Dear Colleague,
SECO 2005 is around the corner!  The premier educational event in the country, SECO has earned an indisputable reputation by delivering the most current information on eye care available anywhere.  Attendees, both doctors and staff alike, are discovering that SECO is a major national and international event, attracting the best and brightest speakers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. Heres an inside look at how the SECO team puts these events together and what you can expect this year.

It all starts with a gathering of some of the finest continuing education planners in the nation. These individuals travel the country attending conferences and meeting with educators and speakers to find the right talent to meet the demanding needs of SECOs attendees. Literally hundreds of lecture appli-cations are reviewed to uncover those undiscovered gems that no other meeting has yet presented. These in turn are polished and refined before they are allowed to appear under the SECO banner.

But it doesnt end there. SECOs reputation stands not only on choice and value, but innovation, an over-used word in our profession until youve been to a 21st Century SECO Congress. We strive to weave your learning experience into both classroom and exhibit hall, incorporate technology tools along the way and educate your staff as well. Heres just a sample:

Paul C. Ajamian, O.D., is General Chairman, SECO CE Committee.

O.D. General Sessions
Seven all new or completely redesigned SECO-only General Sessions have been created specifically for the progressive clinician SECOs high-impact learning at its finest!

Managing Your Patients Throughout Their Life Cycle: Babies to Bifocals and Everything In-Between
SECO Live!
Innovations in Cataract and Refractive Surgery
Putting Profit Back Into Frames and Lenses
Eye Opening Trends in Ophthalmic Care
SECO Clinical Challenge Cup: A Tribute to Our Armed Forces
To See, or Not to See: That Is the Question

Did You Know?

SECO International is produced annually by SECO International, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Council of Optometrists, Inc. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., SECO International is a not-for-profit member-ship association founded in 1923. It counts as its members 5,500 practitioners in the 12 southern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. 

The SECO International Meeting is the largest optome-try meeting in the world and one of the most compre-hensive sources of continuing education for eye care professionals. Held annually, the 82nd SECO Meeting is expected to draw nearly 7,000 optometrists, opticians, certified ophthalmic technicians and para-optometric professionals from around the world. 
At SECO 2005, attendees will have more than 400 hours of courses to choose from.
A Course Papers CD will be sent to all those pre-registered by January 31, allowing for pre-printing of handouts that are of particular interest.

O.D. Educational Tracks

Six all new, in-depth tracks that stretch the boundaries of creative professional learning so that you get what you need to treat your patients and grow your practice today!

Internal Medicine Track
 CIBA Vision Corneal Track
 Glaucoma & Perimetry Track
JJ Bausch Lecture Series
 High Tech Users Group
 Academic All-Star Track
 
Returning Favorites
Back by popular demand!

Eggs & Issues
 If It Itches, Scratch It
 The Rhetoric of Wavefront: How to Advise Your Patients
 Special Topics Track
Infant Vision Track

Party Night!
Three parties will be in full swing on Saturday, February 26th. All three are on the same floor at the Marriott Marquis, so you can easily go from one to the other.
Bad Habits. The original eye docs of rock will shake, rattle and roll.
Casino Party. Every registrant who attends will receive play money with which to gamble for the opportunity to obtain raffle tickets for fabulous prizes.
Cool Jazz Bar. This is for you cool cats looking for some laid-back time.

AOP Program
AOP program highlights:

Office Assisting 101. This seven-course comprehensive program will provide new office staff with the perfect grounding in the key aspects of working in todays modern, busy optometric practice.  Organized into a single one-day track, completion of the entire track will earn attendees a special recognition certificate issued by SECO International.

Putting Profit Back Into Frames and Lenses. This joint OD/AOP course creates a fabulous opportunity for team learning.  Renew and improve your dispensing methods to grow your profits with usable and practical advice from our experts.

Pre-register!... It"s for Your Own Good.
This years meeting will be held February 2327, 2005.
Courses and lectures begin Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 1:00 p.m. and end Sunday, Feb. 27 at 12:45 p.m.
Exhibits open Thursday, Feb. 24 at
3:00 p.m. and close Saturday, Feb. 26 at
5:00 p.m.
Pre-registration is available until February 4th. Its strongly recommended to avoid sold-out courses.
Online Registration is also strongly recommended for both checking course availability and to confirm your registration.
Register online and find out more at www.SECOInternational.com. Or call (770) 452-0600.

Ocular Jeopardy. Its easy to get overloaded with too much education and forget whats important. Take our review track and reinforce what youve learned at SECO 2005!

SECO and all its hard-working volunteers are utterly dedicated to making your education experience the very best you will attend in 2005.  Join me in February to see why.
Sincerely,
Paul C. Ajamian, O.D.

Vol. No: 142:1Issue: 1/15/05