Meredith W. Morgan Eye Center

We are pleased to welcome five new students to this year’s Vision Science Undergraduate Research (ViSUR) program: Lucia Cisneros, Alex Lersten, Ketaki Mijar, Sophia Tsai, and Nicky Tran.

ViSUR is an 8-week intensive summer program in which undergraduate students are given the opportunity to work in a vision science lab with a faculty advisor on a research project. In addition to a $5,000 stipend, all housing and travel expenses are coordinated and provided by UC Berkeley.

Learn more about each of our ViSUR students at: https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/2026-visur-cohort

We are proud to share that Dr. John G. Flanagan has received an honorary doctorate from the SUNY College of Optometry in recognition of his leadership in optometric education, research, and clinical care.

The Doctor of Science, honoris causa, was conferred during SUNY Optometry’s 52nd Commencement Ceremony on May 21, 2026, at Gotham Hall in Manhattan.

Dr. Flanagan served as the eighth Dean of our school from 2014 to 2025 and has made lasting contributions to vision science through his groundbreaking glaucoma research, extensive scholarship, and decades of federally funded work.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Flanagan on this well-deserved honor!

Read More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/dr-flanagan-receives-honorary-doctorate/

A new article from the latest issue of See Magazine is now available on our website. Written by Vision Science PhD student Paripoorna Sharma, “The Crisis Behind the Headlines” explores the real impact of research funding cuts on students, scientists, and the patients whose futures depend on continued discovery.

Read More:
https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/the-crisis-behind-the-headlines

On Thursday, May 21, we held the 2026 Vision Science Symposium, honoring this year’s graduates from the Vision Science Graduate Program. The program featured dissertation presentations from graduating students followed by a reception for students, faculty, family, friends, and colleagues.

Presentation topics reflected the breadth of vision science research, including color coding, retinal gene therapy, visual motion perception, glaucoma, scleral lens wear, ocular surface disease diagnosis, and retinal processing.

Congratulations to this year’s Vision Science graduates, and thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating their accomplishments!

Learn More: https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/vision-science-symposium-2

This month, we held our annual Fourth Year Awards Ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Berkeley Marina, honoring outstanding members of the graduating class of 2026.

Congratulations to all of this year’s awardees and once again to the entire Class of 2026! A special thank you to optometry student Tyler Lue for providing photography.

Read More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/fourth-year-awards-2/

Earlier this month, the optometry class of 2027 gathered for New Home Night, held at the Faculty Club.

This event is held annually to honor the contributions of all third-year students, thank them for their hard work in the clinic over the past year, and announce and recognize the recipients of awards and scholarships.

Congratulations to all of our winners, and best of luck to the class of 2027 as they depart for their rotations!

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/new-home-night-2/