OPT Visionary - Winter/Spring 2015

News Blasts PAGE 5 As part of the College of Optometry’s 25 th anniversary celebration week, a program titled “Taking Infant Care into the Community” was held on September 19 in the HPD Chancellor’s Dining Room. Several com- munity leaders, health care professionals, teachers, parents, and NSU faculty and staff members were in attendance. The presentation had two NSUCO speakers: Yin C. Tea, O.D., FAAO, assistant professor and chief of Pediatric and Binocular Vision Service, who discussed infant vi- sion exams; and Deborah Amster, O.D., FAAO, FCOVD, assistant pro- fessor, who spoke about vision and development. Several guest speakers presented such as Glen T. Steele, O.D., FAAO, FCOVD, InfantSEE® chair, who provided attendees with an in- troduction to InfantSEE®, Robin Benoit, parent advocate and author, who provided a parent’s perspective on the importance of visual assess- ment early on in a child’s life, and Tom Sullivan, a public advocate and author, who encouraged an inspirational call to action. Sullivan, an actor, singer, athlete, entertainer, author, composer, and producer who has been blind since shortly after birth, is known for his message of hope and possibility. This presentation was made possible thanks to its sponsors, Optom- etry Cares® - the AOA Foundation, the Allergan Foundation, and the following NSU optometric pediatric faculty members: • Drs. Yin Tea and Deborah Amster • Rachel “Stacey” Coulter, O.D., M.S.Ed, FAAO, FCOVD, Diplomate • Gregory Fecho, O.D. • Jacqueline Rodena, O.D. • Nadine Girgis Hanna, O.D., FAAO • Erin Jenewein, O.D., M.S., FAAO • Michael Au, O.D. • Surbhi Bansal, O.D. InfantSEE®, a public health program managed by Optometry Cares® - the AOA Foundation, is designed to ensure that eye and vision care become an essential part of infant wellness care to improve a child’s quality of life. Under this program, participating optometrists provide a comprehensive infant eye assessment between 6 and 12 months of age as a no-cost public service. College of Optometry Hosts InfantSEE® Program Left Photo Pictured (from left) are Dr. Glen T. Steele, Dr. Yin C. Tea, Tom Sullivan, Dr. David Loshin, and Robin Benoit, parent advocate and author. Right Photo Sullivan delivers an encouraging speech. Nicole Patterson, O.D., FAAO, chief of the Low Vision Rehabilitation Service, and former low-vision resident Kellie Bassion, O.D., traveled to the beautiful Emerald Country of Ireland. The trip was a multidisciplinary endeavor with the occupational therapists from NSU’s College of Health Care Sciences that allowed the participants to spend a week at the Child- Vision National Education Centre for Blind Children in Dublin. The school, which is the only one of its kind in Ireland, strives to enhance the independence of children with vision impairment. Education is offered for children as young as newborns to 22 years of age. Many children from around the country participate in the residential program, where they live on campus and travel home for the weekends. All children attend ChildVi- sion free of charge. While there, Drs. Patterson and Bassion evaluated multiple children. All children at the school have ocular health evaluations but often don’t receive a functional vision evaluation. The evaluations Drs. Patterson and Bassion conducted served a major purpose by providing classroom teachers with much-needed information in order to optimally educate students. During their stay in Ireland, the optometric duo also had an opportunity to visit the National Braille Institute, explore the city of Dublin, and travel to the country’s northern region. Drs. Patterson and Bassion Provide Care for Children in Ireland