary eye care Optometrist.

If you are a POA member who provides Low Vision Rehabilitation, please make sure your AOA profile indicates you have a special emphasis in Low Vision Rehabilitation. Also, join the AOA Vision Rehabilitation Advocacy Network by signing up on the AOA website under practice > specialties > Vision Rehabilitation. By identifying yourself as a Low Vision Provider with your professional association, your colleagues and the general public will be able to find you on the AOA and POA “doctor finder” under Low Vision Emphasis. If you are not a Low Vision provider, search on the AOA or POA websites for a Low Vision Optometrist in your area.

I want to thank the POA for all its support. I ask members to stay involved, join PDEHA, join CVCA, and join or refer to POA Low Vision Optometrists. Become a keyperson. Join the Proactive Optometry Initiative. We all know that Optometry is the premier eye care profession in Pennsylvania. Let’s keep it that way. Great things are being planned for 2023, and I look forward to continued success for Optometry in Pennsylvania. 

Tracy Carpenter Sepich, O.D., M.S.

Doctor of Optometry

Masters of Science in Low Vision Rehabilitation

POA's bringing eye care to the children

One in five children has a vision problem. These vision problems may affect a child’s ability to learn, play, socialize, and develop positive self-esteem. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s vision report underscores that comprehensive eye exams are “the gold standard in clinical vision care to most accurately identify and diagnose vision problems.” The American Optometric Association and Pennsylvania Optometric Association recommend children receive a comprehensive eye examination during the first year of life, between the ages of 3 and 5, before entering 1st grade, and annually thereafter. 

As Doctors of Optometry, we are uniquely qualified to assess and treat children’s vision and ocular health. This year, the POA is practicing what it preaches. The Association has held a long-time position that vision screenings, even by competent professionals, are not sufficient replacements for eye examinations by licensed optometrists.

In September, the POA, in cooperation with VSP Vision™ Eyes of Hope® and the Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region, is providing approximately 200 free eye exams to children who would otherwise not receive care. The eye exams will take place on the 16th and 17th at the Salvation Army on 29th street. POA member optometrists, as well as supporting staff and students, will examine children and others of the underserved community in need of eye care as identified by the Salvation Army. VSP Vision™ Eyes of Hope® is providing the eye exam equipment, maintaining the medical records, and supplying glasses to those children in need, while the Salvation Army will provide follow-up care.

The POA’s initiatives for children’s vision do not end with the free eye exams—there are also ongoing discussions and education provided for free to school nurses, as well as free member materials to showcase the importance of eye examinations in the practice. Additionally, the POA supports current legislation to ensure all children receive the eye exams they deserve. 

Please remember to educate your patients, staff, schools, and community about children’s vision—reading teachers, pediatricians, and family physicians play vital roles in a child’s eye health also. You can teach this important community with the Kids Welcome Here posters and brochures, which are available to POA members free of charge, and Vision is Elementary posters, which are available for school nurses. Through the Children’s Vision Care Alliance, the POA has developed near point cards and a presentation to further educate school nurses of optometric care. The POA has developed all these materials for its members, but it needs you to get the word out. By joining the CVCA, you become part of a network of POA member optometrists dedicated to providing quality eye care to children. 

Thank you to the optometrists, staff, students, and other volunteers assisting in the September eye exams. Thank you to VSP Vision™ Eyes of Hope® and the Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region for their cooperation.

Finally, a special thank you to the POA’s Ilene Sauertieg, who persisted to make the event, first conceived by our late executive director, Joe Ricci, into a reality.

Tracy Carpenter Sepich, O.D., MS
POA President

A strong POA is a diverse and inclusive POA

The Pennsylvania Optometric Association has a long history of providing member benefits ranging from advocacy to education. The Association provides a voice for optometry in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., offers problem-solving and maintains ongoing relationships with third-party payers on behalf of our members. POA membership opens the door to premium opportunities with buying groups, investment strategies with Fischer Financial, insurance, discounts with Element Risk Management, HIPAA compliance solutions with Abyde, and consultative services with POA legal counsel. Additionally, the POA Electronic Claims Service helps you submit claims to third-party payers while also generating income to reduce membership dues.

When the COVID shutdown hit, we devised quality online education, which has continued as an option in addition to our revived in-person educational offerings, and we will continue to provide cutting-edge education as we explore scope expansion.

Through the Children’s Vision Care Alliance, we form relationships with school nurses statewide, and provide members with no-cost posters, brochures, and presentations to educate local schools and families on the importance of eye examinations. We have similar materials available to promote the need and accessibility of diabetic eye examinations by optometrists through the Pennsylvania Diabetic Eye Health Alliance. These programs keep our member optometrists involved and relevant in these essential areas of vision and eye care. 

We partner with the Pennsylvania Paraoptometric Association which provides education as well as networking and professional development opportunities for your staff. The AOA Paraoptometric Resource Center also provides staff training and certification.

We support our fourteen local optometric societies so members can attend meetings, obtain CE, network, and advocate locally. We work closely with the Pennsylvania Student Optometric Association to recruit new members and keep our initiatives current and relevant.

We update our members through email and this bi-monthly newsletter, which includes a classified section to assist members with practice and equipment sales and job searches.

A new addition to our association structure is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) task force. As a result of responses to our 2021 membership survey, our new strategic plan calls for the creation of this DEI task force. This initiative is important in making sure all optometrists in Pennsylvania have a home in the POA. We need to make sure all optometrists know they are valued and welcomed. We want optometrists with a variety of backgrounds to contribute to the volunteer structure of the POA. We will be stronger as an association if we have a diverse community of members involved.

In an effort to recognize the AOA’s dedication to all people, at the 2021 AOA House of Delegates, the following statements were added to the Optometric Oath: “I WILL provide professional care for the diverse populations who seek my services, with concern, with compassion and with due regard for their human rights and dignity.  I WILL work to expand access to quality care and improve health equity for all communities.”

Please recognize we all have biases. Please educate yourself. Please attend local conversations about diversity in your community. Simply saying we are welcoming is not enough. When you are at a conference, sit next to someone who does not look like you. Stop into local optometry practices in various settings and invite them to your local society meetings.

I hope to foster a POA in which optometrists of all backgrounds, lifestyles, and practice styles know they belong, are safe and valued, and work together for our common goals. My hope is by nurturing a diverse and inclusive association, we will become better providers and serve a greater community with more acceptance and positive results.

Little things matter. Respect, even in small ways, matters.

If you have an interest in strengthening the POA by participating in the new POA DEI task force, contact me at tsepich@restoreeyecare.com or the POA office at mail@poaeyes.org. Thank you.

Tracy Carpenter Sepich, O.D., MS

POA President

Welcome Jennifer Keeler, CAE

I am thrilled to introduce the Pennsylvania Optometric Association’s new executive director, Jennifer Keeler, CAE. 

Looking Back

As you are aware, the POA suffered a tragedy on October 2, 2021 with the passing of our executive director, Joseph Ricci, Esquire. Joe was a well-respected professional and friend to many. He served the POA effectively, enthusiastically, and with great integrity for five years and was in the process of planning for five more. Joe was a mentor and role model to many other executive directors and leaders in and outside of optometry throughout the country. He will be sadly missed, but mostly remembered with great affection and esteem.

The moment the extent of Joe’s illness became apparent, POA President Dr. Edward Savarno demonstrated the great leader he is. Even during the grief of losing a friend and colleague, Dr. Savarno quickly assembled POA staff leadership and the POA Board of Directors to firstly take care of immediate business of the POA so we would continue to serve our members and, secondly, consider how we would move forward to best serve the POA now and in the future. With the hard work and dedication of a truly awesome POA staff and supportive POA volunteer structure, we were able to keep the association moving forward in every aspect, including completing our strategic plan, successfully hosting in-person continuing education, Board meeting, and a House of Delegates, initiating a leadership development program, receiving forgiveness of our second PPP loan, and simply maintaining all the other amazing projects our POA staff works on each day.

I also thank all the POA Past-Presidents and volunteers who offered not only condolences, but also time and talent to help us negotiate our transition. Special appreciation is extended to Dr. Charles Stuckey, who is not only an active volunteer member and Past-President, but also served as our long-time Executive Director before Joe. He came out of retirement to return to the POA as our interim executive director, giving us the time to properly search for not a quick solution, but the best solution for the association going forward.

The Process

Under Dr. Savarno’s leadership, and with support from the POA Board of Directors, we embarked on the overwhelming task of finding our next executive director. After consulting with other states who recently went through the same process, we hired Executive Recruitment Services to assist us in advertising the position, gathering and sorting resumes, providing screening phone interviews, and completing appropriate background checks. This involved the input again of the entire POA Board and staff leaders. 

Looking Forward

We are so pleased to announce that Jennifer Keeler, CAE, has accepted the position of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association’s Executive Director, effective May 16, 2022! Jennifer is a Chief Executive Officer with over 25 years of experience in association management and specializes in health-related professional associations. As of the time of writing this, she is currently the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association and formerly held executive positions for the World Surgical Foundation and the Pennsylvania Medical Society. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Boston College and has received many accolades and awards from the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology. However impressive her resume may be, she secured this position during her interview when she demonstrated her commitment to the people in this association; our members, our staff, and the patients we serve. I was asked, “Is she a lobbyist? Is she a membership person? Is she a third-party expert?” She is none of these things, but she is all of these things. My answer is she is an executive director. She is a leader. She is willing to learn. She is willing to get the job done in a cooperative and positive manner. She will lead the POA forward for a better future for optometry in Pennsylvania.

Here are a few words from previous supervisors, peers, and staff describing Jennifer and her work: intelligent, professional, fair, honest, hardworking, compassionate. She can be trusted, gives and receives respect, believes in collaborative leadership, empowers, mentors, coaches, and strives to grow professionally. 

Please, everyone, join me in welcoming Jennifer Keeler to the POA!

Tracy Carpenter Sepich, O.D.
POA President

Why do children need the POA?

Did you know there are approximately 1,745,000 students enrolled in Pennsylvania schools? Studies estimate 33% of these students are at risk for vision problems. That is approximately 576,000 students. Did you know 40% of students with learning disabilities have vision issues that affect learning? Did you know Pennsylvania schools spend 9K-15K per student on an IEP (Individualized Education Program), which is required for all special education students? Recent studies have found that children who are spending increasing time on electronic devices have a higher incidence of vision deficits that impact learning. The negative impact of children’s vision problems is likely to get worse if nothing changes. 

Children need the POA because we can uniquely provide the vision and eye care children need to succeed.  The POA's Children’s Vision Care Alliance (CVCA) has been busy educating optometrists, school nurses, and legislators on the importance of proper eye care for our children’s success in and out of the classroom.

Representative David Zimmerman has introduced HB 1343, which would require children in Pennsylvania to have a comprehensive eye health exam when entering school, in 4th grade, in 8th grade, and before qualifying for special education services. This bill currently has 40 co-sponsors with bipartisan support. It is currently in the Education Committee. We feel confident this bill can pass once it is out of committee. 

So, how can you help?  Please attend our Optometry at the Capitol Day in Harrisburg on Monday, March 28, where we will be lobbying for important issues. You are all invited to this investment in the future of Optometry. Please register here: https://pennsylvania.aoa.org/education-and-events/poa-lobby-day. Learn more about POA's legislative efforts and send a letter to your legislator by visiting the Advocacy page here: https://pennsylvania.aoa.org/advocacy.

In addition to contacting your legislators, please consider joining the POA Keyperson Committee or POPAC Fundraising Committee. You don’t need experience. You only need a passion for Optometry and helping our patients.

Finally, keep your eyes open for the new POA Proactive Optometry Initiative to help advance current and future Optometry-friendly legislation, like HB 1343. More information will be available soon!

Let's get back to the children, though. One study showed that when students who were identified with visual deficiencies received proper treatment, their grades significantly improved, whereas without proper treatment, these students continued to underperform, leading to a 12% reduction in wages.  Don’t you want to be part of the solution? Educate yourself. Educate your patients. Educate your local schools. Educate your legislators. Join the CVCA. Become a Keyperson. Support POPAC. If you don’t know where to start, call the POA and we will help you. Your children, and your children’s children, will thank you. I thank you. 

(Citations for the facts included in this editorial can be found on the POA Advocacy webpage.)

Tracy Carpenter Sepich, O.D.
POA President

Why are you a member of the POA?

The beginning of a new year is a perfect time for introspection. What is important to me? Why do I volunteer? Why is the POA important to me? What is important to the POA and its members? 

I know why I volunteer. I want, in my own way and in my own capacity, to make the world a better place. This year, as POA president, I hope I can use my talents to lead the POA to a better place for its members, volunteers, staff, and, most importantly, our patients. 

The POA has just completed its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, which you can find on the POA website here: https://pennsylvania.aoa.org/about/2022-2026-poa-strategic-plan. Please take the time to read it. This reflects our members’ priorities and provides our road map to achieve success as an association.

In our strategic plan, you will see four strategic priorities that will be addressed by our volunteers and committee structure. These four priorities include: legislative efforts, children’s vision promotions, third party relationships, and finally, building a strong and engaged membership. So, now I start at the end. Today, I want to concentrate on strategic priority number four: “Leverage unused talents among optometrists in Pennsylvania to support the POA’s vision and mission.” We plan to drive membership and engagement for all Pennsylvania optometrists to contribute their unique talents to the POA by: creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) task force; increasing the membership numbers of corporate and private equity optometrists; increasing the membership numbers of newly licensed optometrists; and increasing member participation in POA committees.

To that end, we are offering a free leadership development program. It starts with a live meeting on Saturday, February 12 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Place in State College and wraps up on Sunday, October 9 from 8:00 a.m. - noon at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion. All intervening events will be via Zoom. We have invited Renee Brauns, a long-time executive at the American Optometric Association, to lead our in-person events and guide us through the year. There is no cost to you for the program and no obligation, but space is limited. You can apply online here: https://pennsylvania.aoa.org/education-and-events/poa-2022-leadership-development. 

The live meetings will include presentations, interactive discussions, and networking opportunities. We will help you understand your leadership style to apply it within your practice, the POA, and everyday life. Our goal is for you to gain leadership skills and a better understanding of the POA, our leadership structure, and volunteer opportunities. If you want to make a difference in your profession or if you want to learn how to become a more effective leader, please apply.

Now, I ask you to please take a moment to consider what is important to you. What are your priorities? What is your vision for 2022? If you would like to see the POA achieve its strategic goals and reach its vision of “creating access to high-quality eye health and vision care for all citizens of Pennsylvania,” please apply to our leadership program. Please volunteer to serve on a POA committee. If you don’t know how to do that, contact me or the POA office. 

I have a vision for the POA. I know we can achieve our goals. That vision includes you. Please help your association by taking a risk and volunteering. The beautiful thing is by helping the POA, you will help yourself and your patients. I will always take that type of risk; everyone wins. Happy New Year.

Tracy C. Sepich, O.D., M.S. (she/her)

POA President

tsepich@restoreeyecare.com