DOVS 2025 Seeing Beyond Lecture: Envisaging the Future of Optometry

On Monday, 8 September 2025, the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences (DOVS) hosted the second Seeing Beyond Lecture of the year at the Ian Potter Auditorium, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of students, staff, alumni, and industry professionals.

This year’s lecture, themed “Envisaging the Future of Optometry,” featured an insightful keynote by Professor Blair Lonsberry, a visiting academic from the Pacific University College of Optometry (USA). Prof Lonsberry shared his North American perspective on the evolving scope of optometric practice and education, offering thought-provoking insights into how the profession might adapt to global healthcare trends and patient needs.

^{Image: Prof Blair Lonsberry delivering lecture}

Following the plenary, three of the department’s emerging researchers presented their latest work with each contributing to a vision of what the future of optometry might hold. Dr Selwyn Prea discussed AI-assisted electronic record keeping and its potential to transform clinical workflows. Dr Pei Ying Lee presented her research into ocular biomarkers and their relevance in diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases. Dr Ching Yi Wu shared advances in anterior eye analysis, with a focus on leveraging the tear film for point-of-care diagnostics.

The lecture was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr Bao Nguyen, exploring the question: “What are you doing now, that you did not envisage you’d be doing back when you were a student or beginning your career?” The conversation offered honest and inspiring reflections on unexpected career journeys and the evolving nature of the profession.

^{Image: Panel discussion (from left to right: Dr Bao Nguyen, Prof Blair Lonsberry, Dr SelwynPrea, Dr Pei Ying Lee, Dr Ching Yi Wu)}