ATLANTA—The annual SECO International Congress is set to open here Feb. 28 at the Georgia World Congress Center, and this year the conference will feature close to 400 hours of continuing education (CE) for eyecare professionals. More than 6,000 eyecare professionals, vendors and ophthalmic professionals from around the globe are expected to attend. For the first time in 2018, SECO attendees will have an opportunity to get hands-on during the CE sessions, thus gaining real-life practical experiences in an engaging format to grow their skills, according to SECO. Session themes include: practice and business management, evolution of lenses, addressing the future of the optometric practice and assessing online threats.

SECO is acknowledged as a leading resource of optometric education in the U.S. and has become one of the largest educational meetings in the world. The nearly 400 hours of education in 2018 will be presented by more than 100 specialists and experts, according to SECO. Those working on obtaining continuing education credits can choose from up to 53 hours for optometrists and up to 41 hours for allied ophthalmic professionals.

In addition, the second edition of MedPRO360 will provide practice leaders insights on the tools they need to run an efficient, profitable business. MedPRO360, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 3, was designed to be a half-day business management program that brings together health care professionals from all specialties and areas of practice to learn ways to boost overall profitability, according to SECO. The line-up of speakers includes; Jenn Lim, CEO and CHO (chief happiness officer) of Delivering Happiness; Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand; Vern Yip of TLC’s Trading Spaces; and Marc Haskelson, president and CEO of Compliancy Group.

In addition, Women in Optometry (WO) will host a special luncheon discussion during SECO on Saturday, March 3. The session, “Changing Demographics, Changing Models in Optometry,” runs from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in Amphitheater A3 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Building A. The speakers include WO co-editors April Jasper, OD, FAAO, and Katie Gilbert-Spear, OD, MPH. They will be joined by Lynn Hammonds, OD, president of SECO. For more information or registration, click here.

SECO is backed by the Southern Council of Optometrists Inc., a non-profit association founded in 1923 and boasts a global membership of more than 25,000 eyecare professionals.