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WEI Event Features Distinguished Bobier and Woodruff Keynote Lectures

WEI conference

The upcoming Waterloo Eye Institute (WEI) event will highlight two keynote lectures that honour the legacy of Canadian optometric leaders while showcasing the insights of today’s vision science experts.

Annual Woodruff Lecture – Friday

The Annual Woodruff Lecture, established in 1994, recognizes the many contributions of Dr. Emerson Woodruff to the School of Optometry and the profession he served with distinction.

This year’s lecture will be delivered by Dr. Barbara Caffery, a respected leader in Canadian optometry. Dr. Caffery graduated from the New England College of Optometry in 1977 and earned her PhD in Vision Science from the University of Waterloo in 2009, with a focus on Sjögren’s Syndrome. She has published extensively in the areas of contact lenses and dry eye disease. After retiring from clinical practice in 2023, she continues to hold a research position at Toronto Eye Care and is currently enrolled in the MFA programme at Pacific University.

Clair Bobier Distinguished Lecture in Vision – Saturday

The Clair Bobier Distinguished Lecture in Vision honours Dr. Clair Bobier, whose leadership and vision were pivotal in the establishment of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and its research-driven curriculum.

This year’s lecture will be presented by Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Irving, professor emeritus and adjunct professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo. She is affiliated with the Eye Research Institute of Canada and the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Irving’s research focuses on ocular development and oculomotor function, with a particular interest in how the eye and visual system adapt to environmental influences—whether from daily living, disease, or its treatment. She has published extensively on these topics and remains actively engaged in advancing the field of vision science.

Honouring Legacy, Inspiring the Future

Together, the Woodruff Lecture (Friday) and the Bobier Lecture (Saturday) will headline the WEI event, celebrating the enduring influence of Dr. Emerson Woodruff and Dr. Clair Bobier while providing attendees with fresh insights from two of Canada’s most accomplished optometric researchers.

📅 The Woodruff Lecture will take place on Friday, followed by the Bobier Lecture on Saturday.

The 3-day event offers optometrists 20 COPE-accredited (pending) hours plus exclusive access to our industry trade show! The parallel, one-day optometric staff program provides 6 hours of continuing education for optometric assistants, ophthalmic technicians, office managers and front desk staff from optometric offices and clinics. 

View the complete agenda of speakers and events.


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CooperVision Myopia Control Research Receives Second Garland W. Clay Award

CooperVision

CooperVision’s research and development team, led by Senior Director of Research Programs Paul Chamberlain, along with their coauthors, has once again received the prestigious Garland W. Clay Award, presented annually by the American Academy of Optometry. This marks the second time in four years that CooperVision’s pioneering work in myopia control has received the honor, underscoring the company’s enduring leadership and impact in advancing eye health worldwide.

The 2025 award recognizes the paper, “Long-term Effect of Dual-focus Contact Lenses on Myopia Progression in Children: A 6-year Multicenter Clinical Trial” (Chamberlain P. et al.), published in Optometry and Vision Science (OVS). The award honors the authors of the most significant paper in OVS over the past five years:Paul Chamberlain, Arthur Bradley, Baskar Arumugam, David Hammond and John McNally, CooperVision; Nicola S. Logan, Aston University, United Kingdom; Deborah Jones, University of Waterloo, Canada; Cheryl Ngo, National University Hospital, Singapore; Sofia C. Peixoto-De-Matos, University of Minho, Portugal; Chris Hunt and Graeme Young, Visioncare Research, United Kingdom.

“I am incredibly honored, along with my coauthors, to receive the Garland W. Clay Award for a second time in such a short period,” said Chamberlain. “We are passionate about sharing the MiSight® 1 day study findings with the global eye care professional community, presenting research that is balanced, clinically meaningful, and practical, which are all values Garland Clay championed. This recognition also belongs to the investigators, staff, children and their families whose long-term commitment was essential to every insight we’ve shared.”

This six-year publication, the second installment in the trilogy of landmark MiSight® 1 dayclinical trial papers, demonstrated the sustained treatment effect of the lens in slowing myopia progression, reinforcing its clinical value.* It follows the three-year results paper, which earned the 2021 Garland W. Clay Award, and precedes the publication of the findings of the final year of the seven-year study, completing the longest continuous international investigation of its kind for myopia control soft contact lenses among children. Collectively, the trilogy provides unmatched evidence of MiSight® 1 day’s safetyand effectiveness in slowing the progression of myopia in children.

“To be recognized with the Garland W. Clay Award for a second time is an extraordinary testament to the quality, impact, and enduring relevance of our research,” said Jennifer Lambert, Vice President, Myopia Management & Cornea Care, CooperVision. “This three-part study not only shaped the global scientific conversation around myopia management but also translated into real-world benefits for children and families worldwide.”

The American Academy of Optometry will formally present the 2025 Garland W. Clay Award to the authors on Friday, October 10, during its annual meeting in Boston. The publication is available online via Open Access.

# # #

* While eyes are still growing; children fit ages 8-12 and followed for 6-years. n=40.

Click HERE for the press release.

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“Proudly Canadian” Contest Isn’t Over Yet! – Early-Bird Winners Announced

Optik Proudly Canadian Early Bird winners

We’re excited to announce the five winners of the Early-Bird Draw in Optik’s Proudly Canadian Subscriber Contest!

These lucky entrants subscribed before the September 30 deadline and each will receive a $50 One4ALL Ultimate Virtual Gift Card — redeemable at dozens of popular Canadian retailers, from Tim Hortons to Golf Town, Cineplex, and more.

🧡 Congratulations to:

  • Dr. Brent Neufeld, Calgary Vision Therapy, Calgary, AB
  • Bonnie Lopez, Optometric Assistant, Opto-Reseau Ste-Dorothee, Laval, QC
  • Dr. Kit Guan, Dr. Kit Guan & Associates, Markham, ON
  • Miranda Yeung, Optician, Galaxy Eyewear, Vancouver, BC
  • Dr. Kujaany Kana, Optometrist, Barrie Vision Therapy & Eye Care, Barrie, ON

🛍️ There’s Still Time to Win:

🎨 Bonus Prizes – Show Your Canadian Pride

We’re giving away three $100 gift cards to subscribers who answer the bonus question:

What makes you Proudly Canadian as a member of the Canadian Eye Care industry?
The most thoughtful and creative responses will be selected by the Optik Editorial Team.

🎯 Final Draw – December 15 Deadline

Ten more winners will receive $25 gift cards in the Final Prize Draw, happening December 18. All you need to do is subscribe — and you’re in.

  1. Visit the official contest page or scan the QR code in the Sept/Oct issue of Optik Magazine.
  2. Fill in the short form (name, role, province, email).
  3. Answer the bonus question (optional — but strongly encouraged!!).

📅 Deadline to enter: December 15, 2025
🎉 Final Draw Date: December 18, 2025

Let’s celebrate what makes Canadian eye care proudly independent, proudly bilingual, and proudly ours.

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$10 Million Gift to Advance AI Research in Eye Care at St. Joe’s

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton Foundation logo

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton has received a $10 million donation from retired chartered accountant and St. Catharines resident Thomas Kevill, marking one of Ontario’s largest philanthropic contributions in eye health.

The gift supports research led by Dr. Varun Chaudhary, Chief of Ophthalmology at St. Joe’s, focused on leveraging retinal imaging, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to combat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR)—two leading causes of blindness in Canada, affecting more than 3.5 million people.

Dr. Chaudhary’s Advanced Vitreoretinal Imaging (AVI) Lab, part of the Regional Eye Institute, is developing AI tools to speed up diagnoses, identify biomarkers to predict disease progression, and personalize treatments. The donation will accelerate work in four areas: early detection, precision treatment, novel therapeutics, and global collaboration.

In recognition of the gift, St. Joe’s announced that the Regional Eye Institute at King Campus will now be known as the Thomas Kevill Regional Eye Institute.

“This remarkable gift reflects a shared vision for improved eye care across our region and worldwide,” said Sera Filice, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation.

Click HERE to read the full press release.

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