Gordon Sanderson Scholarship recipient Sally Parker

University of Otago Medical School third-year student Sally Parker is the 2023 recipient of the Gordon Sanderson Scholarship.

While glaucoma stands as one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness, there is a lack of data on the lifetime risk of blindness both globally and in New Zealand, said Parker. With the scholarship’s support, Parker said her aim is to quantify blindness rates among glaucoma patients who died between 2015 and 2020 within the former Auckland District Health Board. Her research will focus on identifying risk factors for blindness, including visual field loss at baseline/diagnosis, maximum intraocular pressures, fluctuation of intraocular pressures during treatment, glaucoma type, age at death and the coexistence of other ocular pathology, she said. “The insights gained from this study will be invaluable for enhancing service planning and patient counselling offered by glaucoma providers.”

The Gordon Sanderson Scholarship is awarded annually to an optometry or medical student from the Universities of Otago, Sydney or Auckland for research or education relating to glaucoma. It was created in memory of the late Associate Professor Gordon Sanderson, a founding trustee of Glaucoma New Zealand and passionate eye health educator. Applications for the next scholarship will open in August 2024.

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