SAN FRANCISCO - A.M. Best Co., a credit rating organization dedicated to serving the financial services industries, has upgraded the financial strength rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and assigned an issuer credit rating of “a” to Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company, which is sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The ratings reflect OMIC’s strong operating performance, strengthened risk-adjusted capitalization, conservative balance sheet and commitment to pricing and reserving adequacy. The ratings also acknowledge OMIC’s leadership position within the ophthalmic professional liability market and historically strong policyholder retention rate.

"The Academy is proud that the company it founded 20 years ago has achieved this important recognition,” said H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., MD, executive vice president of the Academy. “OMIC serves our profession in many excellent ways."

###

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
AAO is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons - Eye M.D.s - with more than 27,000 members worldwide.  Eye health care is provided by the three - opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat it all: eye diseases and injuries, and perform eye surgery. To find an Eye M.D. in your area, visit the Academy's Web site at www.aao.org.