Winners of the 2024 OV/SA Awards and Life Members announced

The 2024 OV/SA Awards were presented on 17 November by OV/SA President, Timothy Lo at the SRC Mini Conference in Melbourne. We congratulate the following 2024 Award recipients and Life Members, as well as the worthy finalists.

Optometrist of the Year: Zhichao Wu

 Zhichao is a renowned optometrist researcher, specialising in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and Australian College of Optometry, recognised for his extensive contributions to retinal literature. Zhichao’s glaucoma research was honoured as one of the top ten National Health and Medical Research Council Research Projects in 2024. With over 120 published articles and significant research funding, he is ranked among the top 200 global research optometrists. His excellence in supervision is recognised with a Melbourne Medical School Award. He currently supervises 19 research students, and delivers regular educational talks and seminars for eye care practitioners.

Rising Star of the Year: Mohammed Alebrahimi

Driven by his own challenges as a refugee, Mohammed has dedicated his career to improving the health of migrants and refugees. He has founded home care and disability services, assisting over 1,000 people annually, primarily from diverse cultural backgrounds. Mohammed also facilitates employment through training partnerships, assisting individuals in securing work, especially in aged care. During the pandemic, Mohammed and his family established a community healthcare centre in Roxburgh Park, Melbourne, providing services including optometry. His clinic has now served over 4,500 clients, prioritising inclusive and affordable health care.

Life Members: John Bartlett and John Farmer OAM

John Bartlett and John Farmer OAM have been honoured as OV/SA Life Members, in recogntions of the significant contributions they have made to optometry over their long and distinguished careers.

John Bartlett

There are few individuals who have changed the profession of Australian optometry more than John Bartlett. His diverse contributions span legislative changes, therapeutics scope of practice rights and educational innovations.

As a leader within the Victorian division of Optometry Australia (now OV/SA) for over 15 years, including serving as President from 1994 to 1996, John played a pivotal role in securing expanded therapeutic rights for optometrists. He was instrumental in developing therapeutic courses, in partnership with the Optometry Departments of the State University of New York and Queensland University of Technology, and advocating for government recognition of prior experience and learning. This enabled optometrists to gain full scope to prescribe topical S4 drugs, including glaucoma medications, without the need for lengthy full-time courses.

John was an optometry lecturer at the University of Melbourne for 13 years and director for the Southern Regional Congress (SRC). He transformed SRC into one of the largest ophthalmic conferences in the southern hemisphere, attracting renowned international speakers and focusing on cutting-edge topics.

In 2008, John left private practice to pursue his passion of delivering professional education, taking a global leadership role at Essilor. In this time, he oversaw the strategic direction of Essilor’s Professional Services and delivery of training programs to eyecare practitioner in countries throughout Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Russia and Africa.

OV/SA congratulates John Bartlett on a lifetime of innovation and staunch commitment to advancing the optometry profession.

John Farmer OAM

Every stage of John Farmer’s extraordinary career embodies a strong commitment to both clinical excellence and global health.

After graduation, John began working for, then became a partner of what is today L&F Eye Care in Victoria. He embraced innovation and was a pioneer in adopting computerised practice management, including co-developing Optomate software and producing internally illuminated LogMAR charts.

His journey as an optometrist began with a desire to make a difference. He has relentlessly pursued opportunities to improve eye care, particularly in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where he began by providing eye care services to remote communities. Recognising the need for more sustainable solutions, John developed training programs to equip local healthcare workers as eyecare nurses. Over time, these programs expanded into a comprehensive 12-month course, which he was involved in teaching to train more skilled professionals.

John was instrumental in establishing a local NGO, which is now self-funding, to supply low-cost spectacles throughout PNG. He also provided equipment and training to ophthalmologists, and helped design the new Centre for Eye Health, currently under construction. This facility will provide clinical care as well as teaching facilities for ophthalmology, optometry and nurses. John has developed the soon to commence optometry degree program at University of Papua New Guinea school of Medicine and Health Sciences, and his research into eye conditions led to a better understanding of the nation’s eye health needs.

Throughout his career, John has received numerous awards, including the Ivor J. Lewis Memorial Award and the Order of Australia. Despite his retirement from clinical practice in Australia, John remains firmly dedicated to his work in PNG. His selfless efforts, often unpaid and self-funded, exemplify an unwavering commitment to improving eye health.

OV/SA congratulates John Farmer OAM on an incredibly distinguished career.