Author: innexus

Providing support to children impacted by Hurricane Harvey

The See to Succeed Program (STS) is a safety-net vision program for Houston’s underserved children. The program provides comprehensive free eye exams and eyeglasses to those who have failed a school screening, but cannot access optometry services. Each year this high impact program eliminates barriers to learning and academic achievement by helping children to realize their full potential, with documented improvements in their academic and behavioural performance.

Optometry Giving Sight was delighted to step up as a new partner for the See to Succeed program by co-funding the first event of the 2017-2018 academic year. Our support came at a particularly vulnerable time for the children of Houston. Families were struggling to recover from Hurricane Harvey and the ensuing floods, which left thousands of children displaced from their homes.

1,879 students were examined between October 23-27 with 94% requiring glasses and 226 referred for medical follow-up. The clinic was staffed over the five days by 44 optometrists and 25 optical students.

The real impact, however, is demonstrated by the following case studies.

Case 1: A 10-year-old African American female presented to the clinic with an abnormally high myopic prescription (Right eye: -12.50 -1.25 x124 and Left eye; Left Eye -14.25 -1.50 x 080). With such a high prescription, extra consideration must be taken to ensure the patient is not suffering from holes, tears, or detachments inside the eye. While myopic retinal degeneration does not inflict any pain for the patient, this can bring a multitude of other problems including permanent vision loss if not caught early. This project will ensure closer monitoring of the patient.

Case 2: An 8-year-old Hispanic male was diagnosed as being a glaucoma suspect due to significant optic nerve head asymmetry in appearance. He will now be seen for additional testing to further investigate his ocular health. Because glaucoma can eventually lead to irreversible vision loss, the sooner it is caught, the better the visual prognosis is for the patient. Without having had this eye exam, this child may not have been identified as at risk for glaucoma until much later in life, if at all. Because glaucoma can often run in families, it will benefit his family members to also be seen for eye examinations.

Case 3: In the case of a 12-year Pacific Islander male being treated for ADHD, a strong color vision deficiency was uncovered. This was unbeknownst to the child, his parents, or his teachers. The child was originally brought for an eye exam due to difficulty with function in the classroom. Upon finding an otherwise relatively normal eye examination result, we can confidently say that many of this child’s perceived learning difficulties stem from an inability to differentiate colors well. Color vision deficiencies make for difficult environmental interactions. With this knowledge, appropriate accommodations can now be made both at home and at school to help him thrive.

Kristan Gross, the Global Executive Director of the Vision Impact Institute

Optometry Giving Sight is pleased to be a partner in the Kids See: Success program being initiated in collaboration with Vision Impact Institute and VSP Global. This article, authored by Kristan Gross, was published in the Huffington Post.

“This month, World Sight Day will bring global attention to blindness and vision impairment. Among the many important issues to talk about surrounding this annual day of awareness, children’s vision is a very, very big one.

The issue is so prevalent, in fact, that the Vision Impact Institute (VII) recently launched a new U.S. initiative, Kids See: Success, focused on educating parents, legislators, child advocacy groups, school nurses, teachers and administrators about the social, educational and future economic benefits of comprehensive eye exams for children prior to entering kindergarten.

Why this focus on children’s vision? Consider the numbers: According to Prevent Blindness America, more than 12.1 million school-age children suffer from vision problems, and only one in three children in the United States has received eye care services before age six. Since 80 percent of what a child learns before age 12 is through eyesight, the one in four American school-age children who have vision problems – if left untreated – could experience learning difficulties, personality and behavioral developmental issues, adjustment problems in school and, in some cases, become blind. Children who need vision correction have been misdiagnosed with learning disabilities, when all they needed was a simple pair of glasses. Today in the United States, 40 percent of kids with diagnosed learning disabilities have vision issues.”

Read the full article by Kristan Gross here.

Photo courtesy Vision Impact Institute

Over 6,800 individuals receive eye screening

Optometry Giving Sight and Special Olympics together are continuing to have an impact on vision services for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) both through the training of vision care professionals and students, directly through vision screenings, and increasingly through working with health facilities to become more inclusive of those with ID.

From August to the end of December 2016, the Opening Eyes Program conducted 11 screenings in 9 different States with Florida and Kentucky each conducting 2 screenings. Over 1,200 athletes were screened at these events, and just over 550 prescription glasses and goggles were distributed.

As a result, a total of over 6,800 individuals with ID received vision screening in 2016, mostly at screenings coupled alongside Special Olympics sporting events, however a growing number of athletes are receiving their screening within health facilities outside of Special Olympics events, which reflects significant progress in the shift towards inclusive health services that are available throughout the year.

With the support of Optometry Giving Sight, two Train-the-Trainers were conducted in Texas and Pennsylvania in October and November respectively. The trainees in Texas were drawn from the San Antonio Optometry School while the Train the Trainer in Pennsylvania was used to train out of State trainees including one from New Mexico (Eye Association of New Mexico), one from Northern California (Visions Optometry) and two from British Columbia (Optiview Eye Clinic). The trainings were coupled with screenings, which saw the trainees and other clinical professionals screen 143 athletes in Villanova and 506 in Arlington respectively.

Photos courtesy Special Olympics

My other life…

Dr. Bob Molter is currently living in Vietnam with his wife and lecturing at the School of Optometry at Pham Ngoc Thac University (PNTU) in Ho Chi Minh City as part of a program which is supported by Brien Holden Vision Institute, Optometry Giving Sight and VOSH International. He was formerly Adjunct Clinical Professor at the Michigan College of Optometry but this is his first experience in lecturing. The Optometry School at PNTU commenced in 2014, and currently has 94 students – the first of whom will graduate in 2018.

When I was a student I decided to go into Optometry because it promised a good salary, but when I was at school I learned to love the field of Optometry and this profession as an avenue for serving others. My joy is now at this later stage in my life I am getting to fulfil that early realisation.

By far, my favourite part of teaching is the interaction that I have with the students during lectures and labs. I try to keep the students engaged by including interactive portions in the lectures and calling on them in turn to give answers or describe something about the topic.

The song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, “Getting to Know You” would be a pretty close approximation of how I feel about my experience with the wonderful students here. Especially the lyric “that if you become a teacher, by your students you’ll be taught.” Watching the student’s progress in their skill and confidence is incredibly satisfying for me. I am very happy to have a small part in this process and am inspired to consider being involved with lecturing at emerging faculties in the long term.

Part of that inspiration comes from my interaction with a specific student and his father. The father is the head of the Corneal Department at the Eye Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. We’ve been to dinner with him and his wife several times and he has expressed his confidence that Optometry has a place in the healthcare system here. He is so confident that he has enrolled his only son in the program. His son is one of our top students in the second-year class and I can tell he will be one of the leaders of Optometry in Vietnam in the future. It’s been fantastic and eye opening to see the support on this grass-roots level for the profession.

If you would like information about volunteering your services at a School of Optometry internationally, please visit the VOSH Corps website.

Mr. Tran Hoai Long, Head of Optometry Sub-department, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hiệp, Vice Dean of UPNT, Bob, Kim, Ms. Ngân Tran – Optometrist – Teaching Assistant, Ms. Yen Phuong – Opthalmologist – Teaching staff. Feb 25,2017.

Making Optometry part of Haiti’s future.

(See download Proposal and Naming opportunities below)

Optometry Giving Sight is part of a coalition of organizations including the Brien Holden Vision Institute and VOSH International who are seeking to contribute to the reconstruction of Haiti through the establishment of a School of Optometry at the Université d’État d’Haïti (Haiti University).

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. There are only 3 optometrists and 6 ophthalmologists in the public sector servicing a country of 10 million. This makes access to eye health services difficult for over 70% of Haiti’s population and significantly reduces their ability to break the cycle of poverty through better education and employment.

Haiti hospital construction

“A trained workforce is the crucial link between the services and processes required to address the problem,” said Dr. Dave McPhillips, President, VOSH International. “A successful and strategic intervention in Haiti will make a significant contribution to reducing avoidable blindness and vision impairment for the millions in need.”

The School of Optometry will join the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy and be located within the new National Campus for Health Sciences that is currently being constructed with funds provided by USAID. “While Haiti is still in the process of rebuilding, we are ready to move forward in the areas of health and eye care,” said Dr. Jean-Claude Cadet, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy at Haiti University. “This is a great moment to be involved in the reconstruction of our country.”

At a very conservative estimate, the school will produce 16 students per year. These students will be able to reach a minimum 24,000 patients in their first professional year. With at least 16 graduates each year following, the new optometrists will be able to reach 360,000 patients after the 5th graduation cycle – about 80 times the current case load.

Clive and the Haiti Team

“We know that, from a cost-benefit perspective, setting up an optometry program in a developing country is economically justifiable in terms of increased productivity,” said Dr. Luigi Bilotto, Director of Global Human Resource Development, Brien Holden Vision Institute. “Now we need the help of the vision care community to start to build sustainable eye care within Haiti.”

Our goal is to welcome the first students into the new optometry program in October 2016. Work towards the development of a suitable curriculum for the new degree has already commenced, and Optometry is now included in the National Health Plan of Haiti.

“The Coalition, with support of Essilor Canada, has pledged $1million, but to move forward, we need an additional $3 million,” said Clive Miller, CEO Optometry Giving Sight. “With each significant financial contribution comes special recognition in naming opportunities, which reflects the impact of a gift and our gratitude for our donor partners.”

For further information, please contact us.

Download Haiti Programme Brochure

8,000 new eye glasses for poor patients

Optometry Giving Sight’s continued partnership with Vision for the Poor has recently made possible the equipping of a new optical lab and service at the Divino Niño Jesus (DNJ) Eye Hospital in Lima, Peru. Over the coming year the optical lab is expected to provide 8,000 new eye glasses to poor patients living in Lima and the Amazon rainforest region.

“DNJ is a social service eye hospital that provides access to eye and vision care services for the poorest people of Lima,” said Dr. Doug Villella, founder of Vision for the Poor. “Demand for DNJ services has steadily increased and a need for more clinic space and an optical service was needed. In 2014 Vision for the Poor funded the addition of 1800 square feet of clinical space and the grant from Optometry Giving Sight funded the optical service which is located in the new space. The optical lab will also provide new eye glasses to DNJ patients treated at their satellite facility in the Amazon basin town of Loreto.” Loreto is Peru’s northernmost region with 70% of its inhabitants living in poverty.

Vision for the Poor began working with DNJ in 2013 with the goal to help increase patient capacity from 35,000 patients per year to 60,000. This would be achieved by focusing on three pillars to achieve sustainability: high efficiency, high volume and high quality.

“The optical lab will provide high quality optical eye wear to a high volume of patients in a very efficient way,” said Dr. Villella. “Based on our experience in other facilities patient satisfaction results in higher number of patient referrals. The increased capacity provides for a higher ratio of paying to non-paying patients, which adds revenue and ultimately a profitable service.”

“I don’t like to have low vision, I can’t study, help my mother, I can’t play with my sister, even play with my cat,” related Jose.  “With my glasses nothing of this happens and I feel better and happy”. One of the many children recently given the gift of vision through our partnership with Vision for the Poor is Jose Adolfo (pictured right). He started having problems seeing at school and at home since he was 7 years old. At school his teachers never noticed the eye problems. It was two years later at 9 years of age that his teacher realised something was wrong with Jose’s vision. His mother Jessica was counseled to take Jose to the DNJ Eye Clinic. Dr. Cecilia Medina examined him and she prescribed glasses for high astigmatism. Once he was given the glasses, Jose start to see well.

Providing support and guidance to optometrists in emerging communities 

Optometry Giving Sight is pleased to have provided funding to support the development of a unique online training program for volunteer optometrists to become eye health mentors.

As part of the course, which is developed and implemented by the Brien Holden Vision Institute, participants learn about effective models of mentoring new optometrists in emerging contexts and the type of challenges present in those environments.

The new optometrists gain support and guidance in practice, are able to develop their clinical, dispensing and patient management skills, and with their newfound confidence, help develop a strong and sustainable eye care system in their countries.

A group of 12 participants successfully completed the Eye Health Mentors online course in April and were then invited to apply for volunteer roles as mentors to graduates from schools of optometry in Kenya and Malawi.

Two of the successful participants included Dr. Erin Loewen (pictured right), an optometrist from Winnipeg in Canada and Chikodi (left) an optometrist from Lagos in Nigeria. They travelled to Kenya together on a fully self-funded two-week volunteer trip to Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST).

Much of their time was spent at the local Academic Vision Centre supervising the graduates. This was followed by informal discussions about cases with the group while providing valuable feedback and identifying any deficiencies in their skills and knowledge. They also did demonstrations of various clinical techniques, including binocular vision testing and contact lenses.

“I found the volunteer visits very useful for the growth of Optometry practice in emerging schools, not only in Africa but in other developing countries,” said Dr. Okenwa, head of the Optometry Department at the university.

The course was also very well received by the mentees. “It was two weeks of my time and it was worth it,” said Collins. “There were things I could not appreciate during my studies, but through these practical sessions we had with the mentors, I am more comfortable with ‘difficult’ procedures. Also, procedures I deemed ‘irrelevant’. I now believe that’s what makes me an optometrist and not just a refractionist. A mind once stretched by a new experience can never go back to its original dimension.”

Dr. Kate MacNeill from Canada (pictured above with optometry graduate Fanizo) undertook her volunteer mentor assignment in November. She visited the vision centre in Mchinji, Malawi. Kate spent two weeks mentoring Fanizo from Mzuzu University, Malawi. She spent a lot of one-on-one time with Fanizo supervising him and assisting with his clinical skills.

Kate also provided mentoring on the general vision centre and patient management, encouraging him to keep patient records and suggesting ways of improving the vision centre set-up to improve efficiency. Kate‘s experience was extremely rewarding despite the contextual challenges of being based in a rural city of Malawi. She will be staying in touch with Fanizo through the online platform developed by the Institute so that she can continue providing mentoring support from a distance.

If you are interested in future volunteer opportunities with the Brien Holden Vision Institute please visit here.

Please note that placements are self-funded by the volunteer unless otherwise specified.

A new and sustainable legacy emerges in Malawi

Laston (pictured above) is 5 years old and has been blind since birth due to congenital bilateral cataracts. In July this year the cataracts were removed, and he received some surgical implants to help restore his vision. He is still learning to see, as is evident by the way his eyes struggle to focus during the eye exam being conducted by local optometrist, Fanizo Kabwazi. Like so many others, Laston’s prognosis would have been much better if he had had access to treatment earlier. But today he is prescribed a pair of bifocals (+1.00 OU with a +2.00 ADD in polycarbonate Transitions lenses). By giving him glasses and vision correction now, it is hoped that his vision will improve over time.

Laston’s optometrist was one of the first to graduate from Malawi’s only School of Optometry, established in 2009 at Mzuzu University with support from Optometry Giving Sight, lead project partner Brien Holden Vision Institute and Sightsavers. He is currently working at Mchinji Clinic, which has been established as part of a public / private partnership with Essilor. On this day, Dr. Howard Purcell from Essilor of America was visiting the clinic and was able to see first hand the conditions faced by the young optometrist.

Dr. Purcell (pictured on the left) was impressed by the commitment and dedication of Fanizo (right), and the very broad scope of practice that he undertook in his clinic. Like so many of his colleagues in Malawi, Fanizo is expected to be able to deal with everything except for surgery, and to be able to respond to the many challenges that come from working in a developing country. These include access to consumables, an erratic electricity supply, lack of air conditioning, equipment maintenance, and even obtaining office furniture.

However, despite such challenges, it is clear that a new and sustainable legacy is emerging in Malawi, which is changing what previously was a world of fragmented training and service delivery in eye care.

There are now 14 qualified optometrists working in the public sector. Each of the four tertiary hospitals has an optometrist employed full-time and each of the five district hospitals is serviced by a graduate optometrist from the School of Optometry at Mzuzu University. This is good news for a country with 8 million people – 53% of whom live below the poverty line.

The optometrists are supported by 18 optometric technicians, who are recent graduates of the Malawi College of Health Sciences in the capital Lilongwe. 16 of these technicians have placements either in the tertiary or district hospitals and the remaining two technicians have returned to the College as junior faculty.

It is hard not to be moved and impressed by the efforts of the staff, the graduates who are now providing much needed vision care services to people who have not had them previously, and the current students who are so excited to have the opportunity to help build and shape Optometry as a profession in their country.

In the words of Hilda Kazembe, Country Manager for the Brien Holden Vision Institute: “This project is working. It’s still small but patients are being seen.”

Optometry Giving Sight would like to thank all of its donors and sponsors who have enabled us to provide funding support to this high impact project over the past 8 years. We look forward to providing ongoing support to the students, vision centers and the development of local faculty in both the School and College of Optometry.

Members of the North American eye care community will once again join forces in a Coalition to support Optometry Giving Sight and its annual fundraising campaign, the World Sight Day Challenge held throughout September and October.

This year’s Coalition members include ABB OPTICAL GROUP, Alcon, AllAboutVision.com^®, CooperVision, Essilor, Eyefinity, FYidoctors, Marchon Eyewear, Vision Source^®, VSP Global^® and ZeaVision.

They will be joined by A&A Optical, Acuity Pro Software, Advance Optical, Allergan, Art Optical, Bard Optical, ClearVision Optical, Contamac, DAC Vision, Demandforce, Essilor Canada, Europa, Eye Pros, Eye Recommend, Gateway Professional Network, GPLI, Heidelburg Engineering, Hilco, Hi-Tech Products, IBM Global Delivery Systems, Jobson Medical Information, Konan Medical, Kosh Ophthalmics, Match, Menicon, Modern Optical, MODO, Nikon, Oasis Medical, Ocuco, Optos, Optovue, OSI, PFO Global, POG Labs, REM Eyewear, RX Optical, Reptile Sun, Ron’s Optical, Signet Armorlite, Slack Incorporated, SynergEyes, Tech Group, Tura, Vision Ease, Vision One Credit Union, Vmax Vision, Wave Contact Lens System, Westgroupe, Zeiss (USA & Canada) and Zyloware, all of whom are participating in the Challenge in some way.

Numerous events are planned to raise awareness of the importance of eye health and to provide eye care and eyewear to people in need.

VSP Global is partnering with VOSH, coalition partners and Louisiana doctors to host a special VSP Mobile Eyes® outreach event to increase access to eye care for those in need and help raise awareness about the importance of eye care. Held in New Orleans, up to 300 patients will receive no-cost eye exams and glasses through the VSP Mobile Eyes clinic, outfitted with state-of-the-art exam rooms and a full dispensary.

CooperVision, a Gold Global Sponsor, is conducting its “Fight for Sight” campaign, in which employees are encouraged to participate in fundraising activities organized at their local CooperVision sites. Employee donations will be matched by The Cooper Companies, CooperVision’s parent company.

Vision Source® is encouraging Member Support Center colleagues, Administrators and Members to take the Challenge with a goal of raising $1million, with part of the proceeds to benefit the establishment of a School of Optometry in Haiti.

FYidoctors involves all of its clinics across Canada with 100% participation throughout October with local and corporate fundraising initiatives. Their “$1 dollar for every like” campaign begins October 1^st on Facebook and has received huge success in previous years. FYidoctors matches every dollar raised by their doctors and on their social media channels.

Alcon affiliates around the world are hosting events to serve eye health on three fronts: education, research, and vision screenings. In the United States, Alcon is supporting one-day clinics providing free eye exams to under- and uninsured patients in New Orleans and elementary school and community college students in Fort Worth, Texas. They are also hosting a Cycle for Sight on their Fort Worth campus to raise funds and awareness.

ABB OPTICAL GROUP will once again offer all of its customers the opportunity to donate to Optometry Giving Sight through the ABB OPTICAL ordering websites.  For every five dollars donated, the customer will receive a World Sight Day People Power bracelet shipped with their contact lens order and ABB OPTICAL GROUP will match that donation 100%.

AllAboutVision.com will be conducting “Share for Sight,” a social media campaign to promote Optometry Giving Sight and eye health education, during the week of World Sight Day.

ZeaVision will support WSDC fundraising efforts through multiple activities in September and October including employee initiatives, product promotions, and participation in the VSP Mobile Eyes Outreach Event in New Orleans. They will also make a donation on behalf of the Arizona Fall League’s 2015 batting champion during the award presentation.

Essilor is organizing events in some fifty countries around the world to raise public awareness and endorse the message to “Raise the Flag for Better Vision” and promote visual health.  In the United States, the Essilor Vision Foundation will be conducting vision clinics across the country and will offer opportunities for Essilor employees to get involved and volunteer on World Sight Day.

“The World Sight Day Challenge is now a major event within the global optometric community and it’s a great way to engage with staff, customers and colleagues to help provide Eye Care for All,” said Clive Miller, CEO of Optometry Giving Sight. “We are grateful for the support that we receive and encourage all eye and vision care companies, networks and practices to take the Challenge and make a donation so that we can help end avoidable blindness and give sight and hope to the millions of people in need.”

 A tribute

I am writing this as I’m flying from Madrid to San Francisco,  after having heard over-night about the sudden and unexpected death of my dear friend, Professor Brien Holden.

I was awoken by multiple e-mails and text messages from Australia, and from around the world, informing me of such sad news. I was shocked. I was sad. I could not believe it. I cried.

I saw Brien recently in Liverpool during the BCLA, and as I normally did, shared a beer or two, as we discussed how to resolve the problems not only of our industry and profession, but also of the world. Although we were at the extreme opposites of the political spectrum, I always enjoyed my conversations with him.

I met Brien back in 1985, while I was employed at Bausch & Lomb. He and B&L had several joint projects, covering R&D and educational initiatives, but the relationship was a tense and difficult one, which to a large extent defined Brien’s relationship with industry, in general, throughout his career. I got to know Brien very well through activities of IACLE (International Association of Contact Lens Educators), APCLEP (Asia Pacific Contact Lens Educational Program) and his involvement as a speaker and session moderator at the ERS (European Research Symposium), sponsored by B&L. I also got to know him quite well as B&L’s guest during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where his deep pride and love for Australia truly manifested itself. Over my 30 years within the contact lens industry, working in addition to B&L, with CIBA Vision, Ocular Sciences and CooperVision, Brien was always a constant. People would come and go; Brien was always there. His presence grew, as did his contributions.

Brien was brilliant, a true visionary, a fantastic thinker and charismatic communicator. Initially his reputation came from his work with contact lens research and education. Although many groups were involved, to a significant extent, we owe to Brien, and his group, the availability of silicone hydrogel materials, which today make-up over 50% of the world’s US$8 billion contact lens market (at wholesale). Through his educational efforts, through work at IACLE, APCLEP, ICLEP and other initiatives, contact lenses expanded globally beyond Europe and North America, and are now used by over 150 million people worldwide. Brien was truly a contact lens pioneer. Today, the Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) is unsurpassed in their accomplishments in eye research, public health and education, benefiting millions of people worldwide.

This is part of Brien’s legacy.

But Brien was more than contact lenses; he loved optometry, and saw in this profession, in his profession, as the ideal and most efficient and affordable way to provide primary eye-care to millions of people globally.  Brien was a humanitarian; he believed in the greater-good, and in our collective responsibility to do what was right.

His work in developing long-term sustainable eye-care programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of vision impairment due to uncorrected refractive errors led to the establishment, in 2003, of Optometry Giving Sight (OGS), as the only global fundraising organization aimed at mitigating this problem, which  affects over 600 million worldwide . He founded OGS and for the first time, through his efforts, uncorrected refractive errors were recognized by the World Health Organization as a major cause of visual disability. He convinced organizations such as the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the World Council of Optometry (WCO) to join with BHVI in establishing OGS.

Brien chaired OGS’ Global Board of Directors for 10 years, until he invited me to replace him when he stepped down in 2013. This has been a true honor and privilege to continue with Brien’s dream to provide vision to people everywhere, to continue with his legacy. On a timely manner, OGS bestowed on Brien our first Humanitarian Award in October of 2014.

Brien was a complex individual, and like all of us, was not perfect. He was so intense that not many people could keep up with him indefinitely. He was passionate; he lived life to its fullest. Always working; always thinking. He loved his family; he loved his friends. He loved to dance, and I must say, for a non-Latin, had good rhythm.

He died doing what he loved. Brien never would have retired.

Brien was my dear friend. I was very proud of this friendship. I learned so much from him. He was always there for me. He travelled half away around the world to join me at my wedding a couple of years ago. He made me a better person. He saved my son’s life. I loved Brien and will miss him. The industry and the profession of optometry have lost a giant.

I have lost a friend; an unreplaceable friend, whom I will miss forever.

As I wrap-up my thoughts, I should end by saying, Brien, rest-in-peace.

However, Brien will never rest. I am sure he’s already talking to God, to his God, proposing some kind a project that would benefit people on Earth.

Knowing Brien, he will convince God.

See you later Brien; take care my friend.

Dr. Juan Carlos Aragón
Chairman, Global Board of Directors
Optometry Giving Sight