College News

The Latest

January 18, 2018
Class of 2020 White Coat Ceremony: The UHCO Class of 2020 recently celebrated receiving their prestigious White Coats. This ceremony signifies the next step in their optometric journey. Students receive these coats and now enter into the University Eye Institute providing patient care. Congratulations, to the Class of 2020!

For more images of the event visit the UHCO Gallery page.

December 21, 2017
UHCO-FERV Honor the Study Group of North Texas: FERV recently hosted a "Thank you" dinner to honor the Study Group of North Texas for their contributions to establish an endowed professorship at UHCO.

December 1, 2017
UHCO Student Receives J. Pat Cummings Award: The 2017 J. Pat Cummings award recipient, for UHCO, is Rachel Reed, OPT III.

This award is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision in memory of AOA Past President, Pat Cummings, OD, who had a love for volunteering in his profession and making a positive impact in the community. Recipient demonstrate the ideal eye care standards of practice, achievement in both academic performance and extra-curricular activities, and participation with other professional pursuits such as involvement with patients through internships, community service, and other volunteer activities.

Congratulations, Rachel on your prestigious award!

November 6, 2017
UHCO Honors Beloved Staff: On October 25, UHCO honored two longtime and beloved staff members, Suzanne Ferimer and James ’Jim’ Brown, with endowed scholarships to honor their commitment to UHCO’s students and alumni, and to continue their influence on future generations of optometrists.

November 2, 2017
UHCO Faculty Receives Josef Dallos Award: Jan Bergmanson, OD, PhD, FAAO, recently received the prestigious Dr. Josef Dallos Award from the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA). This award is for outstanding contribution to the development and advancement of the contact lens industry and for service to humanity.

October 23, 2017
2017 Best AAO Student Presentation to UHCO: UHCO's own, Laura Pardon, OD, MS, FAAO, is the recipient of the Best Student Scientific Presentations of the 2017 American Academy and Optometry (AAO) annual meeting. Laura’s presentation entitled, "Quantification and Localization of Peripapillary Vascular Changes in Optic Disc Edema Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography", was selected as the best student science presentation. Laura will be recognized for her efforts at the 2018 AAO meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Congratulations, and we look forward to more amazing research!

October 19, 2017
UHCO Ranked #1 in Cited Faculty Publications: The University of Houston College of Optometry has been ranked #1 among institutions with the most cited optometry faculty publications in the US and #2 worldwide, according to an analysis of highly cited articles by optometry school faculty and researchers during the 2000-2016 period. The bibliometric analysis of optometry faculty publications was conducted by Pamela C. Sievings at the National Institutes of Health and Bette Anton at the University of California Berkeley. The analysis also found that optometry program researchers chose vision journals for 70% of their publications and their research was being funded by a wide array of governmental and private organizations.

October 9, 2017
See to Succeed Program Welcomes New Partner: Optometry Giving Sight provides support to Houston's See To Succeed program

The Houston Health Foundation welcomed Optometry Giving Sight today as a new partner in the See to Succeed program. Optometry Giving Sight, an organization devoted to mobilizing support for avoidable blindness and vision impairment worldwide, donated $15,800 to support Houston school-aged children. The See to Succeed program provides free eye exams and glasses each year to more than 11,000 children enrolled in Houston-area school districts with support from community partners.

October 5, 2017
NEI Myopia Features UHCO Faculty: Earl Smith, OD, '72, PhD, '78 and David Berntsen, OD, '02, PhD, were recently featured in an NEI myopia feature.

Several studies indicate that the prevalence of myopia is increasing in the U.S. and worldwide, and researchers project that the trend will continue in the coming decades. Otherwise known as nearsightedness, myopia occurs when the eye grows too long from front to back. Instead of focusing images on the retina—the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye—images are focused at a point in front of the retina. As a result, people with myopia have good near vision but poor distance vision.

For full feature visit the Natioanl Eye Institute's (NEI) website: h ttps://nei.nih.gov/content/myopia-close-look-efforts-turn-back-growing-problem

October 3, 2017
UHCO faculty awarded Allergan Research Grant: Congratulations to Rose Y. Reins, PhD, Assistant Professor at The Ocular Surface Institute, UHCO. She was the 2017-2018 recipient of the Allergan Research Grant for her project, “Evaluation of Vitamin D Treatment for Dry Eye-induced Ocular Surface Inflammation." Rachel Redfern, OD, PhD, FAAO, Assistant Professor at The Ocular Surface Institute, UHCO, is the co-investigator on this project.