Essilor of America announced the winners of the 2012 Varilux Student Grant Awards, a competition among optometry students. This year, 19 students were awarded $1,000 each in grant money from Varilux, and from those winners, one national award was given.
The honor of the 2012 national award belongs to Jenna Liechty, a fourth year student from Indiana University College of Optometry in Bloomington, Ind. Liechty wrote the winning case study titled “Night Driving Complaints Solved by Varilux Physio Enhanced Progressive Lenses.”
“We are committed to investing in the future leaders of optometry so they may excel in furthering their own careers and the industry,” said Dr. Rodney Tahran, vice president of professional relations and clinical affairs, Essilor of America. “The Varilux Student Grant Award program is an excellent example of Essilor’s continued dedication to optometric education and the optometric profession.”
Liechty will receive an additional $2,500 in prize money and will be a guest at the 21st annual Varilux Optometry Student Bowl, the highly anticipated annual event sponsored by Essilor at Optometry’s Meeting in Chicago on June 28.
The students’ case studies were reviewed by a panel of judges and were reviewed on criteria including: dispensing skills, application of Varilux lenses to patient needs, analysis of the case(s) and analysis of the lens design and lens performance. Liechty’s report is available to view at essilorusa.com under the “Services” section. Other 2012 winners are listed below:
Marilyn Zuniga, Illinois College of Optometry
Natalie Nguyen, University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry
Justine Aguilar, Pacific University College of Optometry
Greg Wingren, University of California at Berkeley School of Optometry
Mirage Shah, New England College of Optometry
Mary Beth Emmick, University of Houston College of Optometry
Cibele S. Parrish, The Ohio State University – College of Optometry
Jennifer Tran, Southern California College of Optometry
Andrea Sis, Northeastern State University
Robbyn Dupuis, School of Optometry University of Waterloo
Ji Yun Lee, State University of New York College of Optometry
Jeffrey J. Lant, Southern College of Optometry
Cara Wolfish, Pennsylvania College of Optometry
Jennifer Cheng, University of Montreal School of Optometry
Chrissy Hines, Western University of Health Sciences
Benjamin Dietrich, Michigan College of Optometry
Salma Zaman Kiani, Rosenberg School of Optometry, University of the Incarnate Word
Michelle Meyer, Midwestern University Eye Institute
