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Home • In the Classroom • Faculty • Erica Ittner, OD, FAAO Erica Ittner, OD, FAAO Associate Professor Ittner is an assistant professor at ICO, teaching third- and fourth-year optometry students in a primary care setting with a focus on ocular disease. Photography Contest 2007 Beta Sigma Kappa Optometric Honors Fraternity 2007 Tomb and Key Honors Society Professional WA Stone, EA Ittner, BA Teitelbaum, LV Messner: Progressive, asymptomatic papilledema as the presenting

Home • Alumni • 150 Years • Class of 1970s Leave a Legacy at Illinois College of Optometry Giving Initatives Your Impact at ICO Make a Gift Gift Planning Welcome Class of 1970s As we celebrate our 150 years of

• In the Classroom • Faculty • Rahnuma Saiyed, OD, FAAO Rahnuma Saiyed, OD, FAAO Clinical Assistant Professor 2013 - Present Private Practice Awards & Honors Golden Key International Optometric Honors Society Professional American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.

Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) proudly announces that Tracy Matchinski, OD, FAAO has been named the inaugural recipient of The Rosenbloom Family Endowed Professorship in Low Vision Rehabilitation . This is the first named professorship in ICO’s history.  This professorship – made possible through the generosity of the Rosenbloom Family, strengthens ICO’s long-standing commitment to advancing low-vision rehabilitation through research, education, clinical innovation, and community-based care, whether locally, regionally and/or internationally . Its impact is especially timely, as an estimated 51.9 million adults in the United States report difficulty seeing even with corrective lenses (American Foundation for the Blind, 2025) , and more than 2.2 billion people worldwide live with some form of visual impairment (World Health Organization, 2019). Dr. Matchinski, a 1995 graduate of ICO , completed a Vision Rehabilitation residency at the Feinbloom Low Vision Center of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Since completing her residency in 1996, she has dedicated her career to low vision rehabilitation. As a tenured faculty member at ICO, Dr. Matchinski teaches the vision rehabilitation course and lab, and provides clinical care at the Rosenbloom Center, located at ICO’s Illinois Eye Institute (IEI). Additionally, she practices at The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, is a Low Vision Diplomate of the American Academy of Optometry and has served as chair of the Low Vision Section and Diplomate program of the American Academy of Optometry. She has published and lectured nationally and internationally on Low Vision Rehabilitation. Her commitment extends deeply through her leadership in Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) . She is past president of VOSH/International and VOSH Illinois. As the faculty representative for Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH). Dr. Matchinski mentors ICO students as they participate in local and international volunteer clinics.  Dr. Matchinski was appointed by Dean Stephanie Messner, OD, with the approval of ICO President Mark Colip, OD. “The ICO community is extraordinarily proud of Dr. Matchinski’s commitment to advancing care for individuals with low vision,” said President Colip. “Her work at the Illinois Eye Institute—and around the world through SVOSH and VOSH— continues to inspire the next generation of students to live the ICO mission so that all patients receive optimal care.”  About the Rosenbloom Family  Alfred A. Rosenbloom, OD, a pioneer in low-vision rehabilitation, is a 1954 graduate of ICO and served as its president from 1972 to 1982. To honor his and his wife Sarah’s lasting impact, their children—Alfred Rosenbloom III and Susan Tobert—established the Rosenbloom Family Endowed Professorship in Low Vision Rehabilitation . This professorship builds on the legacy, which includes the Dr. Alfred and Sarah Rosenbloom Center on Vision and Aging at ICO’s Illinois Eye Institute, established in 2015, to advance specialized care for individuals with low vision and age-related vision needs.  About the Illinois College of Optometry  Founded in 1872, the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) is the nation’s oldest continuously operating optometric educational institution. With more than 8,000 alumni, ICO is dedicated to excellence in education, research, patient care, and service to the community. Located in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on the city’s South Side, ICO provides rigorous clinical training and serves over 85,000 patients annually through its teaching clinic, Illinois Eye Institute. For more information about Illinois College of Optometry, visit www.ico.edu .

OD '64, DOS, FAAO retired from ICO in December after teaching for 56 years and was named Associate Professor Tennant, who played a significant role in shaping my professional career." "We are setting examples for others.

counselors, we knew that many of them also were struggling academically,” said Sandra Block, OD, ICO professor demonstrate the difference that comprehensive eye exams can make in students’ academic lives, which in turn sets Williams & Associates 800-837-7123 or 312-565-3900 sfrost@lcwa.com or rraudabaugh@lcwa.com Jenni Gaster