Gordon Named CooperVision Endowed Scholar
Adam Gordon, OD, MPH, FAAO, has been named the UAB School of Optometry’s first CooperVision Endowed Scholar – Myopia Management and Contact Lenses.
“This is an incredible honor, and I am humbled to be the first CooperVision Endowed Scholar at the UAB School of Optometry,” Gordon said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to hold this position and continue to work with talented faculty, students, residents, and staff. This generous endowment from CooperVision is an investment in the future of contact lens and myopia management education, research, and patient care at the School.”
As the selected scholar, Gordon is empowered to use the allocated funds to explore topics of his choice related to myopia control and contact lenses. He is committed to all aspects of cornea and contact lenses; however, the use of medically necessary contact lenses for patients with keratoconus, post-surgical conditions and ocular surface diseases is of particular interest.
“Custom-designed contact lenses are often the most effective treatment to restore normal vision in patients with medical eye conditions,” Gordon said.
The use of lenses for myopia control is of special interest as well.
“When I graduated from the UAB School of Optometry in 1982, I could not have envisioned that myopia would reach global epidemic (pandemic) status and be a major cause of visual impairment and morbidity worldwide,” he said.
Technology has advanced to the point where eye doctors now have three safe and effective methods to slow the progression of myopia, and two of these treatments involve novel contact lens designs. Researchers worldwide and at the UAB School of Optometry have been investigating the causes of myopia for nearly four decades, and it is critical that we translate these research discoveries into effective clinical treatments.”
Gordon, who is a professor of optometry, director of the Cornea and Contact Lens Service at UAB Eye Care and chair of the School’s Department of Optometry and Vision Science, was selected by Kelly K. Nichols, UAB School of Optometry dean, to receive this honor.
“Dr. Gordon is an exemplary educator of his patients, students, and the cornea and the contact lens resident he supervises,” she said. “His knowledge base is expansive, and we are pleased to help further his learnings with CooperVision’s support.”
The endowed scholar is a portion of CooperVision’s gift to the School. This gift also funds research awards for students earning dual Doctor of Optometry and Master’s in Vision Science degrees. Additionally, practicing optometrists pursuing a doctorate in Vision Science and conducting research in contact lenses and/or myopia management are potentially eligible for support due to this generous gift.