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Mission Statement

To advance human progress through education in behavioral vision care.

Statement of purpose

OEP is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to the gathering and dissemination of information on Vision.

Leadership

President Beverley Roberts, Lawnton, QLD, Australia

Vice President Gregory Kitchener, O.D., Cincinnati, OH

Secretary/Treasurer Paul Harris, O.D., Cockeysville, MD

Director/Trustee Robin Lewis, O.D., Chandler, AZ

Director/Trustee Alona King, O.D., Idaho Falls, ID

Educational Meetings

A total of 30 educational meetings were held under the auspices of the OEP Foundation in 2007. Over 1500 optometrists and assistants logged more than 24,000 CE credit hours. Nearly 700 total hours of education were offered during the year. The OEP Clinical Curriculum, a four-part series totaling 126 hours of CE was offered in nine sites around the world including Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. Clinical Curriculum courses were held at Southern College of Optometry, at NOVA Southeastern University as well as three OEP Centers in Maryland, Michigan and Arizona. Preliminary plans were made to hold courses at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. Regional Clinical Seminars under the new leadership of Dr. Diane Serex-Dougan were held at five sites throughout the United States.

Journal of Behavioral Optometry (JBO) & Publications

The JBO, which serves as both educational forum and OEP's primary communications vehicle, has received numerous awards from the Optometric Editors Association since 1990. Dr. Irwin Suchoff, O.D., who has served as Editorin-Chief since the inception of the Journal, announced his retirement as Editorin-Chief at the end of the year. Dr. W.C. Maples of Southern College of Optometry was appointed Editor-in-Chief by the OEP Board of Directors. Six issues are published annually and include articles on current research and clinical practice. In addition, OEP published Stress-point Learning, by Dr. Robert Pepper, The Collected Works of Nathan Flax, in two volumes, Behaviors, Beliefs and Emotions, by Dr. Abraham Shapiro and Jack Esterson, PhD , and Brain Injury Professional, a reprint of articles on neuro-optometric rehabilitation. OEP also reprinted Clinical Mangement of Strabismus, by Drs. Caloroso and Rouse. This book and several others have recently gone out of print. OEP is committed to keeping these texts available. Future publications will include Applied Concepts in Vision Therapy, by Press and Management of Nearpoint Vision Disorders, Birnbaum.

VisionExtension

Sales of patient information pamphlets in 2006 exceeded 350,000. More than 15,000 other products, books, tests and vision therapy equipment were shipped around the world through VisionExtension during the year. OEP distributes via the Internet at www.oep.org as well as through www. amazon.com and www.bamesnoble.com and others.

Outreach

OEP provides administrative support to Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA), and publications support to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD).

For the past six years OEP, working with the COVD and the Rosemore Family Foundation, has provided the Binocular Vision Kit to all third-year members of AOSA in the United States and Canada. The Kit includes basic binocular vision evaluation tools as wells as a CD with literature from various optometric publications related to vision therapy and binocular vision.

International

Education and distribution centers in Australia, Europe and South Africa expanded educational and support services to OEP Clinical Associates in those regions. Directors of the OEP international centers are: Beverley Roberts, ACBO, Australia; Steen Saust, OEP European Service Center; Michele Hlava, OEP National Coordinator, South Africa.

OEP has liaisons with numerous international optometric organizations through the Intercontinental Federation for Behavioral Optometry (IFBO). OEP joined with the European Society of Optometry (SOE), the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists (ACBO) and COVD to found IFBO. IFBO has launched a website to facilitate communications between all optometrists and organizations involved with behavioral vision care.