UHCO Receives NIH Grant for BLINK Study

The University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) is part of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study to determine whether commercially available soft bifocal contact lenses slow the progression of nearsightedness in children. Investigators at UHCO and The Ohio State University College of Optometry were awarded grants from the NIH’s National Eye Institute, worth approximately $7.5 million over five years. The Bifocal Lenses in Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) study is a multicenter randomized clinical trial that will follow nearly 300 children for three years. Dr. David A. Berntsen, UHCO Assistant Professor, is the principal investigator for the UH clinical site of this collaborative effort.

Also: The university mourns the loss of Dr. Jesse Davis Armistead, a champion and advocate for optometry and higher education in Texas, two-time member of the UH System Board of Regents, and namesake of the UH College of Optometry building. Dr. Armistead passed away in June.

Dr. Jesse Davis Armistead

Dr. Jesse Davis Armistead