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Registration includes all hours of CE, all events and activities, and food! Take the courses you want, skip the ones you don’t!
6:30 PM – 8 PM: Young OD Food for Thought dinner
6:45 AM – 7:45 AM: Food for Thought breakfast
8 AM – 8:50 AM: Fifty Shades of Ocular Surface Disease, John Canto, OD, Dpl. AAO 
9 AM – 9:50 AM: The Three C’s of Dry Eye Management, John Canto, OD, Dpl. AAO
10:00 AM – 11:40 AM: Glaucoma Case Files in Diagnostic Interpretation, Dr. Nate Lighthizer, OD, FAAO
11:30 AM – 3 PM: Exhibit hall open
12 PM – 1 PM: Food for Thought lunch
3 PM – 4:40 PM: From Red to Relief: Considerations on Ocular Inflammation , John Canto, OD, Dpl. AAO
5:00 PM – 5:50 PM: The Glaucoma Compass, Dr. Nate Lighthizer, OD, FAAO
6:30 PM – 8 PM: Welcome Reception
6:45 AM – 7:45 AM: Food for Thought breakfast
8 AM – 9:40 AM: Dry Eye Disease Update: Practical Applications of IPL, LLLT, and Radiofrequency in Clinical Practice, Dr. Vin Dang, OD, FAAO
10:00 AM – 11:40 AM: Lumps and Bumps: A Practical Guide to Evaluation and Management, Dr. Nate Lighthizer, OD, FAAO
11:30 AM – 3 PM: Exhibit hall open
12 PM – 1 PM: Food for Thought lunch
3 PM – 3:50 PM: Glaucoma Care: Exploring the Latest Treatments and Innovative Pipeline Therapies, Dr. Nate Lighthizer, OD, FAAO
4 PM – 4:50 PM: Can My Patient Get Refractive Surgery, Dr. Lily Arendt, OD, FAAO
5:00 PM – 5:50 PM: The Latest Updates in Diabetes, Dr. Sherrol Reynolds, OD, FAAO, FNAP
6:00 PM – 6:50 PM: Pharmacology Update, Dr. Sherrol Reynolds, OD, FAAO, FNAP
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM: Young OD Event
6:45 AM – 7:45 AM: Food for Thought breakfast
8 AM – 9:50 AM: Secondary Glaucomas as the Primary Focus, Dr. Lily Arendt, OD, FAAO
10:00 AM – 11:40 AM: Hot Topics in Retina, Dr. Sherrol Reynolds, OD, FAAO, FNAP
12:00 PM – 12:50 PM: Beyond the Surgery, Dr. Lily Arendt, OD, FAAO
Dr. John Conto, OD, Dipl. AAO was born and raised near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Allegheny College and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1982. He received his doctor of optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1986, and he completed a residency in primary eye care at The Eye Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a past associate professor of optometry at the Illinois College of Optometry, Chicago, where he was also the chief of staff of the Illinois Eye Institute. In 1991, he was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. He has been a frequent author and presenter. Dr. Conto was in private practice and the managing member of Cedar Creek Eye Associates prior to joining the medical staff at the Medical College of Wisconsin as a staff optometrist in 2005. He was certified by the American Board of Medical Optometry in 2013. In addition to comprehensive eye care, his clinical interests include inflammatory eye disease and ocular surface dysfunction (dry eye). His avocations include fly fishing, genealogy and car restoration.
Dr. Nate Lighthizer, OD, FAAO, is a 2009 graduate of Pacific University College of Optometry. Upon graduation, he completed a residency in Family Practice Optometry with an emphasis in Ocular Disease and Surgical and Laser Procedures through the NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry. Dr. Lighthizer has since joined the faculty at the Oklahoma College of Optometry and has served as the Chief of Specialty Care Clinics, the Chief of Electrodiagnostics Clinic, Director of Continuing Education and Head of the Dry Eye Clinic. In June 2024, he was named as the Dean of the Oklahoma College of Optometry. Dr. Lighthizer lectures nationally on numerous topics, most notably advanced ophthalmic procedures, electrodiagnostics, and ocular disease.
Dr. Vin T. Dang, OD, FAAO is an optometrist practicing in Bakersfield, California, with a unique clinical focus on ocular surface disease and dry eye. Born and raised in Paris, France, Dr. Dang earned his Doctorate of Optometry from Southern California College of Optometry. In 2016, he received his Fellowship with the American Academy of Optometry. As Director of Dry Eye Center at Empire Eye and Laser Center, Dr. Dang is a specialist in ocular surface diseases, advanced refractive eye surgery care, and glaucoma. Dr. Dang has contributed to optometric journals and lectures on ocular surface disease treatment and management. He serves on the advisory boards assisting in the research and development of dry eye therapies and crafting disease management protocols. He is a member of the American Optometric Association and the past president of the Kern County Optometric Society. He volunteers nationally and internationally with OneSight and Vision to Learn.
Dr. Lily Arendt, OD, FAAO is a graduate of the University of Houston College of Optometry. Upon graduation, she completed a residency in Ocular Disease and Refractive Surgery at Parkhurst Nuvision in San Antonio, TX where she practiced for four years as an associate optometrist. She obtained her fellowship within the American Academy of Optometry in 2023 and is currently pursuing a Diplomate in the Cornea, Contact Lens, and Refractive Technologies section of the Academy. She now works as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry where she is teaching ocular disease, specifically posterior segment pathology and glaucoma. As an active member of the Texas Optometric Association, Dr. Arendt is the immediate past president of her local optometric society, Bexar County District Optometric Society and is on the Membership Committee of the TOA.
Dr. Sherrol Reynolds, OD, FAAO, FNAP is a graduate of the University of Florida and Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry, is a Professor and Director of the Retina Clinic at NSU, where she also serves as Chief of the Davie Primary Care Clinic. A Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, the Optometric Retina Society, and the National Academies of Practice, she served as president of the National Optometric Association from 2017 to 2021. Her numerous honors include the NOA Optometrist of the Year (2013), AOA President’s Award (2021), and AAOF Diversity Award (2022). She co-chairs the NEI’s “Eye Health, My Health” initiative, has been active in DEI efforts, and contributed to the 2022 ADA Compendia on diabetes care.
No, all CE and Food for Thoughts are designated for ODs only. However, guests and staff are welcome to attend our Welcome Reception.
Yes, all guests must first obtain a guest badge at the registration booth outside the exhibit hall.
Yes, COA has a limited amount of rooms at a discounted price for attendees at the Monterey Marriott Hotel.
No, our CE is not COPE approved. As an authorized provider of CE by the California State Board of Optometry our CE does not need COPE approval.
October 23 – 25, 2026
November 5 – 7, 2027
November 3 – 5, 2028
November 2 – 4, 2029
October 25 – 27, 2030
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Chief Strategy Officer
Dr. Lance Anderson is the Chief Strategy Officer at PECAA, where he is engaged in all aspects of company strategy. He co-founded PECAA in 2007 and helped lead the organization as it grew from a small local Portland study group to a national alliance of independently owned eye care practices. He served as a board member of Rev-360 from 2015 – 2021 and helped oversee the management and successful sale of Revolution EHR, Visionary Partners, and eventually PECAA.
He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University in 1991. He started his own optometry practice in 1993 in Hillsboro, OR, and was able to grow the practice into a busy three-doctor clinic. He retired from clinical care in 2021 and then moved to New York City where he was tasked with helping to integrate PECAA with the HEA buying group. He recently moved to Nashville, TN where he will continue to be actively involved in creating the future vision for PECAA as it is integrated into the VSP family of businesses.
Chief Member Experience Officer
Dr. Justin Manning is the Chief Member Experience Officer at PECAA, where he leads the member experience team, encompassing member education, the Member Business Advisory services, Events, and the Cold Start program. He is the founder and host of the Practice Advantage podcast. Prior to joining PECAA, he founded The Keratoconus and Scleral Lens Institute at Bettner Vision in Colorado Springs, and eyeLeader, a consulting company focused on leadership development, technology in eyecare, and population health.
He has contributed to Review of Optometric Business and has lectured nationally and internationally on specialty contact lenses, design thinking, population health, and the patient experience. He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University and completed a residency in Geriatric Optometry at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in Tacoma, WA, a Master of Public Health degree at Salus University, and a graduate certificate in Customer Experience from the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business. He is driven to help all independent eye care professionals grow their businesses and enjoy their practices every single day.
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