AOA Continues to Advocate for Student Loan Flexibility Amid Policy Changes

Published on February 23, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In the wake of sweeping changes to federal student aid policy under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, optometry students and schools have faced uncertainty over future access to federal loan funding, according to an announcement from the American Optometric Association (AOA). Although the initial legislation included optometry in its small group of “professional” degrees, a new proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Education in early 2026 would formally designate optometry as a professional degree among 11 key health care and legal professions—preserving higher federal student loan limits for optometry students.
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PADUA—Safilo Group announced on February 20, that further to the dealing disclosures under Rule 8.3 of the UK Takeover Code, Safilo Group S.p.A. acquired additional shares in Inspecs Group plc between February 19 and 20, 2026. These additional shares represent around 5 percent of Inspecs’ share capital, Safilo said, for a total consideration of approximately £4.3 million. Safilo’s total shareholdi