CCLR announces new name

The Centre for Contact Lens Research (CCLR) at Canada’s University of Waterloo’s school of optometry and vision science has announced that from January 2018 it will go by the new name of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE).

The name change has been made to reflect the organisation’s expanded services and partnerships as it enters its 30^th year.

Director of CORE, Lyndon Jones, told OT: “Over 30 years the organisation has changed, developed and progressed. This new name is going to better reflect what it is that we do compared with our previous name.”

Mr Jones explained to OT  that the name change is an acknowledgment of what the organisation has evolved into.

“What we’ve seen over the last decade is a marked expansion in the areas of microbiology, toxicology, drug delivery, far more basic science in the biological sciences, plus an expansion of our educational areas,” he said.

“It isn’t so much of a new focus, but a change to tell the story of who we are and what we do,” Mr Jones added.

A new logo has also been unveiled, which represents CORE’s primary focus on the eye. It features three different colours – blue, green and orange – to represent biosciences, clinical research and education expertise.

The CORE brand was revealed at the American Academy of Optometry’s 96^th annual meeting, which took place on 11 October in Chicago, US.

In support of the rebrand, CORE commissioned artist John Park to create a mural that depicts the complexity of the eye.

Attendees at the meeting in Chicago were invited to add their own brush stroke, and the final piece will be positioned at CORE’s headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario.

Watch a timelapse video of the CORE mural being created.