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Lesley L. Walls Vision Center opens on BA Campus Jayden Warner TNE Writer The state-of-the-art Lesley L.

Walls Vision Center on the NSU Broken Arrow campus will provide low-vision and neuro-optometric services for clients in the greater Tulsa area. The grand opening is March 25. Lesley L. Walls was an early dean of the College of Optometry at NSU. He then became the dean of the College of Optometry at Pacific University in Forrest Grove, Ore., and finally, president of Southern California College of Optometry in Los Angeles. The Tulsa metropolitan area has no comprehensive low-vision services available to the general public, and yet, there are nearly 20,000 visually impaired people living in the Tulsa County and the 15 counties surrounding it, said David Lewerenz, associate professor of optometry at NSU. Since NSU already had a campus at Broken Arrow, the College of Optometry planned on having a clinical presence there for many years. There are also limited opportunities for care for people with brain injuries and eye coordination problems. We are very excited about the vision center coming to Broken Arrow, said Wes Smith, optician of the Walls Vision Center. The optometry program will benefit from the educational opportunities for the students and residents. They will be able to evaluate and provide care for many more patients than is possible at the Tahelquah campus alone. We will provide care for those people who have lost vision from an eye or brain disease or injury, by providing specially designed glasses, magnification devices, telescopes, filters for glare and electronic magnification devices to allow a visually impaired person make maximum use of the vision that remains, said Lewerenz. The objective is to allow people who have experienced vision loss to continue life independently as possible. One aspect that sets our program apart is the multidisciplinary nature of it, said Lewerenz. Care will also be provided for those who have lost visual function from brain injury, have difficulty with eye movement or coordination, and children who have focusing, coordination or visual processing problems. Our partnership with NewView Oklahoma allows us to work alongside specially trained occupational therapists, orientation and mobility specialists and assistive technology specialists who can also make visits to patients in their homes, said Lewerenz. The clinic will provide real-world experience for learning and research for NSU students and adjunct staff. The different types of clinical and practical experience can make the clinic an asset for those in need, as well as help those who will contribute to the field in the future. There are also plans to utilize the facility to offer continuing education events for area optometrists, ophthalmologists and other professionals. For more information, call the Lesley L. Walls Vision Center at 918-449-6210. Published 3/24/14

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