Optometrists
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ANDREW BOWDEN
Owner/Managing Director/OptometristSince graduating from QUT with Honours in 1995, Andrew has worked in private practice on the Gold Coast and New Farm in Brisbane. In 2001 he returned to Visions, and became a partner in January 2003. After becoming Managing Partner in 2006, Andrew was responsible for the oversight of the ten Visions practices including business operations and staff management. In addition to this he also managed to see patients 3-4 days a week! In 2010, due to changes in the industry and different ideas on how to move forwards, the partners disbanded the Visions group and Andrew decided to form his own independent eyecare brand that can offer Gold Coast residents a unique individualized experience. A local brand with local relationships, and genuinely part of the local community. With his wife Honor, an artist, they conceived an eyecare brand that would truly aim to create individual solutions for each unique client/patient that walked in the door.
Andrew usually consults at Treetops and Tweed, with a session at Nerang and Burleigh each week also. His professional interest is providing quality primary eyecare to his patients, with special interests in ocular disease diagnosis and management, and contact lens practice. Andrew has been fitting continuous wear silicone hydrogel contact lenses since their launch in 1999, and he has sub-specialities in multifocal contact lenses and specialty custom contact lenses including correcting keratoconus and Ortho-K vision correction therapy. He underwent specialty training in Ortho-K in 2004. Andrew loves offering his patients the latest options in eyecare.
Andrew completed the SUNY Ocular Therapeutics course in 1997, a post-graduate qualification in business management in 2002, and several short courses through the Australian Institute of Management. In 2009 Andrew completed the Graduate Certificate in Ocular Therapeutics at QUT and became certified to prescribe ocular medications. He served as a clinical supervisor at QUT from 1998-2000. Andrew also acts as a consultant to the optical industry, having participated in the clinical trials of Purevision Toric, Soflens Multifocal, and Purevision Multifocal for Bausch and Lomb. In November 2007, he attended an industry focus group in Adelaide, to assist Transitions Optical in developing optometrist education programmes.
In his spare time, Andrew enjoys spending time with his family, listening to music and attending live shows, travel, cooking and eating out, reading, politics and world events, watching cricket, rugby and basketball, and fishing.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor of Applied Science Optometry (Hons) QUT 1995
- Graduate Certificate Ocular Therapeutics QUT 2009
- Diagnostic Ophthalmic Drugs Certificate
- Certificate Small Business Management 2002
- SUNY Ocular Therapeutics Certificate 1997
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- Member, Optometrists Association Australia
- Member Contact Lens Society Australia
- Member Oceania Orthokeratology Society
- Member, Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry
- Member, Ocular Nutrition Society (USA)
- Member Central Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce
- Member Tweed Chamber of Commerce
- Member Nerang Chamber of Commerce
CELIA BLOXSOM: Senior Associate Optometrist, Group Clinical Eyecare Manager
Graduating with first class honours from QUT in 2000, Celia Bloxsom entered private practice in Southside Brisbane in December that same year. After six months, craving challenge and a chance to follow her developing interests, she joined an inner city Brisbane practice specializing in contact lenses. Under the mentorship offered, Celia became skilled in fitting any and all contact lens types. These ranged from disposables, coloured and extended wear designs to complicated lens designs for several corneal conditions, including high astigmatism, keratoconus, peripheral marginal degeneration and post-corneal grafts. She also learnt to fit the modality of orthokeratology, where a special type of rigid contact lens is designed for the eye to be worn only at night and provide 12 to 48 hours of clear unaided vision for the wearer.
Her reputation for fitting contact lenses earned her a place as a supervising clinician at the School of Optometry at QUT, and she continues to spend Wednesday afternoons lending her expert tuition to the next generation of QUT graduates. Having attended several conferences in Canada, UK and USA about contact lenses, mostly focusing on orthokeratology, her passion for the lens modality had her elected as Secretary for the Orthokeratology Society of Oceania in 2003, where she since has helped increase membership three fold and coordinated seven (2004-2010) successful national conferences which are attended by speakers and delegates from US, UK, Europe and Asia. She also acts as a consultant to the contact lens industry. In 2008, Celia successfully completed the QUT Graduate Certificate in Ocular Therapeutics and is licensed to prescribe ocular drugs to treat eye disease. Celia’s reputation in contact lenses and international recognition in orthokeratology, as well as her delight in general practice, has made her a key leader in the Envision Optical business and she was appointed the founding Group Clinical Eyecare Manager, where her responsibility is to drive the high clinical care standards of the group and ensure that valuable new clinical services are offered to our local clients as they become available. Outside of work Celia enjoys movies, shopping and travel.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor of Applied Science Optometry (Hons) QUT 2000
- Graduate Cetificate Ocular Therapeutics QUT 2008
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- Member, Optometrists Association Australia
- Member Contact Lens Society Australia
- Member Oceania Orthokeratology Society
- Secretary Oceania Orthokeratology Society
SALLY STEVENS: Behavioural Optometrist
After graduating from QUT in 2000 in the same class as Celia, Sally worked in general optometry practice. With a developing interest in vision therapy and children’s vision problems and learning, leading her towards the behavioural optometry style of practice, in 2002 she joined Roberts Alexander Optometrists, the largest behavioural optometry practice in Queensland. She worked there until 2009 when she moved to the Gold Coast. In 2008 Sally received a Fellowship to the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry. She is currently a member of the ACBO Fellowship Examination Board and attends national and international behavioural and general optometry conferences every year. Outside of work Sally enjoys surfing, cooking and competing in triathlons.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor of Applied Science Optometry (Hons) QUT 2000
- Fellow ACBO 2008
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- Member, Optometrists Association Australia
- Fellow, Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry
- Member, ACBO Fellowship Examination Board
- Member Contact Lens Society Australia
- Member Oceania Orthokeratology Society
NICOLE ARNOLD: Optometrist
After growing up on the Gold Coast, Nicole attended QUT in the same student intake as Andrew. Following graduation in 1995, Nicole moved back to the coast with her husband, and worked for various local optometrists. For the last 10 years, in between raising her 4 children and helping her husband run their successful surveying and town planning business, Nicole has worked part-time in practices owned by Andrew Bowden. She enjoys general optometry practice and looks forward to her weekly sessions at Tweed Heads. Away from work she is kept very busy spending time with her husband Michael and their four children, and enjoys travel and reading good books.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor of Applied Science Optometry QUT 1995
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- Member, Optometrists Association Australia
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