Notable

Joseph A. Halabis, OD FAAO – Class of 1982 – Notable Alumnus

Joseph A. HalabisMy tenure with the Department of Veterans Affairs is now going on 29 years, and my Academy Fellowship more than 25. I owe a great debt to those who have mentored me throughout my career. Early on, they showed me the value in teaching. I have had academic appointments with Indiana University, The Ohio State University, and now Duke University. Twice I have been named Clinical Professor of the Year of the Duke University Ophthalmic Technician Program. I have enjoyed the opportunity to lecture locally, nationally, and, on several occasions, internationally. My articles have appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals.

My interest in ocular photography dates back to my days as a student at Ohio State. My photographs have graced journal covers, clinical articles, and book chapters. In biweekly rounds presentations, I share my clinical photographs and videos with Duke attendings, residents, and fellows. My images appear in the online Atlas of Ophthalmology and Shield’s Textbook of Glaucoma, Sixth Edition. I have won a number of ocular photography awards, including the 2013 American Academy of Optometry Anterior Segment Grand Prize.

My wife Debi and I met at Ohio State and have been married for 32 years. We both love animals and the outdoors. I have a passion for horses and riding, which has allowed me to volunteer as an Equestrian Coach for Special Olympics. Our home is now Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Gregory W. Hicks, OD – Class of 1984 – Notable Alumnus

Gregory W. HicksDr. Gregory W. Hicks graduated from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 1984. He completed additional clinical study in vision therapy and pediatric vision care at the State University of New York State College of Optometry.

Dr. Hicks has served the college in the Primary Care, the Binocular Vision, and Pediatrics Clinics. Currently, he is as an Assistant Clinical Professor and has had fourth year optometry externs work alongside him on a daily basis since the inception of the college’s externship program. He is a partner and president of Family Eye Care Centers, which is a multi- doctor group practice with offices in Sandusky, Huron, and Clyde, Ohio. He has also spent 11 years as the staff optometrist at the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky.

Dr. Hicks is also the Director of Professional Affairs for HOYA Vision Care, North America, where he is available to independent eye care professionals for input on how to best use HOYA’s products and services. In his role in HOYA Professional Affairs, he is a liaison to and sounding board for HOYA’s management team. He travels extensively across the country speaking on behalf of HOYA and consulting with numerous practices.

An involved member of the professional optometric community, Dr. Hicks belongs to the Ohio Optometric Assocation (OOA) and the American Optometric Association (AOA). He served as president of the OOA in 2000 and was the OOA Optometrist of the Year in 2004. He served as the AOA appointed member on the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) for nine years. Dr. Hicks has been a part of the AOA volunteer committee structure with a number of national appointments including: AOA Communications Committee, AOA Federal Relations Committee, AOA InfantSee Committee, and the AOA Ophthalmic Council. In 2005, Dr. Hicks was awarded the very first Dr. W. David Sullins, Jr. AOA InfantSee Award for his role in promoting infant eye care issues on both the national and community level.

Dr. Hicks is active in many public service and community organizations: Sandusky Zion Lutheran Church, Sandusky Rotary Club, Erie County Chamber of Commerce, Erie County United Way, OSU Alumni Club of Erie County, Boys Scouts of America, YMCA, American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries, Sandusky Jaycees, Huron Eagles Club, High School Athletic Booster Clubs, and Plumbrook Country Club. Locally, he has been awarded and named the Huron, Ohio Outstanding Citizen for Service to Youth, the Sandusky, Ohio Outstanding Young Citizen of the Year, and the Sandusky, Ohio Jaycee of the Year.

He resides in Sandusky with his wife Vicky. They have three adult children: Jeremy, Cassie, and Jonathan.

Tony Fenton, OD – Class of 1989 – Notable Alumnus

Tony FentonShortly after graduating from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 1989, Dr. Fenton joined a private practice in Dayton, Ohio, Vision Makers, where he is part owner of a group practice. He practices primary care optometry including contact lenses and disease evaluation and treatment. He also practices part-time at the ophthalmology office of Drs. Brian Stahl and James Knowles, where he co-manages cataract, refractive laser, and ocular disease patients.

Dr. Fenton has participated in Prevent Blindness Ohio for the past 20 years where he donates over 200 eye examinations a year.Tony Fenton He has served on the board of Prevent Blindness Ohio for several years and is currently the chairman of the Dayton chapter. Dr. Fenton’s practice donates a ton (!) of food each year to the Dayton Food Bank and also is the largest donor of glasses to the Lions Club of Montgomery County.

Dr. Fenton and his wife of 20 years, Jeni, have a son, Aaron, and two daughters, Ryan and Riley. His hobbies include a family-inspired love for music; he plays the guitar and drums. He has played in the all-optometrist band, Bad Habits – The Eye Docs of Rock, since his college days in 1987. He enjoys playing at optometry conventions across the country, providing him the opportunity to travel, play music, and connect with friends and colleagues.Tony Fenton

He writes, “But for the opportunities offered by THE Ohio State University, my work in the profession of optometry and my love of music may not have ever happened. Go Bucks!”

Roger Saneholtz, OD – Class of 1974 – Notable Alumnus

Roger SaneholtzMy initial practice experience was with the United States Air Force for three years at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan. I have spent the last 37 years in private practice in Montpelier, Ohio, which is a small town in the very northwestern corner of the state, 187 miles from Columbus. As a professional in a small town, I have had the opportunity to get involved in many aspects of my community including, the school board, hospital board, library board, Chamber of Commerce, United Fund, various church boards, senior citizen advisory board, Montpelier Area Foundation, and coaching youth sports.

My entire life structure is attributable to the current Ohio State adage, “But for Ohio State.” It starts with meeting my wife of almost 40 years there. Both of our sons are Ohio State graduates, and their wives are Ohio State alumnae. My first grandson was born at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. All our financial success is due to our Ohio State degrees. I think I understand Woody Hayes’s idea of “Paying It Forward,” but I continue to feel that I still owe much more to Ohio State for what it has provided for me all of these years.

My alumni association involvement began almost 20 years ago at the suggestion of Arol Augsburger that I be invited to join the Optometry Alumni and Friends board. I have been privileged to work with three great Deans (Drs. Hill, Schoessler, and Shipp) and look forward to Dean Zadnik’s service to our College. I have been recognized by The Ohio State University Alumni Association as an Outstanding Society Leader in 2008 and as a Ralph Davenport Mershon awardee in 2010. This alumni service has led me to understand that our College of Optometry is a special place with very special people within the framework of an eminent University. Our College is certainly deserving of support from all of our alumni. Remember, your own degree is only as good as the last one presented by our College.

My photo is from this year’s Michigan game. From left to right, sons Austin, Brent, and me. This picture is the first time since the boys were very small that the three of us have attended a game together–a great day for the old man!

Cynthia G. Heard, OD, FAAO – Class of 1992 – Notable Alumna

Cynthia G. HeardDr. Cynthia Heard received her Doctor of Optometry degree in 1992 from The Ohio State University College of Optometry. She completed a postgraduate residency in Geriatric Vision and Visual Rehabilitation at the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center, which is affiliated with the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.

Dr. Heard taught at The Ohio State University College of Optometry for 14 years in Primary Eye Care, Ocular Disease Service, and as a preceptor for the Primary Care Externship Program. She has been an Associate Professor of Optometry at the Southern College of Optometry since 2007 where she teaches in the Adult Primary Care and Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation Services.

Dr. Heard is a member of the American Optometric Association, the National Optometric Association (NOA), the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians, and the West Tennessee Optometric Physicians Society. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. She is currently a Council on Optometric Practitioner Education reviewer and a volunteer for the Education Quality Assurance Committee for the Academy. Dr. Heard is also past president of the NOA.

Dr. Heard’s professional interests include ocular disease management, especially dry eye and glaucoma, and optometric care of low vision patients.

James Sheedy, OD PhD – Class of 1974 – Notable Alumnus

James SheedyDr. Sheedy received his optometry degree and his doctorate in physiological optics from the Ohio State University. He was a Clinical Professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry where he founded the first Video Display Terminal Eye Clinic in 1985. He also established the Center for Ophthalmic Optics Research at Ohio State University and is recognized as an expert in the design and prescribing of progressive addition lenses. He has twice received the Garland Clay Award for the best clinical research published in Optometry and Vision Scienceand received the William Feinbloom Award from the American Academy of Optometry award for his work in vision ergonomics. He also received the Distinguished Service Award from Prevent Blindness America for his work with ultraviolet. He has 140 published articles and has participated in the development of numerous ANSI and ISO standards and regulations. Dr. Sheedy has earned a reputation as an expert in vision problems at computers. This has led to research into hardware and software configurations of computer displays. Dr. Sheedy has several graduate students who have received degrees under his guidance. Currently, Dr. Sheedy is the head of the Vision Performance Institute and Professor of Optometry at the Pacific University College of Optometry. Dr. Sheedy was honored locally by receiving the 2013 Optometry Alumni and Friends Society Distinguished Alumni Award.

Christine Sindt, OD – Class of 1994 – Notable Alumna

Christine SindtDr. Christine W. Sindt is a 1994 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry. She completed a disease-based residency at the Cleveland Veterans Administration Medical Center. Dr. Sindt joined the faculty of the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 1995, where she is currently an Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Director of the Contact Lens Service. She also serves as a consultant optometrist for the Iowa City Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Dr. Sindt is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, the 2010-2011 Chair of the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) Contact Lens and Cornea Section, Past President and founding member of Women of Vision, and Past President and co-founder of the Scleral Lens Education Society. In 2005, she received the Dr. Rodger Kame Award for service and dedication to the profession from the AOA’s Contact Lens and Cornea Section. In 2011, the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association named her the Practitioner of the Year. In 2013 she received a Legends Award for contributions to the culture of contact lenses through leadership and dedication, from the AOA’s Contact Lens and Cornea Section.

Dr. Sindt is Chief Clinical Editor for Review of Optometry and an Associate Editor for Review of Cornea and Contact Lens, where she contributes a monthly column on contact lens solutions. She also serves on the Optometry Times EditorialAdvisory Board and is a Contributing editor for Contact Lens Spectrum.

She has published 100 publications including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, contact lens columns, CD-ROMS, videos, and web publications. Her work has been cited in the popular media by the LA Times and Good Housekeeping. She has been an invited speaker at conferences in 25 states and five countries.

Dr. Sindt’s clinical interests include pediatric, keratoconus, and post-surgical contact lens fitting. Her research projects include contact lens solution research; the design of scleral contact lenses for the correction of keratoconus/pellucid marginal degeneration; computer-guided fitting for keratoconus; dry eye aberrations; the effect of contact lens wear on immune cell density and morphology of the ocular surface; and corneal imaging with confocal microscopy. Dr. Sindt holds both a national and international patent on automated corneal confocal analysis and has a patent pending status for a prosthetic lens design. Dr. Sindt has started two companies related to the field of ocular health and optics.

Robert Klark Graham, BS – Class of 1937 – Notable Alumnus

Robert Klark GrahamDr. Graham had an eclectic career in optics and the sciences before making his fame from lightweight, hard plastic eyeglass lenses. His life was filled with professional accomplishments and awards, starting with a degree from Michigan State University, followed by a Bachelor of Science degree in Optometry from Ohio State in 1937. Dr. Graham began his professional career working for Bausch and Lomb Optical Company and then worked for Univis Lens Co. in Dayton, Ohio where he began research on plastic ophthalmic lenses. In 1946, the research program was discontinued and, along with three other Univis technicians, Dr. Graham moved to Pasadena, California and established Armolite Lens Co., which is still one of the nation’s leading producers of ophthalmic lenses.

At the same time, Dr. Graham was developing a practice solely for contact lenses. While in California, he served as an associate professor in charge of the contact lenses and low vision courses and clinics at the Southern California College of Optometry.

Due to Dr. Graham’s early efforts and research in contact lenses, more than 80% of the lenses dispensed in the United States today are made from lightweight plastic. He is also credited with the introduction of a reflection-reducing coating for ophthalmic lenses, the development o f colorless ultraviolet-absorbing lenses, and the invention of the variable focus lens as well as the invention of the hybrid corneal lens.

Dr. Robert Graham was married to Dr. Marta Everton Graham. They had nine children. He passed away in 1997.

Susan Gromacki Lathrop, OD MS – Class of 1993 – Notable Alumna

Susan Gromacki LathropDr. Susan J. Gromacki has been named to “America’s Best Optometrists,” the Marquis Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in the World, and The Leading Health Care Professionals of the World (International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England). She graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame and received both her OD and MS in Physiological Optics from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 1993.

Dr. Gromacki lays claim to 450 professional lectures and publications and is a current or former editor of Contact Lens Spectrum, Review of Cornea & Contact Lenses,Contemporary Optometry, and CL Today, a reviewer for Eye & Contact Lens, and a consultant to industry and Wall Street. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate in its Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies. She has served the National Board of Examiners in Optometry in the capacity of item writer and case author, and as a member of the Part II Examination Development Committee, Part II Refraction Committee, Patient Assessment and Management (PAM) Patient Care Examination Committee, Part II Examination Council, Standard Setting Panelist, and Part III Patient Care Examination Committee, and as a Part III Examiner.

Formerly a faculty member of the New England College of Optometry and the University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology, where she directed the Contact Lens and Low Vision Clinics, she specializes in difficult-to-fit contact lenses, refractive surgery, low vision and anterior segment disease. Her career has been a testament not only to achievement but also to personal and professional resiliency. As the wife of a military officer, Col. Scott Lathrop, she has lived in seven different locations during her 20-year career and has practiced clinical optometry in the following settings: private optometry practice, HMO, private ophthalmology group, military hospital, VA hospital, commercial practice, optometric college and university, and university medical school/ophthalmology department. “One great characteristic of the profession of optometry in the United States,” says Dr. Gromacki, “is that there are many diverse and quality opportunities for optometrists to practice. There are various ways for each and every one of us to make a difference in our patients’ lives and a positive impact on our world.”

Robert Newcomb, OD MPH FAAO – Class of 1971 – Notable Alumnus

Robert NewcombThe decision to become an optometrist was confirmed in Dr. Newcomb’s mind when all the cute girls in his high school began to get contact lenses in the 1960s. He received his OD degree in 1971 and then served in the US Navy for three years. During these three years, his early interest in contact lens patients changed to patients with ocular disease. In 1974, while pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, he began a 23-year career with the Department of Veterans Affairs where he was given the opportunity to teach optometry students and residents. He retired from federal service in 1997 and accepted a faculty position at the college where he could continue to see ocular disease patients and teach students and residents in the clinic as well as in the classroom. He first served as the Director of Clinics and then later as the Residency Director. He was also the college’s inaugural Vision Service Plan (VSP) Chair for the Advancement of Professional Practice from 1997 until his retirement in 2012.

He maintains his ties with the college by serving on the BuckEYE Optometry Alumni Magazine staff, as a board member of Optometry Alumni and Friends, and as a member of the Centennial Events Planning Committee.