Menopause can feel like a lot is coming at you at once: sleepless nights, weight changes, shifting skin and a libido that suddenly has other plans. The good news? We know more about these changes and how to manage them than ever before.
Women In Optometry’s eighth annual Women’s Leadership Conference brought optometrists and industry professionals together in Anaheim, California, on Sept. 29 for an afternoon centered on the power of connection, authenticity and intentional leadership.
In an exclusive Optometry Times interview, Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, FMCP, FOWNS, CFMP, details the AAOpt 2026 symposium “Let's Talk About Sex: Female Hormones and the Life Cycle (Women's Health SIG),” which was copresented with Cristine Smoczer, MD, PhD, MS; Millicent Knight, OD, DHL, FAAO, FNAP; and Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, ACC. The symposium, organized and presented by the Women’s Health SIG, was moderated by Naureen Haroon, OD, MPH, FAAO. The lectures covered female hormones, sexual health, and the stages of a woman’s life, and had an excellent turnout, according to Gioia.
A newly released industry-sponsored survey indicates that dry eye disease is widely underrecognized as a manifestation of perimenopause and menopause, with fewer than 1 in 7 women in the relevant life stages identifying it as a menopause-related symptom. The findings, announced September 1, 2026, by Bausch + Lomb Corporation, point to a clinically significant awareness gap that may delay presentation to eye care professionals and prolong unnecessary symptom burden.
VAUGHAN, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE/TSX: BLCO), a leading global eye health company dedicated to helping people see better to live better, today announced findings from a new survey highlighting a significant awareness gap around dry eye and its association with perimenopause and menopause. The survey found that dry eye remains one of the least recognized symptoms experienced during these stages of life.
NEW YORK—SUNY College of Optometry has announced the speaker and topic lineup for its inaugural daylong Advancing Vision Summit: The Intersection of AI, Eye Care, and Public Health on September 25, 2026 at CURE in New York City.
Most of us associate menopause with hot flashes, sleep disruption, and mood changes, but rarely with our eyes. If you've noticed your vision blurring at the edges, your eyes feeling drier than they used to, or found yourself holding the menu a little further away, there may be a real physiological explanation, and it's one that almost never comes up in menopause care.
Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, IFMCP, FOWNS is the founder of Integrative Vision, a concierge optometry practice in NJ integrating eye care with functional medicine and nutrition to support vision and whole-body health.
Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, FMCP, FOWNS, CFMP, details what she finds concerning and surprising in a recent study she conducted with Kaleb Abbott, OD, MS, FAAO, FOWNS.
During Healthy Vision Month in May, The Eye Summit 2026 served as a global resource for both patients and healthcare providers through a unique five-day virtual experience held from May 11–15. The summit focused on providing science-based methods for preventing the loss of sight and enhancing the health of both the eyes and brain for eyecare professionals and patients alike.
NEWARK, N.J.—Women In Optometry has announced that M. “Araba” Otoo, OD, Neda Gioia, OD, and Jennifer Maples, OD, will join the 2026 Women’s Leadership Conference on Sept. 29, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. to expand on this year’s theme, Focus. Amplify. Lead.
Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, FOWNS, spoke with Optometry Times at the 2026 Optometry’s Meeting of the American Optometric Association, held from June 17-20, in Phoenix, Arizona, and discussed how optometrists can prevent burnout by building professional connections through social networks, journal clubs, and other human-focused interactions.
"Women bear a disproportionate burden of many ocular diseases, yet only recently have we begun to better understand the biologic and hormonal factors that may contribute to those differences," Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, FMCP, FOWNS, said in her session at Optometry's Meeting 2026.
he first flowers blooming in spring, your favorite color, your partner smiling when they look at you—so many of life’s great joys are based on these simple moments of sight.
Like many parents across New Jersey, my husband and I decided to have our children learn remotely. I thought I went over all the academic, health, and social ramifications of remote learning, but there was one that I didn’t think about—their eyes.
Many of us spend the first half of our lives assuming that if we can see, our eyes are healthy. Then we spend the second half expecting our vision to falter.
One of the best ways to safeguard your eyesight is to don sunglasses outdoors. The sun’s rays comprise a wide spectrum of light, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation and blue light. Both can be harmful to your eyes.
Neda Gioia OD, CNS®, IFMCP, FOWNS, joins Integrative Practitioner Content Specialist Avery St. Onge to discuss the connection between nutrient deficiencies and eye health.
When treating a patient, you can either scratch the surface of an issue and wait until it turns into something major or intervene early with preventative measures, said Neda Gioia, OD, CNS®, IFMCP, FOWNS. This is true with any form of healthcare, she explained, and optometry is no exception.
According to Neda Gioia OD, CNS®, IFMCP, FOWNS, eye health and overall health are interrelated; something as simple as dry eye disorder can indicate a deeper issue. “The problem right now is that in our healthcare system, we miss the mark on trying to find the root causes of these issues,” said Dr. Gioia. “What's happening to the eye is often a symptom of a more widespread problem, and we can use the eye to start investigating that.”
Neda Gioia, OD, CNS®, IFMCP, FOWNS, says that functional nutrition is a key element of her Shrewsbury, New Jersey, practice - Integrative Vision. Dr. Gioia says that discussing health, nutrition and lifestyle have expanded her scope of practice to a higher level than she has had in the past. Her goal is to optimize the overall health of every single one of her patients, as well as take care of their ocular needs.
She is a licensed optometrist and has been practicing eye care for 15 years, but Dr. Neda Gioia is putting a new and healthier look on this specialty, one that can be expanded to all medical specialties. Already, it has been proven to improve peoples’ vision, outlook on life, and better general health.
Ocular wellness and nutrition are two words that many don’t see as connected. But Neda Gioia, OD, CNS®, IFMCP, FOWNS, of Shrewsbury, New Jersey, offers a different patient experience by integrating nutrition and supplementation into each patient conversation.
Meet Dr. Neda Gioia OD, CNS®, IFMCP, FOWNS! This beautiful mama lives in Little Silver with her husband and two adorable girls. Dr. Gioia has practiced optometry for the last 14 years, and recently opened her own practice in Shrewsbury, NJ, Integrative Vision, where she offers adult and pediatric eye care as well as functional nutrition therapies. Learn more about this amazing Monmouth Mom, including her favorite local things to do with her fam!
The 2020-2021 back-to-school season doesn’t look anything like it did in years past, and many students will begin their new year online. Even if your children have grown accustomed to distance learning, there’s a lot you can do to make it more effective.
Several years before Neda Gioia, OD, CNS®, IFMCP, FOWNS, opened her practice Integrative Vision in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, she was living in Seattle, Washington, and battling symptoms of her not-yet-diagnosed condition of trigeminal neuralgia.
Neda Gioia, OD, CNS®, IFMCP, FOWNS, sketched out a logo for her future practice about two years ago, shortly after she returned to her home state of New Jersey. “I had paintings and drawings stored away for years, but the logo symbolized my knowing that this would happen,” she says.
All day long, you see patients and strive to do the best you can for them in the limited time you have. For those with vision or eye health concerns, you diligently explain treatment options.
Whether you’re still working from home or have returned to your place of business, chances are you can answer this question without batting an eye: “Are you or your kids spending more time staring at computers, phones, or televisions since the lockdown?”
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Please Note Before Scheduling Your Appointment: Integrative Vision is self-pay (fee-for-service) only. We do not accept commercial medical/vision insurance or Medicare. Payment is due at the time of service.
Please Note Before Scheduling Your Appointment: Integrative Vision is self-pay (fee-for-service) only. We do not accept commercial medical/vision insurance or Medicare. Payment is due at the time of service.
