1040-5488/14/9102-0131/0 VOL. 91, NO. 2, PP. 131 OPTOMETRY AND VISION SCIENCE Copyright * 2014 American Academy of Optometry
EDITORIAL
A Most Forward-Looking Academy
L
ast month, Optometry and Vision Science (OVS) briefly highlighted the December 2013 announcement of the initiation of collaboration between the American Academy of Optometry and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This was news well received and offers promise for future specifics intended to advance mutual continuing education programs for the benefit of our members and the enhancement of patient care. Optometry and Vision Science and its Editorial Board welcomes with open arms the development of mutual trust and of educational interests based on scientific outcomes. Readers can be sure that OVS will be looking for ways to collaborate on programs that bring the best of optometry and ophthalmology discoveries to publication. As editor in chief, I applaud the quiet behind-the-scene efforts of the leadership of both Academies. Optometry and Vision Science has a relatively long tradition of collaboration with ophthalmology scientists and clinicians at the author, reviewer, and even guest editor levels. Your journal is proud of those efforts that have brought 12 top ophthalmologists to the Guest Editor teams for its Feature Issues in the last 6 years. Our Academy of Optometry has also taken a very important step in announcing (early in December) the availability of significant research funding as grants to young researchers. The expressed purpose? To positively influence and reduce the age at which early-stage optometric researchers attain large-scale independent support, particularly during these times of a difficult funding climate. The $50,000-per-year awards can be held for two successive years and are intended to attract matching funds from the successful applicant institutions. The grants are for innovative, original, independent, principal investigatorYdriven projects. The Academy is responding to the fact that young investigators, including optometric investigators, take many years after the inception of their careers before successfully acquiring Federal research funding. In fact, the mean age of first-time National Institutes of Health grantees is widely reported to be older than 40 years. What approach is the Academy taking to identify these younger career researchers in optometry? This month, a letter of intent from the applicant is due (February 3, 2014) and an actual research proposal deadline will be August 1, 2014. The full request for proposal is available online
at: http://www.aaopt.org/About/careerdevelopment. So, who is eligible? Eligible applicants must be junior faculty members at schools and colleges of optometry in the United States (or optometrists in other academic settings, such as departments of ophthalmology) who are 5 years from their terminal degree and 10 years or less from their optometric degree at the time of application. Although the Academy has always supported research and education through its annual meeting, awards, and travel fellowships and through its American Optometric Foundation from donor efforts, this is probably the first major grant support directly from the Academy of Optometry. It is for young researchers and specifically designed to assist and accelerate the independent funding efforts of career faculty. It comes at a time of obvious need and, fortunately, as a result of the very successful growth of the Academy membership; there was record attendance for its last annual meeting in Seattle. This month, OVS proudly showcases the research discoveries over a wide range of eye and vision research. Once again, we see six excellent research reports related to dry eye, tears, and contact lens comfort. In fact, this month’s Editor’s choice for immediate open access deals directly with what contributes to contact lens discomfort. A very experienced study group population was fitted with one of two different investigational hydrogel materials. The fit, performance, subjective comfort, and dryness were assessed on insertion and after 3 and 6 hours of lens wear. After 6 hours, ocular surface health was also assessed by fluorescein biomicroscopy. The authors conclude that subjective dryness and discomfort after 3 and 6 hours were associated with greater lens movement, front surface deposits, poor wettability, inferior lens decentration, and Asian ethnicity. In this same February issue, we also have articles on keratoconus and cross-linking, glaucoma and diabetes patient issues, baseball athletes’ eyes and vision, four articles on refractive error and refraction and eye optics and optics aberrations, myopia and surgery, and three clinical cases on anterior and posterior segment disorders with novel clinical insights.
Optometry and Vision Science, Vol. 91, No. 2, February 2014
Copyright © American Academy of Optometry. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Tony Adams Editor in Chief Berkeley, California
EDITORIAL
A Most Forward-Looking Academy
L
ast month, Optometry and Vision Science (OVS) briefly highlighted the December 2013 announcement of the initiation of collaboration between the American Academy of Optometry and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This was news well received and offers promise for future specifics intended to advance mutual continuing education programs for the benefit of our members and the enhancement of patient care. Optometry and Vision Science and its Editorial Board welcomes with open arms the development of mutual trust and of educational interests based on scientific outcomes. Readers can be sure that OVS will be looking for ways to collaborate on programs that bring the best of optometry and ophthalmology discoveries to publication. As editor in chief, I applaud the quiet behind-the-scene efforts of the leadership of both Academies. Optometry and Vision Science has a relatively long tradition of collaboration with ophthalmology scientists and clinicians at the author, reviewer, and even guest editor levels. Your journal is proud of those efforts that have brought 12 top ophthalmologists to the Guest Editor teams for its Feature Issues in the last 6 years. Our Academy of Optometry has also taken a very important step in announcing (early in December) the availability of significant research funding as grants to young researchers. The expressed purpose? To positively influence and reduce the age at which early-stage optometric researchers attain large-scale independent support, particularly during these times of a difficult funding climate. The $50,000-per-year awards can be held for two successive years and are intended to attract matching funds from the successful applicant institutions. The grants are for innovative, original, independent, principal investigatorYdriven projects. The Academy is responding to the fact that young investigators, including optometric investigators, take many years after the inception of their careers before successfully acquiring Federal research funding. In fact, the mean age of first-time National Institutes of Health grantees is widely reported to be older than 40 years. What approach is the Academy taking to identify these younger career researchers in optometry? This month, a letter of intent from the applicant is due (February 3, 2014) and an actual research proposal deadline will be August 1, 2014. The full request for proposal is available online
at: http://www.aaopt.org/About/careerdevelopment. So, who is eligible? Eligible applicants must be junior faculty members at schools and colleges of optometry in the United States (or optometrists in other academic settings, such as departments of ophthalmology) who are 5 years from their terminal degree and 10 years or less from their optometric degree at the time of application. Although the Academy has always supported research and education through its annual meeting, awards, and travel fellowships and through its American Optometric Foundation from donor efforts, this is probably the first major grant support directly from the Academy of Optometry. It is for young researchers and specifically designed to assist and accelerate the independent funding efforts of career faculty. It comes at a time of obvious need and, fortunately, as a result of the very successful growth of the Academy membership; there was record attendance for its last annual meeting in Seattle. This month, OVS proudly showcases the research discoveries over a wide range of eye and vision research. Once again, we see six excellent research reports related to dry eye, tears, and contact lens comfort. In fact, this month’s Editor’s choice for immediate open access deals directly with what contributes to contact lens discomfort. A very experienced study group population was fitted with one of two different investigational hydrogel materials. The fit, performance, subjective comfort, and dryness were assessed on insertion and after 3 and 6 hours of lens wear. After 6 hours, ocular surface health was also assessed by fluorescein biomicroscopy. The authors conclude that subjective dryness and discomfort after 3 and 6 hours were associated with greater lens movement, front surface deposits, poor wettability, inferior lens decentration, and Asian ethnicity. In this same February issue, we also have articles on keratoconus and cross-linking, glaucoma and diabetes patient issues, baseball athletes’ eyes and vision, four articles on refractive error and refraction and eye optics and optics aberrations, myopia and surgery, and three clinical cases on anterior and posterior segment disorders with novel clinical insights.
Optometry and Vision Science, Vol. 91, No. 2, February 2014
Copyright © American Academy of Optometry. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Tony Adams Editor in Chief Berkeley, California
