Pennsylvania Optometric Association

06/05/2026

05/25/2026

The POA will be closed today, May 25th, and reopen tomorrow, May 26th. Have a good Memorial Day.

05/22/2026

WEBINAR: Join from wherever you are!

May 28
7 - 8 p.m.
The World’s Only Multifocal Toric Contact Lens with Water Gradient Technology
Presented by Dr. Jessilin Quint

This program is being sponsored by POA Business Partner Alcon. This program will give you insight into these lenses and you will learn why these are important to your contact lens patients. Please invite your staff to join. We thank you for supporting those companies who support your professional association.

Register here: https://buff.ly/UlC4tpR

05/15/2026

MEET YOUR 2026 POA TRUSTEE

Dr. Leslie E. O’Dell has more than two decades of experience dedicated to advancing medical eye care and strengthening the role of optometry. She is widely recognized as a leader in ocular disease management, clinical education, and innovation within the profession.

Dr. O’Dell completed her Doctor of Optometry degree at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and went on to complete a hospital-based residency at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in the Ocular Disease Section and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. Throughout her career, she has remained deeply committed to expanding the medical model of optometric care through clinical research, professional education, and collaboration with ophthalmology and other medical disciplines.

She is an active leader in organized optometry and currently serves as a Trustee on the Pennsylvania Optometric Association Board of Directors. Nationally and internationally, Dr. O’Dell has contributed to the advancement of eye care through her work with organizations including the American Academy of Optometry, the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), and the Optometric Glaucoma Society. Her work as a TFOS Global Ambassador and committee contributor has supported global initiatives aimed at improving understanding and public awareness of ocular surface disease.

Dr. O’Dell has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, presented research and lectures at major scientific meetings, and has served in editorial leadership roles for multiple optometric publications. She was also a founding co-chief medical editor of Modern Optometry, helping to launch the profession’s first journal dedicated specifically to medical optometry.

Her career has been driven by a passion for advancing clinical excellence, elevating optometry’s role in medical eye care, and mentoring the next generation of clinicians. Through leadership, research, and advocacy, Dr. O’Dell continues to champion innovation and collaboration that improves patient outcomes and strengthens the future of optometry.

In her free time, Dr. O’Dell enjoys spending time with her husband, Matt, and their children, Anna and William, as well as extended family. She especially loves family trips to the Delaware beaches.

05/14/2026

Further discussion of the sale of 218 North Street

You are invited to another POA town hall to further discuss the proposed sale of the POA office building at 218 North Street in Harrisburg. The town hall will again be virtual and open to all members. You're encouraged to join and ask questions ahead of the 2026 House of Delegates meeting to be held at the Spring Congress in Pittsburgh, where this proposal will be addressed.

POA Town Hall
May 18, 2026
7:00 P.M.

Members, sign up here: https://buff.ly/RTETmG4

05/12/2026

MEET YOUR 2026 POA TRUSTEE

After graduating from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Dr. Lora Smith began her career in private practice in her home state of New Jersey. She married Kirk Lago, a native of western Pennsylvania, and the couple moved to Harrisburg, where they had two kids: Michael and Hannah (as well as a four-year-old boxer, Holly).

Currently, Dr. Smith co-owns Capital Vision Center with her business partner, Dr. Mario Saracino. Capital Vision Center operates two locations in Harrisburg and Camp Hill.

Dr. Smith believes strongly in the importance of organized optometry and advocates for collaboration among colleagues, emphasizing that the profession is stronger when practitioners unite as one voice.

A fun fact about the Smith-Lago family is that Kirk, Lora, Michael, and Hannah all have LEGO tattoos, which they got together in honor of their last name and one of their favorite toys.

05/06/2026

MEET YOUR 2026 POA TRUSTEE

Dr. Jean Astorino practices exclusively in low vision rehabilitation. She earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1994 and completed the prestigious low vision rehabilitation residency at the William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center in 1995.

In 2005, she founded Astorino Vision Rehabilitation to provide highly specialized, patient-centered care to individuals with vision impairment.

Dr. Astorino is honored to serve on the board of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association and grateful for all the work they do to advance and support optometry. She is especially excited to bring awareness to all of the specialty areas of emphasis within optometry to ensure that patients have access to the full scope of care our profession offers.

Outside of her professional life, Dr. Astorino and her husband, Bo, love planning trips and lively family celebrations.

05/04/2026

The POA is keeping its eyes on the future! The 2026 annual lobby day has commenced, with members from all over the state having discussions on the importance of optometry with their legislators. Even students (like Sude Karagoz, Mardiya Traore, and Khyati Patel) attended to have their voices heard.

05/01/2026

The POA's Dr. Whitney Territo shares some advice as the temperatures start changing and patients head outside:

Warm weather is finally here, which means we are naturally all going to want to be outside recreating, hiking, working in our gardens, and walking our pets! Even though this is why we love living in PA, we are at risk for tick-borne illness as ticks are very common in the Commonwealth. They harbor a host of transmittable diseases that can affect your vision and eye health. Be sure to perform daily "tick checks" on yourself and your pets. If you do find an embedded tick, contact your primary care doctor right away.

The last photo, provided by Dr. Territo, shows a dog tick embedded in an eyelid.

04/28/2026

On April 16, the PA College of Optometry held its annual Quiz Bowl. The optometrists who served as judges were: Ashley Maglione, Steve Eiss, Melissa Richard, Erin Sherman, and Carlo Pelino.
Melad Tannous (student sitting on the far right) became the 2026 winner and will go to Boston next year for Optometry's Meeting. Congratulations to Melad! Thanks to POA President Dr. Erin Draper for sharing the photos and news!