Quynh Nguyen, a third year student in UMSL’s College of Optometry, was recently named to CooperVision’s Student Myopia Leadership Society. As UMSL’s representative in the society, she will take part in educational and professional development opportunities to learn more about myopia management. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

When Quynh Nguyen was first applying to different optometry schools, her uncle, an oncologist, told her about her cousin, who was sleeping in contact lenses to help reshape her cornea.

Nguyen was surprised, as she’d always heard that you’re not supposed to sleep in contact lenses. But when she started her studies in the College of Optometry at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, she learned more about orthokeratology lenses – rigid, gas-permeable contact lenses designed to be worn overnight to correct myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism.

“I thought it was just really cool learning about reshaping your cornea, fixing your myopia and being able to see better than you did when you started,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen’s interest in myopia management led her to CooperVision’s Student Myopia Leadership Society, which provides educational experiences for students in optometry schools across North America who are dedicated to helping treat children with myopia. Nguyen, who is now in her third year in UMSL’s College of Optometry, was named a 2025-26 Student Myopia Leader last month. As UMSL’s representative in the society, Nguyen will take part in educational and professional development opportunities throughout the year to learn more about the evolving landscape of myopia management and ways to achieve the best evidence-based outcomes in clinical practice.

“I’m going to be spreading awareness to the class by being a representative for CooperVision about myopia management, especially for younger kids,” Nguyen said. “Kids nowadays are affected by myopia early on and have to wear glasses really young because they do a lot of near work or they’re on screens all the time.”

Nguyen is excited to spread awareness about myopia management with her classmates and share information about best practices, including CooperVision’s own MiSight lens, which helps reshape the cornea. She’s also looking forward to interacting with other representatives from optometry schools across the country, who she’ll be meeting for the first time this week during the American Academy of Optometry’s annual conference in Boston, and touring CooperVision’s facilities in New York next spring.

Nguyen is no stranger to getting involved on campus. She’s been a student ambassador and a TA, has held leadership roles in UMSL’s chapters of the American Optometric Student Association and National Optometric Student Association and is also a member of the American Academy of Optometry, Missouri Optometric Foundation, UMSL Private Practice Club and Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity.

“I just wanted to get more involved,” Nguyen said. “I like talking to people, so I want to make sure that everyone feels welcomed, and I like meeting new people and meeting people in other classes. When you’re in school all day, it’s hard to meet people, so the clubs give me a chance to meet other people in the other years.”

Nguyen, who was originally on the pre-med track during her undergraduate career, switched to optometry after shadowing a few friends of friends. A Kansas City native, she chose UMSL for its family-like atmosphere and small class sizes, which allow her to interact with professors on a one-to-one basis and develop closer relationships with her classmates. Her first few years of optometry school have involved a lot of studying, but she’s also had time to make a lot of memories with friends, whether through study groups, joining different clubs, exploring St. Louis or interacting with people in the field. All of those experiences have helped reaffirm that optometry is the right path for her.

“I really like how you’re able to follow patients from when they’re younger to when they’re older,” Nguyen said. “They kind of come in happy and then leave happier, since you help them with their vision. Vision is just a really important thing for you every single day to experience the world.”