Optometry
Drexel
General News
This new generation of optometrists has a unique opportunity to advance the profession through education, advocacy and evidence-based care, according to Noor Alami ‘27OD. And, she’s doing just that.
Alami is the first student from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Drexel University’s Elkins Park campus to be named a Student Change Agent by the Myopia Collective. The initiative, led by the American Optometric Association (AOA) and CooperVision, recognizes emerging leaders dedicated to advancing awareness and management of childhood myopia, a progressive condition that causes distant objects to appear blurry while nearby objects remain clear.
The Myopia Collective hosted its inaugural “Day of Advocacy” in mid-June at Optometry’s Meeting. The organization used the occasion to highlight how advocacy, peer-to-peer education and student engagement are expanding awareness of myopia management across the profession. "As myopia progresses, the eye’s increased elongation can contribute to structural changes and increase the risk of complications such as retinal tears, retinal detachment and myopic macular changes later in life," said Alami.
The initiative featured Change Agents and supporters from across the country sharing advocacy achievements and advancing myopia management efforts in their practices, communities, schools, and states. The introduction of the inaugural class of Student Change Agents to the initiative reflects the growing interest in myopia management among optometry’s emerging leaders.
“We have research and evidence to support myopia management, but now we need people who are willing to advocate for it and educate others,” said Alami, who was nominated to be CooperVision’s 2026 Myopia Leader representing PCO. “It’s a progressive disease, which is why early detection and proactive management are so important.”
Originally from Northern Virginia right outside of Washington, D.C., Alami earned her undergraduate degree in Public Health from Virginia Tech with honors, where she conducted research focused on vision health equity and advocated for expanded school-based vision screenings for children in rural communities. These experiences deepened her commitment to improving access to eye care. Having experienced myopia herself as a child and spending years visiting her optometrist, Alami was drawn to the profession and ultimately chose PCO for its early clinical exposure at The Eye Institute.
“I’m very interested in contact lenses and all things anterior segment,” said Alami, who has served as president of the PCO/Drexel Contact Lens Club and participated in the Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH) service trip to Jamaica in October 2025. “Being a Student Change Agent has been an incredible opportunity, and I hope to continue advocating for myopia management long after graduation.”
She is currently completing her contact lens rotation in Chicago, where she is gaining hands-on experience applying myopia management strategies and incorporating evidence-based approaches into patient care.
Outside of the clinic, she is embracing the city’s culture, including experiencing her first Portillo’s hot dog, a famous Chicago-style hot dog topped with yellow mustard, green relish, chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, a pickle spear, peppers and celery salt. Chicagoans call it “dragging the dog through the garden.”
“Everybody told me that I can’t have ketchup on it,” said Alami, who also experienced her first Chicago White Sox baseball game as well recently. “I’m starting to feel like a real Chicagoan.”
