Dr. Hannah Han graduated with honours from Illinois College of Optometry after completing a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Simon Fraser University. 

 

She fulfilled her clinical training requirements at the Eye Institute in Chicago, Illinois; Omni Eye Services in Iselin, New Jersey; and Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center in Walla Walla, Washington.

 

During her externship training Dr. Han gained experience in pediatric care, contact lenses, low vision, ocular disease, pre- and post-surgical care, as well as primary care.

 

Dr. Han has a special interest in dry eye therapy and primary care. She was a member of the Tomb and Key and Beta Sigma Kappa International Honour Societies.

Every CHILD & SENIOR should have an

eye exam every single year.

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Graduating 12th Grader from Seaquam Secondary School, Delta

Lu Jia is an exceptional student, dedicating a tremendous amount of time to saving the environment and sustainability. One of her many achievements was to create and organize a BC Youth environment symposium called "Ignite a Spark".  When we award these scholarships, we are really looking for students who do more than simply volunteer, but are innovators, creators and active shapers of our future.  Lu Jia is hoping to one be a doctor and work with Doctors Without Borders, assisting areas most in need.

Graduating 12th Grader from Gleneagle Secondary School, Coquitlam

Jennifer has spent much time working on waste reduction and sees this issue as one of the key issues of sustainability for our region and the world's future.  Among her many volunteer and activist roles, she has worked closely with the "Green Team" at Gleneagle Secondary School. Jennifer plans to work in the waste industry and will also continue her active work as an environmentalist.

Graduating 12th Grader from Cariboo Hill Secondary School, Burnaby

Shivani is an avid volunteer for many causes including the Youth Action Committee, Burnaby Youth Sustainability Network among others, and even earned the title of one of "Canada's Top Teen Philanthropists".  Shivani is hoping to also become a doctor and work with Doctors Without Borders in order provide medical services to the world's most suffering communities.

The Lifetime Eyecare Service Hero Scholarship is given once a year to at least two (sometimes three) deserving students.  We provide $2,000 a year, distributing this amount to those who are dedicated to saving our planet, assisting their communities and have illustrated a profound service-ethic towards philanthropy and the plight of those less fortunate or less socially empowered.

 

Glaucoma Drug Can Restore Vision?

 

A new study shows that the eyesight of patients with an unusual vision disorder linked to obesity improves twice as much if they take a glaucoma drug and lose a modest amount of weight than if they only lose weight.

Robert Boston, Working with colleagues at 38 centers nationwide, Washington University neuro-ophthalmologist Gregory P. Van Stavern, MD, has found that combining a glaucoma drug with a weight-loss program can improve vision in patients with the disorder known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

The condition, called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United States. Most are obese women ages 20 to 50.

The researchers recently reported their results in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

The condition's most common symptoms are headaches and vision problems, including blind spots, poor peripheral vision, double vision and temporary episodes of blindness. Five to 10 percent of women with the disorder experience disabling vision loss. Only about 5 percent of cases involve men.

"The condition results in elevated pressure in the fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord," said co-author Gregory P. Van Stavern, MD, a neuro-ophthalmologist at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. "We don't completely understand the disorder but know it affects the optic nerve because when fluid pressure is elevated, the optic nerve is swollen when we examine the eye."

Previous research has found that losing 5 to 10 percent of body weight can improve symptoms in many patients. The glaucoma drug used in the study, acetazolamide, is a diuretic given to glaucoma patients to reduce pressure in the eye. Many eye specialists also have prescribed the drug - given as a pill rather than eye drops - to reduce fluid production in and around the brain.

The disorder also is called pseudotumor cerebri because its symptoms resemble those of a brain tumor, and it is becoming more common as the obesity epidemic grows. In developing countries where obesity is uncommon, very few cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension exist, Van Stavern said.

The study was conducted at 38 clinical sites in the United States and included 161 women and four men with the disorder and mild vision loss.

At the time subjects enrolled in the study, their average body mass index (BMI) was about 40. A BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese... (continued on our website)

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