4,864 research outputs found
School of Optometry and Vision Science + Centre for Vision and Eye Research Annual Report: 2024
Full text linkOptometry and Vision Science (OVS) had another
outstanding year, with the exceptional achievements of
its students, academics, and researchers highlighted
in this report. In 2024, the academic and professional
staff ensured delivery of a diverse and comprehensive
teaching program, while fostering an enriching learning
environment for students.
It was a notable year for staff promotions; Dr Katie
Edwards was promoted to Associate Professor and Dr
Emily Pieterse to Senior Lecturer. These well-deserved
promotions recognise significant contributions in
research, teaching, and leadership. Katie and Emily have excelled in their respective research fields, ocular
surface and myopia, while also playing a crucial role in
advancing optometry teaching.
The QUT Optometry Health Clinic continued to provide
outstanding learning opportunities for OVS students
and high-quality eye care for thousands of patients.
A special thanks to clinic coordinator Tina Huynh for
managing the clinic so effectively in 2024. We will all
miss Tina, who leaves QUT to take up the position of
Clinic Operations Coordinator at the Queensland Eye
Institute in 2025.
The OVS team is grateful to the numerous expert
sessional clinical supervisors who ensure our students
obtain excellent clinical and patient management
skills. Thanks also to OVS optometry student external
placement providers who provide a diverse range of
opportunities for real-world work-integrated learning.
OVS is also very appreciative of Optometry Queensland
and Northern Territory for funding student regional
placements scholarships commencing in 2025.
The Centre for Vision and Eye Research (CVER) had
another stellar year with grant income totalling more than $2.5 million, over 90 high-quality publications,
over 30 conference presentations and more than
30 invited professional development seminars.
Congratulations to OVS academics that were
successful in obtaining grant funding; we are very
grateful to CVER collaborators.
This work conducted by CVER staff was the basis
for both national and international research awards.
Professor David Atchison received the Oberdorfer
Award in Low Vision Research from the Association
for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (USA)
and Emeritus Professor Nathan Efron received the
Charles F. Prentice Medal from the American Academy
of Optometry. Professor Sharon Bentley received a
2024 Vision Australia Award for a decade of service
as a director on the Vision Australia Board. Adjunct
Professor Christine Wildsoet received a Lifetime
Achievement Award for Basic Research at the 19th
International Myopia Conference.
Congratulations to all OVS PhD and MPhil students
who graduated during 2024; Jason Kugelman, Yoel
Garcia Marin, Thomas Nugent, Kate Pecar and
Esther Rong. Three HDR students who graduated last year also received a Faculty of Health Dean’s
Commendation for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award;
Dr Archayeeta Rakshit, Dr Samir Uprety, and Dr Ignacio
Andres Viedma Escalona.
At the end of 2024 QUT OVS farewelled Deputy Dean
Professor Sharon Bentley who has been appointed
Dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry
& Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley.
Sharon was the Head of School from 2018-2021 and
CVER Director. We will miss her and wish her the very
best in this new role. Sharon will maintain ties with QUT
through her appointment as an adjunct Professor.
Our achievements are only possible through hard
work and dedication of all OVS staff and students.
Again, a heartfelt thanks for the contributions of all
OVS collaborators and supporters who enable us to
continue to deliver world class optometric education
and research.
Associate Professor Katrina Schmid
Discipline Lead, Optometry and Vision Scienc
School of Optometry and Vision Science Annual Report: 2018
Full text linkSharon Bentley 4 | Annual Report 2018 Celebrating 50 years The School of Optometry and Vision Science, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) had another very successful year in 2018, with multiple achievements and a major celebration. We celebrated our Golden anniversary, 50 years of optometry graduates. The f irst graduates, a class of just four, Colin Waldron, Heather Waldron (OAM), Jennifer Bevan and Graham Cooper, along with past Heads of School, Emeritus Professor Ken Bowman (AM), Emeritus Professor Leo Carney and Associate Professor Peter Hendicott joined members of the profession, staff of the School and new graduates to celebrate at an enjoyable evening event generously hosted by our professional organisation, Optometry Queensland and Northern Territory. Our first graduates spoke passionately about the early days of optometry, the ongoing advancement of the profession and scope of practice, the fight to gain the rights to prescribe medications for the treatment of eye conditions and the tremendous advances in diagnostic imaging technology. In 2018, we worked diligently throughout the year to ensure our current students have a strong foundation in the sciences, are trained in evidence-based practice, are immersed in real-world clinical placements with cutting edge technology (both locally and overseas), and are collaborative and community minded. Our students and clinical supervisors provided 6,789 consultations at our QUT Optometry Clinic, an increase in 17% from 2017, with the service now operating throughout the year. We embedded a ‘Patients as Partners’ program, developed a ‘Student Peer Support’ program and re-invigorated our partnership with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health.
The School’s research was rated ‘above world standard’ In the Australian Research Council Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2018 rankings. Our research in the fields of myopia, contact lenses, anterior eye, optics, imaging of the eye, melanopsin function, and the impact of vision loss on night driving attracted substantial funding from the Australian Research Council and industry. Six PhD students graduated, with two nominated for an ‘Outstanding Thesis Award’. We look forward to the next 50 years. With continuing rapid advancements in treatments and technology, we believe we are on the brink of enormous and exciting changes in the profession of optometry. This will not be limited to how we treat eyes and vision, but how we work and collaborate with others to provide efficient, person centred services to all, in any location. Regardless of the transformations in technology and health service systems, we will need to care. Indeed, the need to care will deepen.
Our School is striving to shape the future through our research and through preparing the next generation of optometrists. This cannot happen without a highly skilled and conscientious team, and many generous supporters. We are deeply grateful to our clinical supervisors, clinical placement providers, patients, research funding organisations, award sponsors and donors. On a personal note, my first year at the School, and QUT more broadly, has been immensely rich and rewarding. I cannot thank my colleagues and students enough for their warm welcome and dedication to our work
In 1965 the Queensland Institute of Technology (QIT) began an optometry program. This was a three year fulltime optometry diploma under the leadership of Noel Verney, the new head of the Section of Optometry. Noel Verney was born in 1921 and attended high school at Brisbane Grammar School and trained as an optometrist at the Central Technical College in Brisbane before the Second World War. During the war, Noel was an aircraft navigator and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in Burma. Following the war, he travelled to the United Kingdom to further his optometry education. He led the optometry school at QIT until 1980 and has had a lasting impact on the development of the profession of optometry in Queensland. The first cohort of undergraduate optometry students at QIT (Graham Cooper, Heather Waldron, Jennifer Bevan and Colin Waldron) began their studies in 1966 at the Gardens Point campus. The course had a strong emphasis on developing clinical skills in the QIT Optometry Clinic, located in the basement of U Block. The first QIT graduates completed their Diploma of Optometry in 1968.
Ken Bowman came from the University of Melbourne to be the new Head of the Optometry Department at QIT in 1980. He set about recruiting new academic staff, building a strong research culture within the department, establishing the Centre for Eye Research, and working with the profession and QIT management to enhance and develop the department. The optometry program at QIT graduated its first students from the four year BAppSc (Optom) degree in 1984 and in 1989, Ken oversaw the move of the department and clinic to the Law building (C Block) on Gardens Point campus, with a dedicated wing of research and teaching laboratories. In 1989 QIT became QUT and in 1991, Ken went on to become the Dean of the Faculty of Health, and in 2008 the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of QUT.
In 1992, Leo Carney became the new Head of Optometry at QUT after previous appointments at Ohio State University and the University of Melbourne. Leo oversaw the move of the Optometry Department and Clinic to the Kelvin Grove campus of QUT. Over the next 16 years he continued to strengthen the research profile of the school, transitioning from the Centre for Eye Research to the Vision Domain of the Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation. Leo Carney. He was instrumental in advancing the optometry program to the five year double degree (BVisSc and MOptom) program to include the teaching of therapeutics and strengthening the clinical experiences of students in the program. Leo was responsible for overseeing the development of the Optometry Clinic in the current QUT Health Clinics complex at Kelvin Grove. His strategic leadership built a strong relationship with the profession and an excellent international reputation for the school.
In 2008, the QIT graduate Peter Hendicott became the Head of the School of Optometry and Vision Science after previous roles as Head of Optometry in Dublin, and clinic director at the University of Auckland and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Peter oversaw the transition to the five year double degree program and the strong development of the research performance of the school over the next 10 years, with growing numbers of full-time researchers and higher degree research students in the school. Peter’s background in clinical management saw the schools clinical program develop an emphasis on the diversity of student’s clinical experiences and training. Sharon Bentley became the first female Head of the School of Optometry and Vision Science in 2018, after academic appointments at The University of Melbourne, Dalhousie University, Deakin University and an executive appointment at the Australian College of Optometry. Sharon has brought a very strong background in clinical teaching and management, research and curriculum development to QUT. Pictured T-B: Peter Hendicott. Sharon Bentley. When asked about the changes over the years, Emeritus Professor Leo Carney reflected that, “The past 50 years of optometry education at QIT and QUT have seen an impressive development in teaching and research along with the expanding scope of clinical practice of the optometry profession. With the current developments in the ongoing integration of optometry as a primary health-care provider, together with impressive technology changes, it is likely that the pace of change in our profession and the education of optometrists will also continue in the future.” Over 50 years of development and the leadership of five heads of school, the School of Optometry and Vision Science at QUT has achieved great success in teaching, research and service to the community. It continues to build upon this legacy of achievement
School of Optometry and Vision Science Annual Report: 2020
Full text linkMessage from
Head of School
PROFESSOR SHARON BENTLEY
The year we planned to promote the need for good
‘20/20’ vision and optometry’s important role in eye
health, the year 2020, had finally arrived. We never
expected to be upstaged by a global pandemic
that would propel us almost instantly into an entirely
online mode of teaching and distanced way of being.
While there were many lows, there were again, many
successes.
First, I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary
efforts and commitment of the staff in developing and
delivering online learning opportunities. Additionally,
for their flexibility and determination in devising
countless iterations of the timetable to maintain
in-person clinical skills learning and the operation of
our clinic, when permitted. The invaluable experience
gained by students in our own clinic could not
happen without the support of our highly skilled and
dedicated clinical supervisors. We were also indebted
to the many optometry and ophthalmology partner
practices who were able to continue to support
students with work integrated learning placements.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the students
and their tremendous efforts to meet the required
competencies, as well as their support of each other
through unprecedented times. Everyone simply got
on with the job and, remarkably, students completed
the year on time.
In the teaching program, we continued with our
commitment to implement the Optometry Council
of Australia and New Zealand Aboriginal and Torres
Islander Health Curriculum Framework. Dr Kristopher
Rallah-Baker accepted appointment to the position
of Adjunct Associate Professor in the School. Kris
is a Yuggera and Biri-Gubba-Juru/Yuggera man,
Australia’s first Indigenous ophthalmologist, previous
President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors
Association, and holds numerous other important
committee positions and directorships. He currently
practises at Sunshine Coast Ophthalmologists
at Noosa, Ramsay Private Hospital Noosa and is
a Visiting Medical Officer at the Sunshine Coast
University Hospital. Kris will be advising and assisting
us with the development and delivery of continuous
improvements in our cultural safety and Indigenous
perspectives curricula, co-supervising a higher
degree research student and hosting our Master
of Optometry students on clinical placement. We
are particularly interested in understanding the eye
health needs of children who are Indigenous and just
recently, I was fortunate enough to join four members
of academic staff who examined and collected data
from over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
children in the Bamaga region, Cape York Peninsula.
During 2020, our track record of high-quality
research was recognised by QUT establishing our
‘Centre for Vision and Eye Research’. In addition,
the QUT School of Optometry and Vision Science
featured extremely strongly in a recently released
publication of the most impactful optometry
researchers in the world (Efron et al. Clin Exp Optom,
2021; https://optomrankings.com), with twelve
optometrist academics from our School among the
top 200. Furthermore, QUT is currently ranked as the
third most impactful optometry school globally (out of
270 optometry schools).
All of this speaks to the tenacity, resilience, integrity
and capability of the team of academics, researchers,
students and support staff of the QUT School of
Optometry and Vision Science. I am honoured to
work with them and I am certain we will continue to
achieve our vision of ‘Transforming how the world
sees through education and researc
School of Optometry and Vision Science & Centre for Vsion and Eye Research Annual Report: 2023
Full text linkMessage from the Discipline Lead Associate Professor Katrina Schmid
Optometry and Vision Science (OVS) had another very productive year, with the outstanding achievements of its students, academics, and researchers described in this report. In 2023, the academic and professional staff ensured delivery of a diverse teaching program and continued to expand the knowledge base of the profession through original research. It was a significant year for staff promotions, with Stephen Vincent being promoted to Professor and Prakash Adhikari promoted to Senior Lecturer. These promotions were well deserved and acknowledge their important contributions to research, teaching, and leadership. In October, Dr Damien Fisher was appointed to an ongoing teaching intensive academic osition as an Associate Lecturer. We welcome Damien to the OVS team and congratulate him on this next step in his career. In addition to the external accreditation of the optometry program that occurs though the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand (OCANZ), the optometry program is also accredited by QUT as part of its Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) accreditation. During 2023, a major review of the course’s structure, learning outcomes, and units was undertaken. This review resulted in suggested minor revisions to the course structure of the Bachelor of Vision Science (OP45) in years 1 and 2 and updates to learning outcomes and units to ensure the course remains contemporary. Our optometry clinic continued to provide outstanding learning opportunities for OVS students and highquality eye care for thousands of patients. Special thanks to our coordinators Tina Huynh and Courtenay Lind, for managing the clinic so effectively in 2023. In 2024, Tina Huynh will return to the optometry clinic coordinator role in a full-time capacity, and Courtenay will continue to be involved in OVS teaching and research activities. OVS is grateful to the team of expert sessional clinical supervisors who ensure our optometry students obtain excellent clinical and patient management skills. Thanks also to OVS optometry student external placement providers who ensure that our students experience a diverse range of opportunities for real-world work-integrated learning. The Centre for Vision and Eye Research had another year of stellar performance with grant income totaling more than $3.5 million and over 100 high-quality publications. Congratulations to all OVS PhD students who graduated during the year and their supervisors; Ignacio Andres Viedma Escalona, Dinesh Kaphle, Durgasri Jaisankar, Archayeeta Rakshit, Samir Uprety, and Dinesh Venugopal. Optometry and Vision Science has had an exceptional year of achievements in 2023 and we can all be proud of the success of our staff and students. Thank you to all our supporters who enable us to continue to deliver world class optometric education and research. Associate Professor Katrina Schmid Discipline Lead, Optometry and Vision Scienc
QUT Optometry and Vision Science
No full textQUT has provided optometric education for almost a century. From 1928 to 1965, The Brisbane Central Technical College (The Queensland Institute of Technology from 1965) delivered a part-time optometry course in conjunction with the Australian Optometric Association (Queensland) as part of a four-year apprenticeship. In 1965, an Associate Diploma in optometry was established in the General Studies Department of QIT which has continued to evolve over the past sixty years. This collection includes a range of materials that highlight the educational and research achievements, and the rich history of Optometry and Vision Science at QUT
Refractive errors in Singapore and Xiamen, China - A comparative study in school children aged 6 to 7 years
No full textOptometry and Vision Science776302-308OVSC
Measuring the Patient's Perspective.
No full textGuest Editorial: Patient-reported measurements have become standard outcomes alongside vision tests in clinical trials; at times, even being the main outcome measure. With a developing research focus, these instruments are evolving from relatively simple measures to increasingly discriminatory, reliable, and valid ones. This feature issue of Optometry and Vision Science showcases the latest research from this broad field. Contributions include reviews of existing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), testing or application of PROMs, testing or use of health valuation instruments, and qualitative research into the patient’s perspective of eye and vision problems or treatments
Impact of astigmatism on axial elongation in school-age children : a five-year population-based study in Tianjin, China
Full text link202412 bcchVersion of RecordOthersCentre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR), InnoHK CEVR Project 1.5, 17W Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong; Centre for Myopia Research, School of Optometry, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Research Centre for SHARP Vision, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Tianjin Key Medical Discipline (Specialty) Construction Project; Tianjin Education Commission Social Science Major ProjectPublishedC
British Congress of Optometry and Vision Science 2022
No full textMeeting report of the 2022 British Congress of Optometry and Vision Science (BCOVS
Barriers to Utilisation of Refractive Services in Mozambique.
Full text linkMozambique has a population of more than 25 million people.1 Nampula Province has just fewer than 4 million people.2 Although Mozambique is currently experiencing unprecedented economic growth rates, buoyed by the discovery of natural resources, significant challenges remain for the population, such as adequate health care, including eye health services. VISION 2020 is a global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. Its core strategies are focused on human resource development, infrastructure development, and disease control.3 The Mozambique Eyecare Project delivered a regional optometry model for Lusophone Africa, based on the VISION 2020 core strategies. A key output was a higher education program for optometry. Mozambique’s first professional optometrists graduated from Universidade de Lu´rio in Nampula in 2013. To achieve the VISION 2020 goals, the services the optometrists are trained to provide must be fully implemented. To realize this potential, the use of refraction services by the general public must be fully understood
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