Southern College of Optometry announced a $9.4 million building project that will provide its students with new classroom facilities and state-of-the-art instructional space on campus. The new building will be located behind the college’s 11-story tower. SCO breaks ground May 11. The school expects the building to be ready for use in August 2013. When completed, the building project will add 23,016 sq. ft. to the campus.

Arthur Dorman, O.D., who served 38 years in the Maryland State House as a delegate and senator before retiring in 2003, died Feb. 17 at his home in Charlottesville, Va. He was 85. Dr. Dorman ran a private optometry practice in Langley Park before retiring in the 1990s. He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1964 and became a state senator in 1975. The American Optometric Association named him the country’s top optometrist in 1968.

Today’s aging U.S. workers aren’t fully taking advantage of their company vision benefits, leaving themselves at higher risk for age-related vision problems, eye diseases and chronic conditions that impact eye health and compromise productivity, according to the annual Employee Perceptions of Vision Benefits survey conducted by Transitions Optical. Baby boomers are only slightly more likely than younger employees to enroll in their vision benefit (79% vs. 75%). Similarly, 34% of baby boomers and 23% of those ages 65+ who enroll don’t utilize their benefit to receive a comprehensive eye exam.