Envision presents awards for work in low vision rehabilitation

Laura Walker, Ph.D., executive director of the Envision Research Institute, presents a Lifetime Achievement Award in Low Vision Research to Manfred MacKeben, Ph.D., during the May 6 annual meeting of the Low Vision Research Group, held in conjunction with the ARVO meeting in Denver. Dr. MacKeben is a scientist at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco.

His work focuses on researching facts and developing tools to help with the rehabilitation of people with low vision, especially those with macular vision loss.

Envision presents the Lifetime Achievement Award from time-to-time to researchers whose careers have been marked by outstanding, creative and important contributions to low vision research. In presenting the award to Dr. MacKeben, the organization acknowledged his expert work in low vision and eccentric viewing research and macular perimetry tests for assessing binocular visual fields.

Michael Epp, Director of Professional Education at Envision, presents the 2015 Envision-Atwell Award for research in low vision to Pamela Jeter, Ph.D., a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr. Jeter’s research abstract, “Yoga Increases the Sensory Contribution to Balance in Visually Impaired Persons at Risk for Falls,” summarized her evaluation of the therapeutic benefits of yoga for individuals who experience balance deficits and psychological distress due to vision loss.

This is the seventh annual presentation of the award, named for longtime low-vision research supporter Constance Atwell in recognition of her pivotal role in encouraging high-quality low-vision research while on staff at the National Eye Institute.

The award is bestowed upon an Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) presenter who is currently a student, post-doctoral researcher or junior faculty member with less than five years since earning their last professional degree, and includes both a trophy and a $1,000 stipend. Dr. Jeter received the award May 6 during the annual meeting of the Low Vision Research Group in conjunction with the ARVO annual meeting in Denver.

Envision University, the educational arm of Envision, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of those who are blind and visually impaired, offers year-round and annual programs designed to advance and disseminate knowledge in the field of vision rehabilitation.

For more information, visit envisionuniversity.org