Leunig & Farmer Eyecare, Leaders in Optometry

Leunig & Farmer Eyecare’s optometrists are at the forefront of the profession, involved in education, legislation, development and innovation in optometry. Leunig & Farmer Eyecare’s contribution to all aspects of optometry reaches far beyond the local community including conferences, seminars and lectures across Australia as well as an ongoing active commitment to the visual welfare of developing countries.

Directors

John Farmer, Ken Thomas, Markus Ochsenbein

Optometrists

Christopher Dean, Mary-Louise Hooton, Catherine Kubale, Helen Lockrey, Tim Martin, Ross McDowell, Adam Selent, Judith Taylor,

John Farmer

For cofounder and senior partner of Leunig & Farmer Eyecare John Farmer, optometry extends far beyond the consulting room. His work in Papua New Guinea and development of new optometric instrumentation indicates his passion and genuine concern for the vision and eye health of the community.

John’s recognition of the dire lack of optometric services for the people in Papua New Guinea lead to the initiation and coordination of an eye care training program, which has become the means for an established eye care system in Papua New Guinea. He is now a consultant with the International Centre for Eyecare Education through which he is currently working to establish an optical workshop at the Port Moresby Hospital Eye clinic.

John has developed letter charts designed for vision testing. These have been sold throughout Australia including every university school of optometry. The computer software John developed alongside Geoff Leunig is now one of the top selling optometric software packages in Australia. He has been awarded a number of research grants to develop a revolutionary new instrument to examine eyes.

John is a recipient of the Ivor J Lewis Memorial award for outstanding contributions to Optometry. He was also awarded a Paul Harris Fellow by the Drouin Rotary Club. For many years John was a part time clinical instructor of final year optometry students at Melbourne University. He has a Bachelor of Optometry from Melbourne University, a Certificate in Ocular Therapeutics through the State University of New York and a Masters in Optometry (Research) from Melbourne University.

He is registered with the Optometrist Registration Board of Victoria. He is also a Fellow of the Victorian College of Optometry and a member of the Contact Lens Society of Australia.

Ken Thomas

Ken Thomas plays a very important and influential role in optometry. Graduating from the University of Melbourne in 1985, Ken joined Leunig & Farmer Eyecare and became a partner in 1990.

Ken was a part time clinical instructor at the University of Melbourne, teaching final year optometry students in the Optometry Clinic for ten years. He is also Honorary Associate in the Faculty of Medicine, at the Monash Centre for Rural Health, where he has been presenting tutorials for medical students for the last ten years and has presented several lectures to GPs in the Gippsland region. He has spoken at several optometric conferences including the Southern Regional Congress, Young Optometrists and Graduates Seminars, the inaugural Victorian College of Optometry Cup Day conference and the inaugural Keith Mackriell Lecture at the Tasmanian Optometrists conference. He is an instigator and regular presenter of a Gippsland Optometric Continuing Education group.

Ken has been a member of the Therapeutic Sub Committee of the Optometrists Registration Board, and was the second Australian optometrist to complete the Ocular Therapeutics Course, involving a brief study trip to Boston. He has been involved with Leunig & Farmer Eyecare’s services to Papua New Guinea, completing three tours of duty.

Markus Ochsenbein

Markus Ochsenbein arrived at Leunig and Farmer Eyecare directly from Melbourne University and soon became partner and co director.

He has a Bachelor in Optometry from Melbourne University (1991). He is a fellow of the Victorian College of Optometry, and has been a member of the National Vision Research Institute Australia (NVRI) since 1992. He completed his Certificate of Therapeutic Endorsement in 2001, and received his Therapeutic Endorsement in 2002.

During his time at Leunig and Farmer Eyecare Markus has developed an interest in low vision patients. In 1996 he began consulting at the Low Vision Clinic, first at Kooyong and then at Warragul, and in 1997 he received a certificate in the rehabilitation of the partially sighted. He still consults at the Warragul Low Vision Clinic of Vision Australia once a month. He has also developed an interest in Children’s Vision and Behavioral Optometry, and completed the Postgraduate course in Behavioural Optometry (UNSW). He is a member of the Australian College of Behavioural Optometry (ACBO).