A Word from Our Chair

Working every day to educate and prepare students and residents for their future, I often think about how much the profession has changed since I first entered optometry school. Today’s young optometrists are providing a greater scope and level of patient care than their predecessors. This reflects not only the expansion of optometric practice but also the rapid changes and advances in technology, best practices, and evidence-based medicine. This will continue exponentially for all healthcare professions in general and optometry specifically. These changes and advancements are what make our profession both interesting and exciting.  But it also presents the challenge to keep up and maintain the highest level of skills and knowledge to match these changes. 

In a 2011 study published in Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, Challenges and Opportunities Facing Medical Education, by Peter Densen, it was estimated that the doubling time of medical knowledge in 1950 was 50 years. With the rapid increase in medical knowledge, it was estimated that the doubling time in 2020 would be 73 days. Today’s young optometrists, and future generations of optometrists, can anticipate an even greater scope of practice in the future, with more information to learn and more skills to master, with a finite amount of time to do it.

Board certification has long been a well-recognized credential in medicine that ensures that medical doctors are keeping up with the latest information and innovations. It also provides an important credential to patients and the healthcare system regarding the practitioner’s efforts to keep up to date. In recent years, board certification has expanded to virtually all healthcare professions, including optometry. As optometry integrates even more with other healthcare professions, by providing both primary and specialty eye care, it becomes essential that we hold ourselves to the same standard as all healthcare professions. Board certification provides a means to voluntarily demonstrate continued competency through ongoing learning and assessment.

In 2025, ABO will introduce a new student initiative that will allow third- and fourth-year optometry students to engage in the board certification process early on in their career path. By fostering a commitment to continued learning and self-improvement in these early years, keeping up to date can become a routine and enriching part of an optometrist’s daily practice. These students will follow the path of innovation and new clinical knowledge, to become well-prepared clinicians who use contemporary methods of practice and are committed to providing the highest quality patient care.

I ask Diplomates who are involved in student education, either through optometry schools, externships, or other organizations, to encourage participation in this program. ABO is excited to offer this opportunity to students, giving them a head start in building confidence as a practitioner. We are a partner that can help them navigate the vast amount of current information that is published and help to ensure a process for ongoing competence through frequent assessment activities.  Let’s support the next generation of optometrists by instilling and advancing their initiative to be better clinicians through an enduring commitment to lifelong learning.

Diane Adamczyk, OD, FAAO
Chair, American Board of Optometry