Euclid Vision Corporation and Visionary Optics have announced six new scholarships targeted toward optometric residents specializing in myopia management and specialty contact lenses.
Refresh me on the companies
Euclid Vision is a global contact lens supplier specializing in advanced orthokeratology (ortho-k) lenses—with its FDA-approved Euclid MAX for overnight wear—and myopia management initiatives.
Visionary Optics, acquired by Euclid in 2022, is a US-based specialty scleral lens distributor and designer.
Now let’s start with the Euclid scholarships.
Created as part of the company’s annual Resident Scholarship Program (launched in 2022), The Euclid 2023-2024 Resident Scholarships focuses on optometric residents or fellows who are seeking to practice proactive myopia management.
They include:
- Tim Koch Memorial Scholarship ($1,000)
- George E. Glady Scholarship ($1,000)
- Joann Simonsen Scholarship ($1,000)
And the submission requirements?
The company requires that submissions must feature any of the following that are myopia-related:
- Presentations/lectures
- Clinical case reports/series
- Journal articles
- Research study projects
- Business proposals for a new myopia management innovations or technology
Are there any specific lenses that must be used?
Yes, actually! Except for business proposals, submissions should include the use of Euclid ortho-k lenses—which the company will provide to applicants free of charge.
Gotha. How about the Visionary Optics’ scholarships?
True to the company’s purpose, the Dr. Rob Breece Memorial Scholarships include three Scleral Lens Scholarships of $1,000 each that are targeted toward optometric resident innovators within the specialty lens field.
The scholarship recognizes the contributions of Rob Breece, OD, considered by Visionary Optics to be a pioneer in the industry for initiating key advancements such as the Jupiter Scleral Lens, a precursor to the company’s Europa Scleral lens.
And the submission requirements for these?
Per the company, submissions must be a case report or clinical study that involves the use of one of the following Visionary Optics’ scleral lenses:
- Europa (standard)
- Europa Tangent
- Latitude (freeform)
To note, case report submissions are permitted to be the same as the ones that may be submitted to the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS), or the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).
Where can I go to submit an application?
For Euclid Vision’s scholarships, click here. For Visionary Optics’ scholarships, click here.
And the deadline?
For all six scholarships: May 1, 2024.
Gotcha. Lastly, didn’t the two companies just partner on something else?
Indeed they did! In May 2023, they announced a partnership in hosting four specialty contact lens dinners across the United States, titled “Patient Selection to Practice Growth: A Guide to Specialty Contact Lenses.”
So far two sessions have been hosted … click here to learn more about the remaining two dinners.