News

Vision therapy put patient on path to academic success
By Satina Richardson
Jacob McKinstry’s mother recognized there was an issue with her son’s learning when his participation in three- and four-year-old kindergarten decreased. The school principal said he had ADHD, which wasn’t confirmed. He took a battery of tests that included an IQ test, an auditory test and two exams by ophthalmologists. Each test found no significant issues. His mother continued to research what could be happening with her son. Two and a half years later, following a Visual Efficiency Evaluation, vision therapy was recommended.
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UABSO launches EyeCare4Justice
By Satina Richardson
Our community and nation are confronting the ugly truth of our long legacy of systemic racial injustice after the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others who have suffered and died due to prejudice and racial injustice in America. In response, the UAB School of Optometry has launched EyeCare4Justice.
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UAB Eye Care one of first with daily contact lens to slow nearsightedness
UAB Eye Care is one of the first clinics in the country to have MiSight® 1 day contact lenses, a daily wear, single use contact lens that slows the progression of myopia (nearsightedness). The clinic is the clinical arm of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.
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Vision Science student sets her sights on outer space
By Brianna Hoge and Satina Richardson
Jessica Jasien, Ph.D., a summer graduate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, is setting her sights high after graduation.
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Why 2020 graduating residents have a clinical advantage
By Ranjit Kaur, OD, 2020 Family Practice Resident
The pandemic took a hard grip on the healthcare system, including Optometry. The last few months introduced us to challenges we were not quite prepared for as a healthcare system, and Doctors of Optometry have stood strong in response to the COVID-19 crisis. We focused on providing urgent and emergent care to our patients to reduce the burden on emergency departments, incorporating telemedicine into the practice in order to reduce exposure risk to the more vulnerable patients, and adopting a virtual clinical education platform for our students learning from home.
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Vision and virtual learning for school-aged children
By UAB Eye Care Pediatric Optometry Services
As schools choose virtual learning and device-based instruction to enhance the education of children, the eyes are an important consideration. Below are facts, impacts, and recommendations for schools, teachers, and parents.
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I See 2020: Ian Benjamin Gaddie, OD, FAAO
In recognition of the year 2020 and the significance of 20/20 in the field of optometry, the UAB School of Optometry is recognizing alumni whose careers have impacted communities, set precedents, or moved the profession forward in some way. With this in mind, meet Ian Benjamin Gaddie, OD, FAAO.
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Researcher selected as NIH peer reviewer
By Satina Richardson
Marina Gorbatyuk, PhD, associate professor, has been invited by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to serve as a peer reviewer in the study section for the Biology of the Visual Systems Study Section, Center for Scientific Review. The appointment is for 4-years and places Gorbatyuk at the heart of the NIH’s grant process.
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New pediatric residency introduced
A residency at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute (VEI) in Nashville, TN, has launched, bringing the total number of residency programs available at the UAB School of Optometry to seven, with a total of 12 positions. This is one of two pediatric residencies available. The other is in-house at UAB Eye Care, the clinical arm of the UAB School of Optometry.
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Trustees appoint Kleinstein Professor Emeritus
By Satina Richardson
Robert Kleinstein, OD, MPH, PhD, retired UAB School of Optometry professor, has been appointed Professor Emeritus in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System. Kleinstein retired from the UAB School of Optometry in 2019 following 45 years of service.
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UAB's NOSA members lead nationally
By Satina Richardson
Two students from the UAB School of Optometry are now national leaders of the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA). Walter Jackson has been elected President, while Dana Shannon will serve as Vice President. Both are fourth year students.
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Nichols receives AOA Legends Award
By Satina Richardson
Jason Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, has received the Contact Lens Cornea Section Legends Award from the American Optometric Association (AOA).
This award is given to optometrists who demonstrate intellectual depth and passion toward contact lenses, cornea, or refractive technology and quest for continued learning and firm foundation of basic and clinical sciences of contact lenses and anterior segment. Recipients also must exhibit exceptional leadership skills and mentoring, innovation, and desire to advance research.
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I See 2020: Wendy Marsh-Tootle, OD, MS, FAAO
In recognition of the year 2020 and the significance of 20/20 in the field of optometry, the UAB School of Optometry is recognizing alumni whose careers have impacted communities, set precedents, or moved the profession forward in some way. With this in mind, meet Wendy Marsh-Tootle, OD, MS, FAAO.
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Keeping your eyes healthy during the coronavirus pandemic
The Centers for Disease Control recommends people avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands to help prevent spreading germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But what about those who wear prescription contacts and glasses? Are there added risks to touching your eyes during a pandemic like COVID-19? Ophthalmologists and optometrists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham provide answers to help you in your decision-making.

Vision science student receives Graduate Research Scholars Program award
Kelli Cannon, Vision Science Graduate Program student, is one of six UAB graduate students to be awarded Graduate Research Scholars Program awards for the upcoming fall semester, through Alabama Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
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Retinitis pigmentosa research probes role of the enzyme DHDDS in this genetic disease
Researchers who made a knock-in mouse-model of the genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa 59, or RP59, expected to see retinal degeneration and retinal thinning. As reported in the journal Cells, they surprisingly found none, calling into question the commonly accepted — though never proved — mechanism for RP59.

Perry retires after 45 years
by Satina Richardson
Felton Perry, OD, had never planned to have a career in optometry. Forty-five years after beginning work at the UAB School of Optometry, he has retired knowing that he had his perfect career that filled the need for eye care in Alabama communities.
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Optometry Black Belt clinics benefit more than 13,000
The UAB School of Optometry began treating patients in Alabama’s Black Belt communities through a formally organized program in 2002. Since then, more than 13,000 patients in this underserved area of the state have received access to care from the school’s vision scientists, doctors, and students.
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Pate named 2020 AOA Optometric Educator of the Year
A UAB School of Optometry faculty member has been named the American Optometric Association (AOA) Optometric Educator of the Year for the third time in less than five years. Caroline Pate, OD, FAAO, is the 2020 recipient of the award.
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Osei awarded 2020 Ezell Fellowship
The American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF) has awarded Kwaku Osei, OD, Vision Science Graduate Program student, the 2020 Mike Daley/Essilor Ezell Fellowship.
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