Education should be current, relevant, useful

Image credit: AdobeStock/AndyDean

In 2022, S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO, FSLS; John D. Gelles, OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, FCLSA, FSLS; and Stephanie L. Woo, OD, FAAO, FSLS, united to create their dream meeting: They wanted to earn continuing education (CE) credits and foster conversation among optometric colleagues with a glass of wine in hand. The result? The Current, Relevant, Useful (CRU) Symposium, which will take place from March 28 to March 30, 2025, at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa in Napa Valley, California.

“CRU Eye Symposium was created with the vision of hosting an educational event with the most sought-after faculty and topics within a fun, casual, intimate setting,” said Woo, of the Contact Lens Institute of Nevada. “CRU Eye Symposium is my favorite in-person meeting because I get to earn high-quality education in a beautiful setting.”

Chaired by Gelles and Woo, the 2025 meeting is set in America’s wine country but keeps educational content front and center. The esteemed faculty will tackle hot topics, examine therapeutic candidates in the pipeline, and converse with attendees after every session. Non-CE product theaters and featured symposia round out the agenda.

To take advantage of the setting, the CRU Eye Symposium begins each morning with a mimosa breakfast and adjourns sessions by 3:00 PM PST to encourage exploration, relaxation, and fun.

“CRU offers current, relevant, and useful education with a schedule to allow you to enjoy Napa,” said Gelles, director of specialty contact lens division at The Cornea and Laser Eye Institute CLEI Center for Keratoconus. “With 400 tasting rooms, 150 restaurants, 4 golf courses, and a yearly symposium with new education, CRU is an edu-vacation.”

Earn COPE or ACCME CE/CME credits during sessions with CRU’s outstanding faculty

March 28

Plenary session: Myopia with Mark Bullimore, OD, PhD

Audience Q&A

Plenary session: Presbyopia/cataract with Cecelia Koetting, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO; and Francis Mah, MD

Audience Q&A

Featured symposium

Plenary session: Retina with Jayanth Sridhar, MD; and Rachelle Lin, OD, MS, FAAO

Audience Q&A

Wine tasting experience in the exhibit lounge

March 29

Plenary session: Neurotrophic keratitis with Francis Mah, MD; and Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA

Audience Q&A

Featured symposium

Plenary session: Dry eye, ocular surface disease, and blepharitis with Cecelia Koetting, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO

Audience Q&A

Featured symposium

March 30

Plenary session: New devices and procedures for glaucoma with Melissa Tawa, OD, FAAO; and Deborah Ristvedt, DO

Audience Q&A

Featured symposium

Plenary session: Red flags and red herrings in glaucoma with Melissa Tawa, OD, FAAO; and Deborah Ristvedt, DO

Audience Q&A

Plenary session: Pipeline/orbit the globe with Melissa Tawa, OD, FAAO; and Deborah Ristvedt, DO

Audience Q&A

Register here