Lisa Lombardi and Pauline Xu awarded 2025 LOOK scholarships

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Lisa Lombardi and Pauline Xu have each been awarded a travel scholarship as part of Optometry Australia’s 2025 Looking Outward on Optometric Knowledge (LOOK) International program.   

Optometry Australia’s vision for the future is of a robust optometry profession, where optometrists work to their full and evolved clinical scope across multiple health care contexts to better meet the unmet eye health needs of an ageing population. A key enabler of our pursuit of this future for the profession is our LOOK scholarship program.

Launched in 2020, the LOOK International program was established to evolve optometric scope of practice by funding member-led study tours that investigate international optometric advancements that are not yet available, or readily available, in Australia.

This year, we are delighted to announce that Lisa Lombardi and Pauline Xu have each been awarded a $10,000 travel scholarship in support of their planned study tours, with more details on each outlined below.

Optometry Australia’s Director of Optometry Advancement, Sarah Davies said, ‘We are again pleased with the high level of member interest in the LOOK Scholarship program. The calibre of applications was impressive, and we thank everyone who took the time to apply. We are proud to be able to support these important investigations, and excited to share Lisa and Pauline’s findings and experiences with our wider membership in the coming year.’

The outcomes of Pauline and Lisa’s study tours will be published in an upcoming issue of Optometry Connection, and will inform future advancements in Australian optometry practices, offering new perspectives on collaborative care and service expansion. This will contribute to Optometry Australia’s efforts to ensure optometrists of tomorrow can work to an evolved scope, more fully integrated across primary care and within eye health pathways.

Lisa Lombardi – Low vision in the USA

Lisa Lombardi, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at CERA and former Lead Optometrist at the Australian College of Optometry, will travel to the USA to study low vision rehabilitation.

With her study grant, Lisa plans to evaluate the latest low vision research and explore ways to develop collaborations with orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialists and occupational therapists. Lisa will also present at the Southwest Orientation and Mobility Association conference in Texas.

‘An estimated 575,000 Australians are blind or vision impaired and with our aging population these figures are set to rise. The everyday impacts on people living with a vision impairment are profound, affecting independence, confidence, mental health, social engagement and wellbeing. Low vision (LV) service provision is central to improving patient quality of life and an aspect of optometry practice, which sets us apart from other eyecare professionals,’ Lisa said.

‘In the USA there are dedicated low vision rehabilitation centres, which take a holistic approach compared to what is offered to patients in Australia currently. Furthermore, training in the USA for LV care involves the management of patients with visual impairment including central field loss, acquired neurological disorders, traumatic brain injury, ocular prosthetics, specialty contact lenses, and other assistive and adaptive technology. I am particularly interested to learn about the scope of practice of optometrists in this setting as well as the LV solutions and adaptive devices which are available there.’

Through the LOOK scholarship, Lisa aims to enhance low vision optometry services in Australia, improving clinical care for patients with vision impairments and fostering greater collaboration between healthcare professionals.

Pauline Xu – Integration of optometry into the broader healthcare system in the USA

Pauline is the Principal Optometrist and Clinic Operation Manager at Centre for Eye Health in NSW. She is also a senior lecturer and clinic governance officer at the University of Western Australia in WA. Pauline has previously worked as a clinic director and spearheaded the establishment of Eye Health Centre of Western Australia (EHCWA).

Through her LOOK Scholarship, Pauline aims to address the lack of standardised integration of optometry into the broader healthcare system. Pauline will visit two leading optometry program institutions in the United States to explore how these optometry programs position optometry as an effective component of a comprehensive healthcare system. In doing so, she will explore how these programs serve underserved communities, such as Native American populations, through partnerships and integrated care.

‘A unique aspect of the Oklahoma College of Optometry is its partnership with the Cherokee Nation and other local entities, resulting in over 40,000 patient encounters per year for students, residents, and faculty. The Cherokee Nation in the U.S., akin to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, face significant health disparities often linked to historical trauma, socioeconomic factors, and limited access to healthcare. I hope to gain insights into the formation of these partnerships and how similar models could help close the gap in eye care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.’

Through her learnings, Pauline hopes to explore two key areas: how optometry can be effectively integrated into broader healthcare systems, and how partnerships can help serve underserved populations.

Further reading

• The details of the LOOK scholarship program, along with links to published articles regarding previous study tours can be found here.
• Optometry Australia is advocating for a healthcare system which fully utilises optometrists, working collaboratively with other health professionals, to make a genuine difference in providing timely eye care for Australians. Read more about the Scope of Practice review, here.