ABO-NCLE Staff
ABO-NCLE has announced the 2023 Patient Choice Award winners. The awards were presented at OptiCon @ Vision Expo West on September 29. Winners were nominated by patients for whom the optician provided the best visual solution to improve how they see, look, and feel, making a difference in their life. In addition to a trip to a national convention, the winners received a cash award. Here’s a look at the winners.
The Opticianry winner is Kristin Siddall, ABOC, nominated by David Pehrson. David suffered from post-concussion syndrome, or traumatic brain injury, for more than five years. His symptoms were changing and ongoing. None of the medical professionals seemed to know how to help him. What’s more, David noticed similarities between his symptoms and those of his son, who has ADHD. Then he met Kristin who talked to him about the connection between the eye and the brain. She invited David to her office, and out of curiosity, he went with his son. There, Kristin introduced them to Neurolens, which demonstrated that both David’s and his son’s eyes were out of alignment. They received prescriptions for Neurolens. David said that for the first time in five years he has solid focus and clarity. David reported that his son is more focused in school and has increased his speed of learning. He says, “My optician changed our lives forever.” Congratulations, Kristin!
See Kistin’s nomination:
The contact lens winner is Buddy Russell, NCLEM, nominated by Jacob Jeevanayagam. Jacob has keratoconus and received a corneal transplant more than twenty years ago. At that time, Buddy fit Jacob with ‘piggyback’ contact lenses, a hard lens over a soft lens. That solution worked well for a few years until Jacob’s cornea became more irregular. Buddy next fit Jacob with scleral lenses he had helped to develop, resulting in 20/20 vision. Jacob says that over the last ten years, he was able to have better vision at work, improve his outdoor activities such as sports, and night driving. Buddy also identified elevated intraocular pressure that resulted from the anti-rejection steroids for the corneal transplant and referred Jacob for immediate care. Jacob has since had cataract surgery and Buddy refitted the contact lens, again achieving 20/20 vision. Jacob says of Buddy, “He was relentless in finding the right solution for me. … He made me think positive about what was possible.” Congratulations, Buddy!.
See Buddy’s nomination:
