South Side School-Based Vision Clinic Announces Positive Impact of Comprehensive Eye Exams on Students’ GPAs, Math Test Scores CHICAGO, March 15, 2016 – A study conducted by the Illinois Eye Institute at Princeton Elementary School and Chicago Public Schools showed a statistically significant improvement in student GPAs and math test scores after students received comprehensive eye exams and glasses. IEI at Princeton, a partnership between the Illinois Eye Institute and Chicago Public Schools, is celebrating its fifth anniversary on March 17, having served more than 31,000 students. IEI at Princeton assists students who are unable to receive comprehensive eye exams after failing school vision screenings. As part of this commitment, the clinic studied its patients to determine if there was any positive impact on academic performance following an eye exam and distribution of eyeglasses. The results of the study indicate a small yet significant effect on students’ GPAs and math test scores after visiting the clinic. “We see a lot of children with significant vision problems, and since many are referred by their teachers or counselors, we knew that many of them also were struggling academically,” said Sandra Block, OD, ICO professor and medical director. “The results of this study demonstrate the difference that comprehensive eye exams can make in students’ academic lives, which in turn sets them up for greater success in the future.” The study included assessment of 14,663 CPS students who visited the clinic between January 2011 and January 2014. Study findings include: Of the students seen at the clinic, 15 percent had moderate to severe uncorrected refractive error. These patients showed significantly higher GPAs following their visit. The improvements in GPA were larger than those observed in students without severe vision problems. Students who visited the clinic when they were in grades 3-4, or when they were in high school, experienced greater gains in math test scores than students who first visited in grades 5-7. IEI at Princeton, which is housed in a now-closed CPS school, sees a variety of students, including those who are referred from the school teacher/counselor, failed a vision screening, have broken or lost their glasses, are in the process of being assessed for special education needs, are in need of a comprehensive eye exam for entrance into CPS, or have been identified by a parent as having possible vision issues. Students can be bused to the clinic from their school or brought into the clinic by their parents. The Illinois Eye Institute is able to offset the cost to students through the generosity of several foundations and through in-kind donations from the Illinois College of Optometry. Every student who needs glasses receives them. “We are pleased that IEI at Princeton has helped so many students realize their academic potential by providing comprehensive vision exams,” said Dr. Block. “However, their exam really is just the start of a lifetime of healthy eyes. It’s important that parents and teachers encourage children to wear their glasses or replace lost or broken glasses, so they can continue to learn and grow. Healthy eyes really are the window to a healthy life.” IEI at Princeton is celebrating its fifth anniversary with an on-site event on March 17. More information about IEI at Princeton can be found at www.ico.edu. About the Illinois Eye Institute at Princeton Elementary School The IEI at Princeton Elementary School is the largest school-based vision clinic in the nation, with 13 examination lanes. A partnership with Chicago Public Schools, this clinic – located inside Princeton Elementary School, which was closed by CPS in 2009 – opened in 2011 and provides needed eye health and vision care to thousands of underserved CPS students. Services the clinic provides include eye exams, vision therapy, visual information processing testing, optical coherence tomography, anterior and posterior segment photos and eye-movement testing. The clinic is staffed by a medical director, attending staff doctors, three customer service associates, four opticians and between 55-65 Illinois College of Optometry students performing clinical care each academic quarter. ICO optometrists and residents oversee the ICO students. The program is currently funded through Medicaid reimbursements for approximately 80 percent of the population and private grants from the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the Chicago Community Trust, Alcon, the Polk Bros. Foundation, Michael Reese Health Trust, Grant Health Care Foundation and a few other local and regional foundations dedicated to improving children’s health and academic success. For a complete list of supporting organizations and individuals, visit www.ico.edu. Contact: Samantha Frost or Rebecca Raudabaugh L.C. Williams & Associates 800-837-7123 or 312-565-3900 sfrost@lcwa.com or rraudabaugh@lcwa.com Jenni Gaster Sopko Illinois College of Optometry 312.949.7412 jsopko@ico.edu

The Alfred and Sarah Rosenbloom Center on Vision and Aging celebrated its first year yesterday. Sarah Rosenbloom and her son, Alfred A. Rosenbloom, Jr. were present at an afternoon tea. Sarah mentioned her late husband, saying “Al knows what’s going on here. He likes it. If he didn’t, we’d hear about it!” The Rosenbloom Center was the lifelong dream of Alfred A. Rosenbloom, Jr., OD ’48, MA, DOS, and his wife, Sarah. Dr. Rosenbloom served as Dean of ICO from 1955 to 1972, President from 1972 to 1982, and is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. In 2010, Dr. Rosenbloom was inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame. The Rosenbloom Center provides primary and secondary vision care to adults, vision rehabilitation and adaptive technology for vision-impaired patients of all ages, occupational therapy, electrophysiology services, and psychological support. Since the Center’s opening last year, its Chief, Eric Baas, OD ’06, FAAO, has remained busy. The Rosenbloom Center has had 10,000 visits from 5,500 unique patients over the past year. The average age of patients is 70, with 10 patients being over 100 years old. We will continue to honor Dr. Alfred A. Rosenbloom’s memory through the important work done at the Rosenbloom Center.

NAGAP is the premier organization for graduate enrollment management professionals, representing all graduate-type programs nationwide. Ms. Johnson has distinguished herself as a leader within NAGAP over several years of increasing involvement. She served as National Conference Chair for 2 consecutive years prior to her new title. We congratulate Teisha on her achievements, and are honored to have her representing ICO across the world. Click to read NAGAP’s official announcement.

The Private Practice Club is hosting a presentation next Wednesday, January 13 at 6:00 p.m. in room 1201. Mr. Bill Nolan of William’s Group will be presenting “Steps to Private Ownership: Considerations From Associateship to Partnership.” The event is free for PPC members and $5 for non-members. Clinic attire is required. Food and drink will be provided. This event will count towards the Private Practice Club End of the Year Raffle.

The following students earned a spot on the Dean’s List for the Fall quarter of the 2015-16 school year by achieving a quarterly GPA of 3.5 or better and earning no grade below a B or H (honors) in all patient care courses: 1st Year Ashtiani-Zarandi, Jaa Beaver, Rees Berg, Gina Boots, Calvin Boswick, Haley Branch, Brianna Brar, Simran Brown, Brittany Carbonaro, Nicole Chang, Priscilla Chu, Lillian Chung, Tristina Cornelius, Morgan Dhaliwal, Shaminder Durham, Malgorzata Durias, Griffin Fenske, Heidi Goodfellow, Madison Gregg, Greta Hacker, Scott Hanson, Michael Harris, Nicole Hart, Megan Janczak, Carissa Jones, Minh Kamachi, Kyle Kar, Deepon Kwan, Katie Lee, Colin McCarty, Steven Molln, Taylor Nguyen, Thanhan Nguyen, Vivian Paulsen, Annika Pierce, Jessica Piette, Dylan Rafool, Jensen Rogers, Sarah Rowe, Alexa Snyder, Heather Sparschu, Lauren Stemberger, Kayla Strang, Andrea Strzelecki, LeAnn Tang, Leannza Thanikasegaran, Thush Tong, Christopher Xiao, Elisa Yang, Kia 2nd Year Beasley, Courtney Bedi, Manveen Brachmanski, Mark Brady, Brittney Chan, Jessica Chee, Megan Dunphy, Erin Ellerkamp, Aleice Goldberg, Jill Gorz, Michael Groth, Benjamin Harris, Taylor Haugen, Trey Heisler, Melissa Henriksen, Mark Hiatt, Bradley Hohs, Kathryn Hopkins, Greigham Jansen, Samantha Javed, Faiza Karovic, Tatjana Kennedy, Jenna Kiani, Binesh Lau, Jenny Ledford, Abigail Li, Lu Li, Stephanie Literski, Alexandra Milbrandt, Melissa Miller, Shanna Nadarajah, Vakishan Naidu, Jason Nisar, Sara Oetomo, Elaine Patel, Neil Peloquin, Christian Petitti, Luciana Poznic, Benjamin Pym, Christina Raies, Daniel Raies, Natalie Ruhland, Leah Saras, Hussam Sherman, Zachary Smith, Mitchell Surti, Bianca Takahashi, Kirie Thong, Salena Trinh, Cindy Uhlenhopp, Alex Vang, Ka Zoua VanHouten, Kevin Vasilova, Liliya Walburg, Zachary Wicks, Jamie Williamson, Martin Wong, Alicia Wright, Justin Yee, Andrea Zabaneh, Aida Zeeben, Brandon 3rd Year Ahrar, Shari Alexopoulos, Denise Bandstra, Alaina Bartek, Ann Berens, Ashley Blavat, Jamie Burton, Margaret Chan, Trina Cowling, Jessica Daraban, Daniel Enns, Kelly Esposito, Thomas Fervaha, Manraj Frantz, Bryan Giraldo, Tatiana Gorski, Emily Hanmer, Sarah Harris, Marni Hasler, Rachel Heer, Sonia Hutchins, Emily Jacobs, Matthew Jhamb, Sameera Karpuk, Kayla Kaur, Harjot Kim, Bosung Klover, Kori Kothari, Payal Lafreniere, Julie Low, Michelle Lydon, Jennifer Meyer, Megan Meyer, Robert Pfeiffer, Kevin Phung, Y Nhu Pietruszka, Matthew Piper, Alexandra Reynolds, Renae Rosado, Ariel Sandhu, Jeevan Sarazen, Sean Schaeffer, David Seibert, Spencer Singh, Bobby Thurmes, Amanda Troyer, Erica Wang, Helen Waters, Anna Wilgenbusch, Casey Williams, Jenna Wohlers, Megan Woodward, Melissa Yoo, Hye Seon Zimmerman, Ashley 4th Year Acosta, Suzanna Ahmed, Umema Anderson, Elisabeth Averbukh, Irina Banas, Jeff Boettcher, Brittany Calderon Ramirez, Lui Caudill, Eryn Chan, Adrienne Chang, Yunwei Choe, Susan Coffey, Brian Cooper, Danielle Crampton, Nicole Cunas, Jessie Davies, Sara Dean, Emily Doan, Thang Dong, Jonathan Donthamsetti, Namrata Eassa, Henna Encarnacao, Cayley Fickbohm, Macy Gabreski, Scott Ganesh, Ranjini Gray, Fraser Guardiola, Bianca Haghani, Sara Hake, Amanda Hanneman, Angela Hemsworth, Cherie Hu, Angela Jaros, Joelle Khan, Sabrina Kinch, Alicia Kordon, Victoria Koskey, Jenna Kulick, Jessica Kusek, William Kuta, Jacquelyn Lei, Andrew Locy-Fowler, Chelsea Lundberg, Rachel Mangat, Ramneek Martinez, Jesus Match, Lara McHenry, Paul McHugh, Caitlyn McLaughlin, Mallory Menon, Rachna Miller, Richard Minnix, Julie Morris, Jeremy Paek, Helen Patel, Eva Patel, Jaymeni Patel, Shruti Penny, Michael Powell, Kimberly Quan, Steven Randhawa, Harneet Richie, Abigail Seaburg, Scott Seaman, Bryan Shahi, Manpreet Singh, Harminder Solomon, Stratton Steinberg, Olivia Steinhauer, Brian Szwajca, Gabrielle Tam, Sally Tan, Monica Thomas, Jacie Varney, Kelly Wozny, Natalie Yang, Qian Yi, Eunice Zhang, Yu Yuan

The Fellowship of Christian Optometrists is having a raffle for the upcoming Guatemala mission trip in February. The raffle will be located in the foyer outside of Lecture Hall 1201 from 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. from Tuesday, December 8 through Thursday, December 10. There are some great prizes planned, including: Brookfield Zoo Family Admission Package for 6 people 2 Outfield tickets to a Chicago White Sox in May/April 2016 2 tickets to any Chicago Wolves game during the upcoming season 1 KMK NBEO study guide book (If you bought one already, you can get reimbursed for the book if you win) 4 tickets to the Laugh Factory $25 gift card for Lou Malnati’s Guided Wine Tour and Wine Tasting for 10 people at Lynfred Winery 2 $25 gift cards for Matthews Bookstore Proceeds will go toward reading glasses and sunglasses for the mission trip. It is a great opportunity for you to get involved and support a worthy cause.

Special Olympics Chicago (SOC) is an organization dedicated to empowering athletes with disabilities. They will be hosting a Sports Banquet, an event where the athletes celebrate their successes and get to show off their dance moves. The SOC is looking for volunteers to help with the registration process, assist the photographer, and spend time with the athletes. The Sports Banquet will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on Wednesday, December 16. There are two shifts that volunteers can sign up for: 8:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Volunteers should come dressed in “party clothes” and comfortable shoes. The Hyatt Regency Chicago is located in a busy part of the city, so parking is limited. Carpooling or taking a cab is encouraged. To sign up, please fill out this Google Doc with your name, which shift you want, and whether you are able to drive that day. If you have any questions, please contact Denise Alexopoulos or Alaina Bandstra. Please consider spreading some cheer this holiday season by volunteering a bit of your time for these amazing individuals.

Get in the spirit of the season by sending a candygram to a friend! Today through December 9, ICO students, faculty, and staff can purchase candygrams for delivery. Packages are $1.25 each or six for $5. They include chocolate and a personalized message from the sender. All money raised will go toward future Multicultural Association events, including the popular Culture Show. Purchases can me made in the lobby outside of the Business Office. Candygrams will be delivered to mailboxes and offices shortly before holiday break. Have fun spreading holiday cheer!

A significant upgrade is coming to the Illinois Eye Institute. Shortly after Thanksgiving, construction will begin on the Bronzeville Pharmacy. This in-house facility will serve our community from inside our own clinic. The Bronzeville Pharmacy project is the result of extensive research. Explains Dr. Dominick Opitz, “Patients and the ICO community have asked for this for a long time.” The numbers support his assertion. When surveyed, 73% of patients said they would fill their eye prescriptions in-house. Additionally, 61% said they would use such a facility for “any prescription whatsoever-” not just eye-related medication. The Bronzeville Pharmacy could improve chronic patients’ quality of life. Says Dr. Opitz, “The longer the length of time between one office visit to the next, the greater the risk the patient won’t utilize their medications properly.” An in-house pharmacy will hopefully encourage patients to fill and use their prescriptions immediately. The pharmacy’s planned location is affectionately known as “The Vault.” It is past the main IEI reception desk, toward Cornea. At the point where the hall makes a “T” shape, the pharmacy will be in the corner. Check out the space in-person for a better picture of the site, and stay tuned for further updates on the Bronzeville Pharmacy. A public announcement will follow.

Maintaining healthy eyes is essential for a healthy life. This is the important message we are now working to convey through an organization called the Eye Health Life Health Coalition. This is a new collaboration between healthcare, social service, and community business leaders dedicated to advancing awareness of the importance of eye health. The Coalition is chaired by our very own Nancy DeMaso, Senior Director of Illinois Eye Institute Administration. The Coalition launched a Healthy Eyes for a Healthy Life campaign to educate people about the link between eye health and overall health, including how eye tests can detect chronic health problems like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. The ICO Communications team, in partnership with L.C. Williams & Associates, developed creative elements including CTA advertisements and a website. Additionally, media outreach is planned to reach the medical community as well as underserved populations in Chicago with the message that eyes really are the window to general well-being. For information about the Coalition, please visit  www.eyehealthlifehealth.com.

The group that dreamed up the electrifying “Men of ICO” calendar has just announced a new art project. YOU can get involved! The 2016 calendar will be designed by ICO’s most creative students, residents, faculty and staff. The concept is simple but broad: When you think of ICO, what comes to mind? Submissions must be original works and can be in any form- fine art, photographs, collages, etc. The organizers will compile the submissions and select which will be featured in the 2016 calendar. If interested, submit original creative works to Meghan Murray (mmurray@eyedoc.ico.edu) by: Friday, November 20th. Good luck!

The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) announced its newest Fellows following its 2015 conference in New Orleans. To become an AAO Fellow, optometrists must complete a wide variety of presentations and publications over the course of 3 years while being involved in clinical practice. The following members of the ICO family were admitted to the AAO Fellowship: Dr. Kristin K. Anderson, OD, FAAO Dr. Maria T. Cucuras, OD, FAAO Dr. Juliana Grove, OD, FAAO Dr. Carrie Ho, OD, FAAO Dr. Hannah Hays, OD, FAAO Dr. Larry Allen Hookway, OD, MS, FAAO Dr. Patrick Lee, OD, FAAO Dr. Bhawanjot K. Minhas, OD, FAAO Dr. Erin Elizabeth Mosellen, OD, FAAO Dr. Trisha Patel, OD, FAAO Dr. Kendra C. Pollard, OD, FAAO Dr. Joel David Quist, OD, FAAO Dr. Joshua Lee Robinson, OD, FAAO Dr. Carly D. Rose, OD, FAAO Dr. Hillary Schweihs, OD, FAAO Dr. David M. Simpson, OD, FAAO Dr. Jamie M. St. Martin, OD, FAAO Dr. Robert J. Steinmetz, OD, FAAO Dr. Kelli Theisen, OD, FAAO Dr. Felicia J. Timmermann, OD, FAAO We congratulate these esteemed individuals on this great achievement.