Jan E. Lovie-Kitchin is an Australian

optometrist Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Uni ...

, former professor at

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

and founder of the university's Vision Rehabilitation Centre. She was the co-developer of the Bailey-Lovie visual acuity chart.

Biography

Lovie-Kitchin obtained her first degree from the Department of Optometry at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

in 1973 and got her master's three years later at the same place, under the guidance of Professor Ian Bailey, who had been the first optometry clinician to work at the Kooyong Low Vision Clinic in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. In 1976, she and Bailey created the Bailey-Lovie visual acuity chart, which is now used worldwide, particularly in research settings. The chart was described in 2009 as the most popular redesign of the

Snellen chart A Snellen chart is an eye chart that can be used to measure visual acuity. Snellen charts are named after the Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen, who developed the chart in 1862. Many ophthalmologists and vision scientists now use an improved ...

. By 1980, she became a clinical optometrist at the

Victorian College of Optometry The Australian College of Optometry (ACO) is a not-for-profit organisation in Australia committed to improving the eye health and well-being of Australian communities. Established in 1940, the ACO delivers public health optometry, vision rese ...

. Later she moved to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, where she became a lecturer at the School of Optometry at

. In 1985, she published her first textbook. In 1992, Lovie-Kitchin was promoted to an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

and she completed a Ph.D. four years later. In 1998, Lovie-Kitchin and Stephen G. Whittaker received the

Garland W. Clay Award ''Optometry and Vision Science'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins on behalf of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal was established in 1924 as the ''American Journal of Optometry''. It ...

from the

American Academy of Optometry The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) is an organization of optometrists based in Orlando, Florida. Its goal is to maintain and enhance excellence in optometric practice, by both promoting research and the dissemination of knowledge. The AAO hold ...

(AAO), which is given to the authors of the most influential paper over the preceding five years in the journal ''

Optometry and Vision Science ''Optometry and Vision Science'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins on behalf of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal was established in 1924 as the ''American Journal of Optometry''. ...

''. Lovie-Kitchin and Whittaker conducted research into the relationship between visual acuity and reading, coining the term ''acuity reserve'' to describe the difference between the threshold print size and the reading acuity. The AAO also named Lovie-Kitchin a Research Low Vision Diplomate in 2003. She was named a life member of the

Australian College of Optometry The Australian College of Optometry (ACO) is a not-for-profit organisation in Australia committed to improving the eye health and well-being of Australian communities. Established in 1940, the ACO delivers public health optometry, vision resear ...

in 2014. Lovie-Kitchin was a consultant at the Kooyong Low Vision Clinic in Melbourne and the Low Vision Care Centre in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. In 1993 she founded the QUT Vision Rehabilitation Centre and in 2007 became a director of

Vision Australia Vision Australia is a not-for-profit organisation and Australia's largest provider of services for people with blindness and low vision. Background Vision Australia was created in 2004 through the merger of 4 smaller blindness organisations: t ...

. Since retiring from her academic post in 2006, she has served as an adjunct professor at QUT and is a chairwoman of the University Human Research Ethics Committee.

References

Living people 20th-century births Australian optometrists University of Melbourne alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Academic staff of Queensland University of Technology {{US-med-bio-stub