College of Optometry - The Visionary Fall 2015

24 • NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY I’ve had a challenging, but rewarding, summer. While no statistics are yet available, patient numbers seem to have dramatically increased in the Cornea and Contact Lens Service at The Eye Care Institute at NSU. Since I’ve worked “store hours” during this time, vacation has been my only respite. Needless to say, as a specialty referral center, we’ve done a good number of keratoconic, post-PKP, and post-RK fits. As you know, these can be quite challenging, but immensely gratifying when you see the smiles on your patients’ faces after you’ve helped them achieve their best vision. Unfortunately, too many of these patients don’t return for continuing care. While there are a variety of reasons for this, we certainly must shoulder some of the responsibility by not having our patients’ current contact information. The alumni chapter has a similar problem with our graduates. We seem to lose many of you during our follow up because we no longer have valid email addresses, mailing addresses, and telephone numbers. That’s a shame, because we want to keep you abreast of the latest NSUCO activities. In addition, through The Visionary , we want to keep your classmates and all other alumni up to date about the professional and personal changes in your life. Please send any of these updates to Michelle M. Morgado at mm2094@nova.edu . Unfortunately, we’ve also heard from some disgruntled graduates, who said they missed their 10- or 20-year alumni reunion because they weren’t noti- fied. While that information is available online, and Alumni Chapter members always reach out to as many honorees as they can, I understand why people would like to be contacted directly with such important news. For that reason, I hope everyone takes a few minutes to send us your latest contact informa- tion. You can update it online at www.nova.edu/webforms/alumni/index.html. As always, I encourage all alumni to support our incoming students with scholarship gifts. Any amount is appreciated. This will be my last message as alumni chapter president, because class of 2004 alumnus Marlon Demeritt, O.D., will be succeeding me. As I step down as president, I want to thank Vanessa McDonald, M.S.; Sherrol Reynolds, O.D., FAAO; and Jackie Rodena, O.D., for their help during the past two years. They are truly the best. u Alumni News BY ARNIE PATRICK, O.D., ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, AND PRESIDENT, COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY ALUMNI CHAPTER Alumni Chapter President’s Message