Director's message: September 2025

It is a privilege to share my first message as director of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science. Since beginning my role in July, I have been energized by the warmth of this community and the shared commitment to advancing eye and vision care through education, research and clinical service.  

This past summer, I had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Association of Optometrists Congress in Halifax. It was a wonderful chance to meet so many colleagues, alumni and partners, and to experience firsthand the remarkable network of individuals who support our School and our profession.  

Here on campus, we have welcomed the Class of 2029 to the Doctor of Optometry program. Their excitement and energy remind us of the importance of our mission to educate the next generation of optometrists and vision science leaders. We are also proud to welcome new graduate students as well as welcoming back our upper-year OD students. 

We are also growing our academic community. I am delighted to share that Dr. Austin Roorda has joined us as a faculty member, bringing internationally recognized expertise in adaptive optics and vision science. In addition, we continue to recruit for several new faculty positions. These are exciting opportunities, and I encourage outstanding candidates from across Canada and around the world to apply.  

Our campaign to build the Waterloo Eye Institute is making significant progress. Recent generous commitments from partners such as HOYA and Essilor reflect the confidence of industry leaders in the work we are doing here at Waterloo. Their support will help drive innovation in education, clinical care and research. We’ve now raised $29.5 million to build the WEI but we still have $5.5 million to go to meet our fundraising goal. If you can help, please donate now.  

Construction is also progressing well – metal framing for interior walls has been installed, foundation work is in progress for the addition, a new stairwell is being built and the pillars at the front have been reinforced. I joined other School leaders in a hard-hat tour recently, where we had a chance to literally make our mark on the building – check out the pictures on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn. 

I am also pleased to highlight the outreach care being provided through the Waterloo Eye Institute at Surrey Place in Toronto. This initiative is expanding access to vision care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and providing transformative learning experiences for our students.  

In this newsletter, you’ll read more about some inspiring alumni, including Dr. Alexa Hecht (OD ‘21), who has made her a mark as a social media influencer in the few short years since her graduation. You’ll also learn about Dr. Jennifer Hunter (PhD ‘07), whose work advancing fluorescence imaging of the living eye could lead to earlier detection of retinal disease. Don’t forget to check out the Class Notes, where you can find the latest news and updates from fellow alumni – and send us your updates to share!   

I look forward to the year ahead and to working alongside all of you to continue building a strong future for our School and profession.  

With gratitude,  

Ben Thompson  
Director, School of Optometry and Vision Science