ABB OPTICAL GROUP AND PARAGON VISION SCIENCES ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF OPTOMETRY STUDENT CHALLENGE
Three students chosen to present their scientific poster at2017 Global Specialty Lens Symposium
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (January 31, 2017) – ABB OPTICAL GROUP, in partnership with Paragon Vision Sciences, announces the three winners of the Optometry Student Challenge, a program designed to support optometry students and foster the study of contact lenses.
Through the Optometry Student Challenge, third and fourth-year optometry students who registered were asked to create an abstract focusing on study projects or student-based case histories related to contact lenses. From more than 40 submissions, five finalists were chosen. The five students were required to convert their abstracts into scientific posters and from there the judges selected the top three posters.
The lead authors of the top three posters were Sara Siebert, Indiana University School of Optometry; Kimberly-Anne Llamzon, New England College of Optometry; and Michael Kreuzer, University of Waterloo.
Siebert, a third-year student and secretary of the Contact Lens Club at Indiana University, presented on utilizing corneal and scleral topography to aid in predicting scleral toricity for the purpose of fitting scleral lenses. Llamzon, a fourth-year student and former member of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity at the New England College of Optometry, covered the topic of keratoconus and scleral lenses. Kreuzer, a fourth-year student and former Interprofessional Liaison of the Canadian Association of Optometry Students at University of Waterloo, presented on reducing scleral lens fogging with an impression-based design versus a conventional lens.
Ryan Chia, a student at Salus University and Olivia Cheng, a student at UC Berkeley, received an honorable mention and received $250 each.
“It is so exciting to see the participation we’ve had in this student challenge,” said Ann Shackelford, director of consultation and specialty services at ABB OPTICAL GROUP. “We received so many outstanding submissions from really talented students. By developing educational opportunities like the Optometry Student Challenge, we are helping shape the optometrist of tomorrow.”
The Optometry Student Challenge awarded travel grants of $1,500 each to the top three students to attend and present their posters at the recent 2017 Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS).
“Both Paragon Vision Sciences and ABB OPTICAL GROUP recognize the importance of involving students in the industry through these types of educational initiatives,” said Rich Jeffries, President of Paragon Vision Sciences. “The Optometry Student Challenge is an example of the commitment both companies share for providing quality education to students and Optometry professionals"
For more information on the Optometry Student Challenge, visit ABBOptical.com/OptometryStudentChallenge.
ABOUT ABB OPTICAL GROUP
ABB OPTICAL GROUP is a leading distributor of optical products in the United States. The company supplies nearly two-thirds of eye care professionals across the country with brand name contact lenses, fully customizable gas permeable and custom specialty soft contact lenses, ophthalmic lenses and more. The company's Digital Eye Lab is a fully automated optical lab dedicated to freeform digital lens fabrication. ABB OPTICAL GROUP also offers practice building services such as pricing strategy tools, business reviews, annual supply staff training and e-commerce solutions. For additional information, visit ABBOptical.com.
ABOUT PARAGON VISION SCIENCES
Paragon Vision Sciences is a world leader in Orthokeratology lenses (CRT© Lenses) specialty contact lenses and oxygen permeable contact lens materials. Located in Gilbert, Arizona, the Paragon Vision Sciences Team is committed to providing innovative products and services with a focus on education, safety and efficacy.