Southern California College of Optometry announced that Stan Woo, OD, MS, will serve as the new dean of optometry beginning in July 2013. Currently, Dr. Woo is chief of the Vision Rehabilitation Service, founding director of the Center for Sight Enhancement and director of the Residency in Low Vision Rehabilitation at University of Houston College of Optometry.

Among children with poor literacy skills, as many as one in six (nearly 17%) also have poor stereoacuity, according to a study in January’s Optometry & Vision Science. Investigators in Tasmania tested a total of 490 primary school children who scored below the 10th percentile for literacy at a third grade level. They found that children with poor stereoacuity had a higher frequency of convergence insufficiency symptoms. Poor stereopsis was also associated with prematurity and bottom shuffling. In addition, children with poor stereopsis demonstrated squint, migraine and attention deficit disorder. These associations require further investigation, the researchers say.

Pacific University, Forest Grove, Ore., recently opened an administrative office in Honolulu to better serve its large number of current students, prospective students and alumni who have ties to Hawaii. Approximately 20% of students attending the university hail from Hawaii and more than 1,300 Pacific alumni reside on the islands. Pacific has also developed an agreement that will establish a seamless degree pathway for Hawaii’s community college students to earn their bachelor’s degree at the university.