Three Australian researchers have received major research awards at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), on 2 October, in Anaheam, California.
Melbourne-trained optometrist Professor Suzi Fleiszig, who has worked at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, for the past three decades, received the Charles F Prentice Medal Award, which is the highest and most prestigious accolade of the Academy. This award recognises an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge through research in the visual sciences. Professor Fleiszig’s research focuses on the pathogenesis of bacterial infections of the cornea, with the principal aim of determining why patients who wear contact lenses are prone to infectious keratitis.
Dr Carol Lakkis is an honorary enterprise professor in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She was awarded the Max Schapero Memorial Lecture Award by the Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies of the Academy. This award is given to a clinician, researcher or scholar who has made a significant contribution to the cornea and contact lens field by virtue of their publications, lectures or research efforts. Dr Lakkis is a leader in the ophthalmic industry, particularly in research related to contact lenses and ocular microbiology. Her contributions extend to the development of commercial medical devices that enhance sight and quality of life.
Dr Alexis ‘Ceecee’ Britten-Jones is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and Centre for Eye Research Australia. Dr Britten-Jones received the Irvin M and Beatrice Borish Award which recognises an outstanding young scientist or clinician scientist who shows exceptional promise in conducting independent research directly related to aetiology, prevention, detection, diagnosis or management of clinical ocular disorders. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of inherited eye diseases and developing outcome measures for gene therapy clinical trials.
