CHICAGO—Women In Optometry (WO) presented its second annual Theia awards recognizing women ODs for excellence in the categories of leadership, mentorship and innovation during the American Academy of Optometry on Thursday. More than 130 people nominated women ODs for these awards; the WO professional advisory board voted on the final selection.

The Theia Awards for Excellence are named for the Greek goddess of vision or sight Theia. Each of the individual awards is named for a trailblazing woman optometrist.

Millicent L. Knight, OD, FAAO, FAARM, of Jacksonville, Florida, was honored with the Dr. D. Elva Cooper Award for Leadership. Dr. Knight is vice president of professional affairs for North America at Johnson & Johnson Vision.

Christine W. Sindt, OD, FAAO, from the University of Iowa, was honored with the Dr. Gertrude Stanton Award for Innovation. Dr. Sindt is the inventor and founder of the EyePrint Prosthetics Custom Impression Scleral Lens technology. Frustrated by being unable to fit patients with lenses that didn’t match the shape of their eyes, she developed an impression compound that is safe for use on the eye.

Etty Bitton, OD, MSc, FAAO, of the University of Montreal, was recognized with the Dr. Mae Booth-Jones Award for Mentorship. One nominator, a current student wrote, “She aspires in us greatness. She builds and molds us to realize and reach our full potentials as future doctors.”

In the spirit of women helping each other, encouraging each other and learning from each other, the 2017 Theia awards were presented by the 2016 Theia award winners.