Dear members of the optometric education community,

It is with great sadness that we must again confront the evils of xenophobia, racism and hatred. The tragic mass murder in Atlanta was the latest in a shocking increase in violence against our American Asian Pacific Islander (AAPI) community since the beginning of the pandemic...

The results of ORMatch 2021 were released March 29. ORMatch matches the student and the optometry residency program based on a mutual ranking algorithm. ORMatch has been in operation since 2013.

ASCO and the Ethics Educators SIG are pleased to announce Tam Tran as the winner of the 2021 Student Award in Clinical Ethics. This annual national award provides the winner with a cash award of $1,000 and an acrylic engraved plaque.

Female faculty comprise 59.3% of total faculty at the U.S. schools and colleges of optometry in 2020-21, according to ASCO’s 2020-21 Annual Faculty Data Report, rising from 57.8% last year and 53.6% five years ago.

ASCO’s online Journal, Optometric Education, is available at https://journal.opted.org.

PRECISION1® for Astigmatism Now Available in the U.S.

Bausch + Lomb Launches Alaway® Preservative-Free Antihistamine Eye Drops

Optometrists Get the Advantage of Built-In Telemedicine and E-commerce with Compulink

CooperVision Expands Commitment to Sustainability; clariti® 1 day Becomes First Net Plastic Neutral Contact Lens in the U.S.

The World Council of Optometry and CooperVision Partner to Define and Promote a Standard of Care to Treat Myopia Progression

Johnson & Johnson Vision Introduces New ACUVUE® OASYS MULTIFOCAL with PUPIL OPTIMIZED DESIGN and Expands the ACUVUE® OASYS Portfolio of Offerings for Patients with Presbyopia

Eugene R. VanArsdale Named Vice President of Business and Channel Management

Dr. Kate Hamm Joins Luxottica Eye Care to Lead OD Engagement

Hands-Free Dynamic Voice Recognition from M&S Technologies is Patient Focused

National Vision Names 2020-2021 Grant Program Winners, Awarding $7,000 Total to Optometry Students

New OCULUS LidStick®

Finding Opportunity in Response to Challenging Times

Join us at the CAREER ZONE at Vision Expo!

Saturday, June 5 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Orlando Convention Center, Orlando, FL

Supporting the Next Generation of Optometrists – New Webpage

Vision Science Ph.D. student Angie Godinez has been named a 2021 Diverse Rising Graduate Scholar, an annual recognition of outstanding minority graduate students poised to make an impact on the academy. Angie, a member of the Levi Lab, is profiled in the March 18 Graduate Education edition of Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

The Educational Advertising Awards selected the College of Optometry’s new recruitment video, Welcome Home, as the recipient of a gold award.

Long time faculty member Darrell G. Schlange, OD '64, DOS, FAAO retired from ICO in December after teaching for 56 years and was named Associate Professor Emeritus by the Board of Trustees. With Emeritus status, he plans to stay involved and be an ambassador for ICO.

Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry (NSUCO) is pleased to announce that Sherrol A. Reynolds, OD, associate professor, has been appointed Chief of OD-3 Clinics for the college’s clinical branch, The Eye Care Institute.

Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry (NSUCO) is pleased to announce that Bin Zhang, MD, PhD, professor, has been named Assistant Dean for Research. 

Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry (NSUCO) is pleased to announce that Samantha McIntosh, OD, assistant professor, has been appointed Chief of Low Vision Rehabilitation Clinic at the college’s clinical branch, The Eye Care Institute.

NSU publicly launches fundraising campaign for new optometry college facilities

Jesse Alibrando is a 4th year optometry student at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). Born in Montreal, Quebec, and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Jesse is well-versed in a variety of languages, which has provided him with the tools to perform ocular examinations in French, English, Spanish and Italian.

Dr. Dan Fuller, Southern College of Optometry Professor, received the inaugural Educator of the Year Award from the Gas Permeable Lens Institute (GPLI) during the Global Specialty Lens Symposium's annual 2021 meeting.

One thing the COVID-19 pandemic did not spoil is charitable giving, including new philanthropic partnerships. In fact, the university’s most recent donation of $7,500 came from a new donor named Keplr Vision.

Salus University’s Board of Trustees kicked off 2021 by adding three new members. Dr. Kate Kinslow (shown in pic), Shannon Tornoe and Emily Turner were named to the board at its January 2021 meeting.

An interest in eyes led Sakesha Caston, OD ‘00, to the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) and eventually to a successful career as an optometrist. But it’s her interest in the opposite end of the human body — particularly in tiny toes — that had given her success of another kind – that of children’s author.

 

She has published her first children’s book, titled “Mommy Loves My Little Toes,” a story about the delight a mother had raising her son. There is also a website where the book can be purchased.

Health professions students to help speed COVID-19 vaccine delivery across U.S.

On Tuesday, April 27, we will be celebrating the achievements of our members who have been accepted into the optometry class of 2025, and we would like to extend the opportunity to any of your club members that will be starting an optometry program in the fall to be recognized during our Signing Day event. 

Walman has established a scholarship program to encourage and assist students at schools and colleges of optometry. Scholarships are offered each year for full-time study at participating schools selected by Walman.

Helping open the door for underrepresented minority students interested in optometry, a new grant opportunity from the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) seeks to promote diversity within the profession for generations to come.

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced benefits, outreach, flexibilities and guidance to assist students, federal student aid borrowers and institutions of higher education.