Director’s Message

Fall 2005 | VOL 9 | NO 1

Director’s Message – Trefford Simpson

Once again things arechanging. At the outset,we would like to give aheartfelt thank you to DrBobier for his service to theSchool. Being the directoris often without rewardand the time devoted byBill was a period of rapidgrowth and change thathe presided over with calm

and reason. We all hope that the nextdirector will steer the school with a handas steady as his was.

The school is searching for the nextDirector and in the interim, I will be actingDirector and Dr Roger Pace will be actingAssociate Director.

Our primary motivation for taking on theseinterim roles is to ensure that the projectsestablished by the previous Director andadministration will be continued. This isprimarily centred on the expansion of theSchool infrastructure and student numbers.The projected infrastructure budget for theexpansion has been approved by thecentral university administration and wehave architects beginning the task ofdeveloping designs for the extension tothe building. At the same time, there willbe a host of changes occurring to theSchool to accommodate the multitude ofother alterations that will occur. Some ofthis has already begun, with the longpromised renovation of our large lectureroom well under way.

In addition to physically expanding, DrPace and I strongly believe that our Alumniare an integral part of the School andUniversity. Good relationships exist on aformal level between our Associations and

Colleges and, perhaps, less formal ties existbetween School faculty and staff, and webelieve that it is important to buttress all ofthese links. To this end, a new SchoolCommittee will be established whoseresponsibility will be exactly this. Thisgroup will become a bidirectional conduitdeveloping new, and facilitating existingcommunication between the School andalumni and Optometric organizations.

Some changes are occurring, however,that are less than welcome. Over the lastfew years there have been a number ofburglaries in our building (usuallyoccurring in clusters across the wholecampus). The most recent involved abroken window through which burglarsgained access to take money out ofvending machines. This has precipitated usinitiating a process of changing access tothe School’s facilities that will eventually bemore intrusive and, unfortunately, morerestricting. There will be much moreconsultation needed to ensure that wehave a reasonable balance of security andaccess; this is a problem that plagues thewhole University and changes will beoccurring affecting the whole campus in aslowly introduced manner.

In closing I would like to emphasize thatopenness is a cornerstone of thephilosophy we believe that the Schooladministration must have. Both Roger andI unequivocally encourage your queries,suggestions and criticism of how we areperforming our roles. Although our tenurein these administrative positions will beshort, we will take our responsibilitiesseriously.

EEddiittoorrii EEmmeerriittiiDr. W.M. Lyle

Dr. A.P. Cullen

EEddiittoorrssL. Walker-Coultice

PPrrooooff RReeaaddeerr – E. ReidtPPrroodduuccttiioonn – Graphics, University of Waterloo

Special thanks to all those who contributed items for the newsletter.

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Continuing Education for the New MillenniumJune 10th, 11th, 12th 2005 – CE Committee

What a difference a year makes! Continuing Education at the School ofOptometry for 2005 was a memorableevent all ‘round. The School thanks all ofthose who participated, from theorganizers, presenters, and trade-showvendors, to all of the participants. Withoutall of this support, the successful annual CEevent at the School would not be possible – THANK YOU!

A number of features of the programmewere back this year – exciting optometricand ophthalmic assistants’ CE, Dr. ClairBobier and Dr. Emerson Woodruff AwardLectures, entertainment events, and tradeshow – but there was also much more. Byall accounts, the 3-day weekend allowedfor much more than just great education!

First of all, there was not one but two ‘bigtops’! Yes, one bigger than ever tent in theparking lot and another up on theOptometry green. This allowed a veryspecial additional event to occur, our(hopefully) first annual University ofWaterloo Optometry Homecoming.

A beautiful warm summer Friday eveningwas the backdrop for a walk down memorylane combined with some good old-fashioned competition! Members of thevarious Classes of ‘Fives’ – that is graduatesfrom any year ending in a ‘5’ or a ‘0’ –enjoyed a lovely candlelit Reunion dinner

in the tent on the Optometry green. Yearbooks and class composites were ondisplay, while slide shows with photosdating back to the pre-Waterloo days atthe College in Toronto played through theevening. Our host, Dr. John Jantzi,presented an insightful perspective on thehistory of Optometry at Waterloo,including some unbelievable informationsuch as smoking in class and other not-so-appropriate activities! Alumni shared storiesfrom their glory years in Optometry withmembers from the year 2000 right back tothe 40’s! The event was so successful thatthe CE Committee has recruited Dr. SusanCooper to help us make our dream of anannual Alumni event for graduates fromevery year, a reality! Optometry always hasbeen relatively removed from UW’sHomecoming across the road inNovember, so why not start our own?Optometry will have been at UW for 40years in 2007 – watch for a big event thenwith a kick-off next year!

Following the Bobier Lecture at the end ofthe second day of CE, the tradeshow andluncheon tent was transformed into adinner and dance area. A glorious outdoorbarbecue was held for all CE participantsfollowed by a dance with musicalentertainment from the UW School ofOptometry’s own (and we daresay,famous) Lost Faculties. Lyndon, Bruce,Ken, John, Natalie, Walter, Rodger andHerb rocked the tent with a tremendousevening chock full of top rock and rollclassics from the ‘60s to the newmillennium. It was a hot night of dancingand fun! This crew never ceases to amazeby getting better and better every year!

Optometry Continuing EducationPractitioners interested in getting a load ofCE credits could have managed a full 24hours in the three full days of CE offeredthis year. Who could resist when the topicswere timely, cutting-edge, and practical?!

The first day of CE was dedicated to theAdvancements in the Contact LensPractice with a fast-paced programmeincluding panel discussions. Our keynotespeaker for the day was Dr. Gina Sorbarawho celebrated her 20th year teachingcontact lenses at the School of Optometry

this year. Dr. Sorbara spoke on a variedarea of specialty lens fits, from keratoconicand bifocal fits, to orthokeratology andfitting the challenging post-keratoplastycornea. We had the pleasure of hosting Dr.Michael DePaolis from Rochester who gavetwo excellent lectures on the oftentimescontentious use of bandage contact lensesand the role of contact lenses in infectionand inflammation. The School and CCLR’sown Drs. Kathy Dumbleton, Des Fonn,Lyndon Jones, Nancy Keir, TreffordSimpson and Jalaiah Varikooty, as well asrecently retired Dr. Anthony Cullen, gaveconcise and contemporary research andclinical updates on technological advancesin the contact lens practice, dealing withcontact lens wear discontinuations; contactlens materials updates; the physiology ofthe cornea in contemporary ortho-K; UVabsorbing filters; and the 24-hourcorrection question – from LASIK tocontinuous wear to ortho-K. The audiencekept our panellists on their toes withexcellent and practical questions.

Day 1 was topped off with theDistinguished Dr. Emerson WoodruffAward Lecture. This year’s award recipientwas Dr. Jimmy D. Bartlett. Dr. Bartlett notonly presented his exciting research on“Pirenzepine – A novel M1 Antagonist forthe Treatment of Myopia Progression”, buthe poignantly illustrated the potentialapplications for this drug in primaryeyecare in the future. Those of us involvedin the TPA referral to the government wentrunning to our notes to make sure thisdrug was included in the categories wesubmitted! Dr. Bartlett is a true gentlemanand an incredible representative foroptometry in North America.

The Saturday programme both continuedfrom the overabundant information onFriday and kicked off the PharmaceuticalUpdate portion of our programme. Drs.Kathy Dumbleton and Lyndon Jonesreturned, this time to entertain andchallenge us on our contact lenscomplications knowledge using interactivecase-studies. Some advice from those of uswho were there… next time you seeLyndon with a microphone in his hand…run! Dr. Bartlett amazed us for much of theday with his clinical and pharmacologicalknowledge on the use of oral medications

3

in the treatment of eye disease;contemporary glaucoma therapies;inflammations of the eye and ocularsurface; and even a great review ondeciphering unequal pupils with drugs.Dr. Bartlett’s skill at lecturing and hiswealth of knowledge on TPAs left thenear-capacity crowd wanting more, yetfeeling more confident for the hopefullysoon-to-be-coming change in the scope ofpractice in Ontario.

The Distinguished Dr. Clair BobierAward Lecture both ended a secondgreat day of CE and ushered us into theentertainment for the evening. Dr.Suzanne Fleiszig aptly united our contactlens and TPA CE days with “ThePathogenesis of Contact-lens RelatedInfection”. Dr. Fleiszig’s years of researchinto this area literally unfolded for us onthe screen with her incredible videos ofthe moment of invasion of pathogenicorganisms in contact-lens relatedinfections.

Four incredibly talented surgeons,researchers and educators graced our CEstage for the Sunday programme todiscuss modern ocular surgeries. Dr. TomSheidow, a UW CE favourite (and UWalumnus!), returned this year to presentthe promising treatments for diseases ofthe macula. Dr. Hugh Jellie presented apractical approach to evaluating theemerging trends in laser refractive surgery.Drs. Ike Ahmed and Christoph Kranemannabsolutely wowed us with their videos andinsights into contemporary advancementsin glaucoma surgery. Drs. Ahmed andKranemann also discussed candidacy forcataract surgery in the presence of retinaldisease; new and emerging productscurrently affecting cataract surgeryoutcomes; and clear lensectomy andphakic IOLs as modern alternatives to laserrefractive surgeries. All left feeling moreequipped to handle difficult referrals andpost-op complications.

Optometric AssistantsProgrammeOn Saturday, a full day of education washeld exclusively for Optometric Assistantsand Optometry Office Staff.

A variety of educational lectures were heldstarting with Dr. Graham Strongpresenting 2 lectures back to back, anupdate in macular degeneration and theexcitement of forensic Optometry. New

contact lens information was presented byDr. Lyndon Jones with an update insilicone hydrogel lenses and Dr. GarryGrant with current information regardingpatient care and contact lens dispensing.Carol Stephenson and Patti Metzger fromthe Optometry Learning Resource Centregave everyone an overview of EvidenceBased Optometry and how to use books,journals and the world-wide web as anexcellent optometric resource.

The afternoon session started with Dr.Debbie Jones addressing staff responses toroutine patient enquiries Dr. NatalieHutchings introduced the newesttechnology advances in Digital Imagingand the afternoon ended with aninteractive seminar from Marilyn Smithdemonstrating personality profiles anddiversity in our patient population.

With the level of response received for theOptometric Assistants Programme, watchfor the brochure for 2006 for detailedprogramming for more OA CE.

Industry Trade Show and LuncheonSaturday was also the date of the annualContinuing Education IndustryInformation Trade Show. This event hasbeen held for the past eight years inconjunction with the annual ContinuingEducation weekend at the UW School ofOptometry. Providing a scrumptiousstand-up lunch at the trade show hasproven quite popular for the vendors andattendees. A wide range of ophthalmicindustry vendors participate in ourprogram that has proven so popular thatwe doubled our tent display area this year.Companies representing all facets of theindustry include spectacle frames,ophthalmic lenses, optometric equipment,laboratory equipment, contact lenses andcomputerization. The University Bookstorealso had a booth offering manyoptometric reference books. Our CEprogram participants enjoy theopportunity to speak directly to vendorsregarding new and exciting productofferings, something that is difficult to doin their home practices.

The weather was ideal and everyoneenjoyed the breeze blowing through thetent!! Popsicles and ice cream sandwicheshanded out were a definite hit along withthe cool, chocolate covered strawberries!The Stone Crock from St. Jacobs, just up

the road, offered something for everyonein an array of finger foods, wraps, pitasand nibblies with desserts that were hardto resist.

Again, we cannot say thank you enoughto all those who participated in ourannual CE programme. Your supportwill allow us to continue to bring yougreat CE and great fun in the future.We hope to see you next year!

Watch for announcements on our web siteand in the mail for next year's UWSO CEprogram June 9th, 10th and 11th 2006!

Special Thanks to:The Lost Faculties: John Flanagan, NatalieHutchings, Lyndon Jones, Bruce Irvine,Herb McNeil, Walter Mittelstaedt andRodger Pace for their spirit and incrediblytight dancing tunes!

Dr. John Jantzi and Andrea Carthew fortheir work to bring the Alumni eveningtogether

Dr. Jimmy D. Bartlett and Dr. SuzanneFleiszig for their acceptance of andlectures for the Distinguished Dr. EmersonWoodruff and Dr. Clair Bobier awards

Bausch & Lomb, WECO, CIBA Vision andInnova Medical Ophthalmics forsponsoring a portion of the OphthalmicAssistants’ CE to keep registration costslow

The UW Bookstore and Infinity Eyewearfor various door prizes

And last but not least, we would like tothank those at the School who workbehind the scenes and back the CECommittee during this larger Schoolevent. Thanks to our website andcomputer people, Chris Mathers, AndyLankin and Jim Davidson. Also thanks toAnne Weber, Krista Parsons, MarieO’Brien-Stockie and Marie Amodeo ofour Administration staff, for theircontributions.

UW Continuing Education Committee:

C. Lisa Prokopich, ChairGary Marx, AdministratorElizabeth Reidt, CoordinatorJake Sivak, Woodruff & Bobier LecturesMarilyn Smith, Optometric Assistants

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The Expansion Reaches an Important Milestone

As an alumna, I recognize thatmy career in Optometry startedwith my education at UW, acareer which has been bothpersonally and financiallyrewarding. We were supportedby the alumni before us whoworked to enhance theprofessional status of optometryand who raised the standard ofclinical practice in Canada.Having spent time with currentstudents as a clinical supervisor,a mentor, and as a Primary CareExternship practice site, I amreminded of how our assistancecan help the School progress andprovide future optometrists withthe same excellent start to theircareer that we received.

My husband, Rodger Pace, and Iare proud to be supporters ofclinical education and theexpansion campaign at theSchool of Optometry. I hope youwill consider joining us bydirecting your support towardthe School’s expansion in thistime of need. Together, we canhelp ensure the professionscontinued success.

Judy Brisson, UW OD ‘77

We haven’t reached our goal yet!For more information on how you can make a difference, contact

Andrea Carthew(519)888-4567 ext. 6319 or acarthew@uwaterloo.ca

We’re over half way there! The expansion and renovation campaign

continues to make significant progress and I am happy to report that we

have raised approximately $4.5 million of the $7.2 m fundraising goal.

With this success, the School has been given approval to acquire

architectural drawings for the new addition and we are hopeful that we

will be able to break ground sometime in mid 2006. We couldn’t have

made it this far without your support!

The School of Optometry would like to thank all of our alumni who have

made a gift to the expansion campaign. Every gift, from every donor

makes a difference. We would also like to gratefully acknowledge all of

the Optometrists who have made a leadership contribution to the

expansion of $10,000 or more (as of August 1, 2005);

Alcon

AMO

Bausch & Lomb

CIBA Vision

COETF (Canadian Optometric

Education Trust Fund)

CooperVision

College of Optometrists of Ontario

Innova

Johnson and Johnson Vision Care

TLC Laser Centre

In addition the School of Optometry would like to express its appreciation

to our professional and corporate partners who have made the commitment

to stand by us in this time of growth and need. Thank you to:

Dr. Dorothy Barrie, Saskatchewan

Drs. Judy Brisson and Rodger

Pace, Ontario

Drs. Kan Chhatwal and Jim

Wilkinson, Ontario

Dr. Bob De Mara, Alberta

Drs. Malcolm Dewey and John

Humphries, Ontario

Estate of Gwendolyn and Herbert

Dodd

Dr. Steve Garrett, Ontario

Dr. Paul J. Gray and Toby

Mandelman, Nova Scotia

Dr. John Jantzi, British Columbia

Dr. Gerry Leinweber, Alberta

Drs. Gary Grant, Dagmar Lutzi and

Derrick MacDonald, Ontario

Dr. Larry Kanters, Alberta

Dr. Len Koltun, Saskatchewan

Dr. Cindy Kruschel, Alberta

Drs. Scott Mundle and Michelle

Georgi, Manitoba

Northern Vision Centre, Alberta

Drs. Michael O’Grady and Howard

Kuehl, Ontario

Dr. MargAnn Pierson & John

Bergsma, Ontario

Drs. Bruce and Lori Robinson,

Saskatchewan

Swift Current Vision Care Clinic,

Saskatchewan

Dr. Brian Trump, Alberta

Drs. Garth Webb and Mary Lou

Riederer, British Columbia

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The Elite School of Optometry is no stranger to theSchool of Optometry here at Waterloo, where close to25% of our graduates students enrolled in the VisionScience Program at either the M.Sc. or Ph.D. level callit their alma matter. The success of Elite graduates inresearch programs in optometry schools world widespeaks to the success of their program.

The School, in association with the SankaraNethralaya is a unit of the Medical ResearchFoundation of India. The school celebrated its 20th

birthday by hosting a 3-day long internationalconference on vision science and optometry August13 -15. I was delighted to have been asked to speak atthe conference and wish to recognize two membersfrom the School, or soon to be from the School.Congratulations to Jalaiah Varikooty who receivedthe Dr E.Vaithilingam Memorial Scientific Award forthe best presentation of the conference. VasudevanLakshminarayanan (Vengu) was recognized in aspecial ceremony as one of the 4 founding membersof the Elite Program.

EIVOC Meeting – William R Bobier

School of Optometry Reunion Success!

This year the School held its first ever reunion event duringCE weekend in June of 2005. It was a complete successwith over 60 people in attendance and featuring JohnJantzi, OD ’75 as our host for the evening. One highlightwas the slide show which included old photos of guests,faculty & staff. Attendees included people celebratingreunions of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 & 30 years and saw graduatesranging from the class of 2000 to 1943!

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ccoovveerraaggee ooff tthhee EElleeccttrroonniicc

OOppttoommeettrriicc MMeeddiiccaall RReeccoorrdd

((EEOOMMRR)) IImmpplleemmeennttaattiioonn iinn tthhee

SScchhooooll ooff OOppttoommeettrryy..

We are almost ready to rollout theEOMR first implementation phase inour pre-clinic. In the winter term of2006, first year students starting theirclinical practice courses will be usingthe electronic medical record system intheir practice. As you read thisnewsletter, we will be preparing ourpre-clinic environment; each of the 24lanes will be fully equipped with thehardware and software required to runthe EOMR system.

We have been working closely withP&P Data Systems, the provider of theEOMR system which is an integral part

of the Clinical Information System (CIS)currently in use in our patient clinics.The P&P CIS system is acomprehensive medical and practicemanagement software that includevarious modules such as Scheduling,Billing, Reporting, EMR, etc. whichcovers the administrative, accounting,medical and other needs of theoptometry practice. We have beenperforming thorough testing andanalysis to the EOMR system over thelast few months. A number of ourfaculty members have been generouslygiving time out of their busy scheduleto review and analyze the systemproviding positive feedback andcomments to improve the system. Weare pleased with the results of ourtesting and implementationpreparation.

The new design of the system has beenwell received by our faculty membersas the system provides a lot ofcapabilities that satisfy the manyteaching environment-specificrequirements of the School. The systemhas been designed based on theSchool’s clinical optometry proceduresmanual and meets all the OntarioCollege of Optometry regulations interms of electronic patient recordrequirements. The EOMR systemprovides easy-to-use, intuitive and user-friendly 5-page examination record.Users can easily record clinicalexamination data in a structuredformat with the ability to freelyhandwrite and draw. The system willmake information available andaccessible from any workstation at anytime and allow clinicians to seamlesslyand securely navigate through allpatients’ recorded information. Inaddition, it will eliminate all thedaunting work related to findingmisplaced or missing files.

The EOMR implementation in our pre-clinic environment will provide us anability and opportunity to thoroughlytest the system’s usability andperformance before the fullimplementation in our patient clinics inthe near future. It will also serve as atraining environment for all users(students, clinical instructors, andfaculty members).

We believe that evolution, that is agradual introduction into our teachingand patient environment, is the bestapproach for a successfulimplementation. The quick,everywhere-at-once, approach toimplement the electronic records can

– Maher Shinouda | Project Leader

The Electronic Optometric Medical Record in theSchool of Optometry: Pre-Clinic Implementation

PPaaggee 11 ooff tthhee 55--ppaaggee EEOOMMRR ssyysstteemm - captures the Subjective section and some Objective testsof the comprehensive eye examination.

be very interesting but in many casesthe workflow will be compromised.Our plan will involve consecutivephases of implementation in ourspecialty patient clinics in the nearfuture.

Cumulative Patient Profile Data (C.P.P.)displays, in a cumulative tabularformat, selective medical data inaccordance to the users’ preferences.User sets and arranges the Tabs Viewwhere up to four tables of data can bedisplayed in a selected order on eachpage.

Periodic review of the EOMR system isvital to assess the various aspects ofthe system and its suitability to each ofour specialty clinics. While thecollaboration between the School andthe developers of the system willcontinue in its productive path, weencourage realistic, constructivefeedback and suggestions for makingthe EOMR system the best tool.

Upon successful completion of the firstimplementation phase in our pre-clinic, the development and

implementation of a comprehensive‘Contact Lens Module’ will begin. Thecontact lens module is designed tomeet the School’s requirements; it willprovide dedicated forms that serve fora complete contact lens eye exam,contact lens fitting, follow-ups andcontact lens checks. Detailed

specifications have been defined foreach of these forms based on ourcontact lens clinic’s complete needsand requirements. We believe that theEOMR system with the contact lensmodule will be of a great interest toprivate practitioners as well.

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CCuummuullaattiivvee PPaattiieenntt PPrrooffiillee DDaattaa ((CC..PP..PP..)) displays, in a cumulative tabular format, selectivemedical data in accordance to the users’ preferences. User sets and arranges the Tabs Viewwhere up to four tables of data can be displayed in a selected order on each page.

For nine weeks this past summer Dr. Tom Singer and hisstudents Jeffery Burrows, an MSc student, and MattDixon an undergraduate research student, provided ESQcampers with special weekly tours of the animal researchfacilities in the School of Optometry. These “fishy” toursdemonstrated to the young campers how fish are usedin vision research to understand two of the mostcommon eye disorders: cataracts and myopia. Thestudents, entering grades 1-4, attended ESQ Primary,Suzuki C and Suzuki D camps and were supervised byteam leaders Gideon Prins and Melissa Roswell. Thestudents saw first hand the live Tilapia and killifish usedin Dr. Singer’s molecular vision research program. TheESQ students examined the internal organs from a fishand observed Dr. Singer conduct a dissection of its eye.As an added bonus the ESQ campers had an opportunityto take a close look at preserved whale and owl eyesprovided by Kelley Moran from Dr. Jake Sivak’s lab.

The Animal Researchfacilities in the Schoolof Optometry are animportant part of itsVision Science researchprogram. ESQ is asummer camp programthat provides childrenof all ages theopportunity to explorethe worlds of science,math, and engineering.It's a unique hands-onexperience that combines fun and stimulation in alearning environment. In its 15th year, ESQ is a non-profit organization that is managed by students at theUniversity of Waterloo. Information about ESQ(Engineering Science Quest) is available on-line athttp://esq.uwaterloo.ca.

ESQ Campers visit the Animal Research Facilitiesin the School of Optometry

Searching for Journal Articles on the Web?School of Optometry Learning Resource CentreExpands Services – Carol Stephenson

The Spring 2005 newsletterhighlighted free and pay-per-viewsearching and document deliverysources readily available via theWeb. This article focuses on therecently expanded School ofOptometry Learning ResourceCentre (OLRC) services.

Alumni often inquire aboutUniversity of Waterloo Libraryservices available for theirprofessional use. In response tothese requests, the OLRC, withfunding from the CanadianOptometric Education Trust Fund(COETF), has developed a suite ofinformation services forprofessional optometrists who areUW alumni and/or members ofthe Canadian Association ofOptometrists. These services arealso extended to the College of

Optometry, Canadian OptometricAssociations, government agenciesor non-profit organizations.

• VisionCite(http://www.visioncite.com) is aWeb accessible journal indexproduced by the Illinois Collegeof Optometry (ICO) Library.The 110 current periodicalsreceived by the ICO Library arescanned for articles onoptometry, ophthalmology,contact lenses, reading,perception, and other visionrelated subjects. If you arelooking for an optometryspecific topic, you will find thatVisionCite indexes morerelevant articles than PubMed.To get started using VisionCite,register with the OLRC(optlib@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca) to

obtain the userID and PINaccess codes.

• A Web accessible informationrequest form (http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/olrc/odbasicliterature.html) makes iteasy to submit topics andkeywords for OLRC staff tosearch on your behalf. OLRCstaff will provide up to 20citations within 72 hours of theinitial request. Staff membersare not responsible for theaccuracy, validity or interpretationof the search results.

• A Web accessible article requestform is also being developed. Itwill simplify the process forrequesting photocopies ofjournal articles from the OLRCcollection. Staff will mail or fax10 free photocopied articles percalendar year. The form will beavailable in the early fall andwill be linked from (http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/olrc/odservices.html). Until the formis available, email photocopyrequests tooptlib@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca

More detail on these services isavailable from the OLRC Website(http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/olrc/od.html) or by contactingOLRC staff directly atoptlib@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca

Resources and Services availablefrom (http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/olrc/od.html).

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9

At a spur-of-the-

moment summer

photo shoot (see

over), we were

more than a little bit shocked to

realize just how much the CCLR

has grown over the past year or

two. Our workforce totalled 52

this summer – the highest it’s

ever been. Of course we

shouldn’t have been surprised,

considering the steady expansion

of our research: over the past few

months we have been extremely

busy with 21 studies at various

stages, including two new

collaborative projects in

conjunction with the Vision

Cooperative Research Centre in

Sydney, Australia. Our recent

renovations - including a new

consulting room, two equipment

rooms and a large office space

housing multiple work stations -

should help us manage this growth.

CCLR Update 2005 – Alisa Sivak

ADDITIONS TO OUR RESEARCH TEAM:We would like to extend a warm welcome to Dr Craig Woods, PhD andDr Jill Woods, MCOptom, who both joined our research team in March.

As the CCLR’s first ever Research Manager, Craig’sexpertise will be extremely valuable in thedevelopment of processes and systems directed atmanaging our recent growth. A graduate of The CityUniversity and the University of Manchester, he hasheld a number of management positions in the fieldof Optometry, including: Assistant Clinical Directorat the Institute of Optometry in London, ClinicManager for the University of ManchesterDepartment of Optometry and Vision Science, andDeputy Clinic Director at the Victorian College ofOptometry in Melbourne, Australia.

Jill contributes an exciting range of clinical andteaching experience, as the newest member of ourteam of research associates. A graduate of The CityUniversity, she has owned her own private practiceand has also worked and taught at a number ofhospitals, including the London Refraction Hospital(now known as the Institute of Optometry). She hasalso provided instruction in contact lenses in theDepartment of Optometry and Vision Sciences atthe University of Manchester. More recently, sheperformed clinical contact lens research withBrennan Consultants in Melbourne, Australia.

HONOURS AND ACCOLADESWe are pleased to congratulate director Desmond Fonn, who was electedPresident of the International Society for Contact Lens Research, at ameeting in Coolum, Australia this August.

Lyndon Jones and Trefford Simpson were recently promoted to Professor.

Yunwei Feng was awarded the Canadian Institutes of Health Research(CIHR) Brain Star Award for her paper in Investigative Ophthalmologyand Visual Science. The award is granted in recognition of excellence inresearch. See: Feng Y, Simpson TL. 2004. Characteristics of human cornealpsychophysical channels Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 45(9):3005-3010.

Jalaiah Varikooty received the 2005 E. Vaithilingam Memorial ScientificAward at the Elite School of Optometry’s International Vision Scienceand Optometry Conference (EIVOC) held in Chennai, India. His paper,"Ocular Surface Sensations during Forced Eye Opening" was judged thebest paper in the open category.

Amir Moezzi, who joined our research team as an Iranian-trainedoptometrist and gained an MSc through the CCLR, recently passed hisOntario board exams.

VIST OUR NEW WEBSITE AT:http://cclr.uwaterloo.ca

and our online educational projects:

The Official Site of

Silicone Hydrogels:

www.siliconehydrogels.org

Reference Sight:

www.referencesight.com

Ping Situ and Lakshman Subbaraman receivedstudent travel awards to attend the InternationalSociety for Contact Lens Research conference inCoolum, Australia. Ping presented “The RelationshipBetween Corneal and Conjunctival Sensitivity, DryEye Symptoms, Tear Film Stability and Ocular SurfaceCharacteristics,” and Lakshman presented “Kineticsof 125I-labelled Lysozyme Deposition on SiliconeHydrogel FDA Group II and Group IV ContactLenses.”

Sameena Haque won an award for best presentationin the science division at the University of Waterloo’sGraduate Student Conference, in April.

Last but certainly not least, both Leona Voss andDiane Bandura were recognized this year for 15 yearsof service at the University of Waterloo – and, morespecifically, at the CCLR.

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS NEEDED!Please note that the CCLR is always seeking volunteerresearch participants. In return for assistance withclinical studies, we offer our volunteers anopportunity to try the latest lens designs and solutionformulations at no cost to your practice. Participantsalso receive an honorarium for their timecommitment. Look for our pre-screeningquestionnaire at http://cclr.uwaterloo.ca or call ourrecruitment department at (519) 888-4567 ext. 7187.

Examinations included with CCLR studies are notintended to replace eye care provided by aparticipant’s usual eye care practitioner. We alwaysrefer our research participants back to their primaryeye care practitioner.

Back (left to right) - Stephanie Duench, Lakshman Subbaraman, Diane Bandura, Simon Guthrie, Ronan Rogers, Marc Schulze,Trevor German, Yunwei Feng, Desmond Fonn, Kathy Dumbleton, Simone Schneider, Nancy Keir

Middle (left to right) - Carolina Navarrete, Leona Voss, Marina Simpson, Lyndon Jones, Liz Heikkila, Jill Woods, Robin Turk,Sameena Haque, Ping Situ, Helen Lu, Bonnie Boshart, Roz Exton, Amir Moezzi

Front (left to right) - Anson Chan, Jalaiah Varikooty, Kathy Burroughs, Sruthi Srinivasan, Craig Woods, Krystynne Harvey, Miriam Heynen, Doerte Luensmann, Grace Dong, Maggie Liang, Alisa Sivak

Missing - Brad Cumming, Mary-Ann Glasier, Holly Lorentz, Melanie Scott, Trefford Simpson, Tra Sin, Alexandra Smith, Gina Sorbara, Joelle Zagury, Frank Zhang

CCLR, May 2005

10

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A funeral service washeld Wednesday forRachel Higgins (left),a third-yearoptometry studentwho died August 21after a two-yearbattle against a braintumour. She was afew days short ofturning 25.

Along the way, Higgins and her family createdRally Against Cancer Hardcore, with theinitials RACH to match her own full name:Rachel Anne Cecilia Higgins. The organizationstarted a baseball tournament as a fund raiserin her home town of Parry Sound, collecting$34,000 last year and $40,000 this year forbrain cancer research at Toronto's PrincessMargaret Hospital.

"Rachel Higgins was an amazing woman," sayssomeone in the optometry school who knewher. "Her spirit was unbelievable -- shecompleted all of her final exams whileundergoing chemo. The funeral was really acelebration of her life. She was inspiring,courageous, strong-willed, with the mostpositive attitude I have ever met in anyone!Rachel accomplished so much in her short life.I thought the rest of the UW communitywould like to know about this wonderful,bright star that we have lost."

A page about Higgins on the RACH websitetells the story of her illness, beginning with adiagnosis of lupus -- inaccurate, as it turnedout -- while she was in first year optometry.Cancer treatment began in 2003, and the webpage indicates that as of just a few weeks ago,Higgins was still planning to return to UW thisfall, "not exactly clear what year she willactually be in".

During the baseball tournament this summer,in which Higgins threw the opening pitch toher father, she said she was living one day at atime, an obituary in the Parry Sound NorthStar reports. "You can't worry about things youcan't control, so you might as well help outwith a donation," she said then.

The official death notice notes that she is"sadly missed by those of us who find it hardto understand, her parents Dr. Thomas andJoanne Higgins of Parry Sound; her siblingsAdam, Aaron, Gillian and Jordan; andgrandparents", among others. The funeral washeld at St. Peter the Apostle Roman CatholicChurch in Parry Sound. Memorial donationsto the RACH Foundation at Princess MargaretHospital were suggested. Canadian BloodServices will honour Higgins during a blooddonor clinic in Parry Sound next week.

Optometry Student is MournedFrom the UW Daily Bulletin – August 26, 2005www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca