UAB Eye Care is closed today, January 16, 2024, due to inclement weather but remains open for emergency care. Call 205-975-2020 to access a doctor. Be safe, everyone!

by Nathan Anderson

In 2017, Jermaine Brown Jr. was on vacation with his family in Cancun when he realized that the vision in his left eye began to deteriorate. Although his family took him to eye clinics, his blurry vision worsened and soon affected his football career.

by Nathan Anderson

Caleb Gardner, OD, class of 2008, is the 2023 UAB School of Optometry Alumni Association Alumnus of the Year. He is a leader within the Alabama Optometric Association who diligently champions scope expansion in the state.

by Nathan Anderson

In its tenth year, the UAB School of Optometry’s biggest giving event, Gift of Sight, has provided free comprehensive eye exams and glasses to more than 2,000 patients to date. Community Eye Care (CEC), the school’s community outreach arm, coordinated the annual event, while celebrating its 50th anniversary of providing vision screenings and comprehensive eyecare to underserved communities. 

by Satina Richardson

The 2023 Springer Lecture marked a significant milestone for the endowed series—25 years. The first endowed lecture funded by the Nathaniel E. Springer Memorial Fund occurred in 1999. This year's speaker was Jill Autry, OD, RPh. Autry, much like Donald Springer, OD, who was the impetus for the lecture series' establishment, is passionate about optometry, the betterment of the profession, and lifelong learning.

UAB Community Eye Care, the clinical outreach arm of the UAB School of Optometry, will hold its 10th annual Gift of Sight event from Nov. 27-Dec. 1 at the Jefferson County Western Health Center, located at 631 Bessemer Super Highway, Midfield, AL. Gift of Sight provides free comprehensive eye exams and glasses for low-income or underinsured patients who may otherwise not receive vision care or services throughout the year.

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by Nathan Anderson

Jillian Ziemanski, OD, MS, PhD, FAAO, assistant professor, received the UAB 2023 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This honor recognizes full-time regular faculty members at the university who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching. 

Community Eye Care (CEC) is celebrating its 50th anniversary of vision screenings and comprehensive eyecare to communities. This year, the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) is recognizing those who have helped CEC provide vision services to underserved and underrepresented communities as faculty, staff or as a student. With this in mind, meet alumnus Dylan Cowan, OD.

by Nathan Anderson

Terri Call, OD, is the state’s 2023 Optometric Educator of the Year. The American Optometric Association (ALOA) granted the associate professor this honor. 

by Nathan Anderson

Tim Ansley, OD, class of 2014, is the UAB School of Optometry Alumni Association’s 2023 Young Alumnus of the Year. Ansley is recognized for his advocacy for the profession and service to his community.

Retinal degeneration in the disease retinitis pigmentosa is caused by a family of hereditary mutations that slowly lead to blindness over years or decades. A mouse model of one of these forms of retinitis pigmentosa, RP59, exhibits key biochemical and diagnostic features of human RP59, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers report in the journal Cell Death and Disease.

by Nathan Anderson

Shortly after graduating, Turner Altman, OD, class of 2021, opened his first practice, Altman Eye Center, cold in his hometown. In May 2023, he opened a second location in Prestonsburg, KY, his wife’s hometown.

by Nathan Anderson

Jason Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, senior associate vice president for research, provost faculty fellow, and UAB School of Optometry professor, was awarded the Max Schapero Memorial Lecture Award. The award is given by the American Academy of Optometry’s Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies.

Johndra McNeely, OD, graduated from the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) in 2009. As an optometry student, she received the Vision Service Plan (VSP) Excellence in Primary Care Award. McNeely practices with her husband, Ben McNeely, OD, class of 2007, at Greenville Eyecare, a long-standing private practice in Greenville, SC. They work alongside alumnus Ashley Smith, OD, class of 2018. An advocate for the profession, McNeely is completing her second term as president of the South Carolina Optometric Physicians Association (SCOPA) and serves as legislative chair for the state association. She also serves as chair of the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) State Government Relations Committee and on the AOA's Telehealth Council.

Community Eye Care (CEC) is celebrating its 50th anniversary of vision screenings and comprehensive eyecare to communities. This year, the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) is recognizing those who have helped CEC provide vision services to underserved and underrepresented communities as faculty, staff or as a student. With this in mind, meet former staff member Scelelar (BB) Jefferson.

by Nathan Anderson

The UAB School of Optometry’s Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH) trip team — including five students and two doctors — spent three days providing comprehensive eye exams to 290 people in St. Lucia.  This is the first time since 2019 that the student group has traveled abroad to provide care.

by Nathan Anderson

The UAB School of Optometry’s (UABSO) chapter of the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA) chapter won chapter of the year at the recent National Optometric Association conference.

by Nathan Anderson

Katherine Weise, OD, MBA, FAAO, UAB School of Optometry professor, has been accepted into the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee as an Expert in Myopia. She will help assess the current mechanistic understanding of myopia pathogenesis and causes of its increased prevalence, to identify knowledge gaps and barriers to progress, and to develop a research agenda aimed at better understanding the biological and environmental factors that could explain its increasing incidence.

Karen Vanoy, OD, is happily married to Will Vanoy, PhD, for 19 years and is the mother of two amazing children, Brady and Julia. She graduated from the University of Mobile with a BS in Biology in 1992 and from the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) in 1997. Vanoy practices in Homewood, AL, with Eye Care Associates since 2016. She has served on the Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA) board and is currently active as a legislative key person in Alabama's pursuit of scope expansion.