On 14 August, around 20 members of the Rotary Newmarket club visited SOVS for a talk by Professor Steven Dakin and his laboratory on how technology can be used to improve assessment and treatment of vision.

In August two students from the Optometry Department at Asia University spent four weeks in New Zealand as part of an exchange programme developed with Dr Samuel Chiang.

Our school was well represented at this year’s International Myopia Conference organised by the Japan Myopia Society.

Carrie Burgess and Neelam Hari, researchers for TOKU Eyes, travelled to Queenstown Research Week to the Medical Devices and Technology Conference.

Two staff members of the School of Optometry and Vision Science appeared on ‘The Check Up’, a TV programme that reported on “new health treatments and medical advances, with an eye on debunking common health misconceptions”. 

Anna-Marie participated in Block 4 of the Rural Health Interprofessional Programme (RHIP) as part of her Part V externship this year. RHIP takes place in Whakatāne, and is an initiative of the Eastern Bay of Plenty DHB to motivate health professionals in training to consider living and working rurally, particularly in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

This August, Professor Steven Dakin, Dr Phil Turnbull and PhD student Soheil Mohammadpour Doustkouhi won $1000 in the Velocity entrepreneurial development programme.

Earlier in the year, PhD student Wilson Pan was awarded a Claude McCarthy Fellowship to undertake original work or research in medicine.

In July, a team of SOVS Professional Teaching Fellows, consisting of seven optometrists and our head dispensing optician, attended the O=MEGA conference in Melbourne for a fun and informative weekend of continued education.

The School of Optometry and Vision Science is pleased to be hosting the 16th Scientific and 10th Educators’ Meeting in Optometry on 16 – 18 April 2020 at the Grafton campus of the University of Auckland.

On 13 September the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences hosted the 13th annual HealtheX conference, a student-led conference which showcases oral presentations, poster presentations, and a 3-minute elevator pitch competition followed by prize giving and a networking event.