Dr. Curt Fritts-Davis Named Bill Mattingly Memorial Scholarship Recipient

The Paso del Norte Community Foundation has selected Dr. Curt Fritts-Davis as a 2023 winner of the Bill Mattingly Memorial Scholarship. This is a competitive national award open to all optometry and ophthalmology students and ODs and MDs completing residencies in Low Vision. Dr. Fritts-Davis, who graduated from The Ohio State University on May 7, was chosen based on his exceptional work and his promise as an optometrist who will make a real difference in the field of low vision rehabilitation.

According to Dr. Roanne Flom, The Ohio State University College of Optometry’s Low Vision Service Chief, Dr. Fritts-Davis has a deep and genuine interest in low vision rehabilitation.

“Dr. Fritts-Davis has a preternatural skill in recognizing his patients’ needs and adjusting his approach to suit those needs,” states Dr. Flom. “It is exciting to imagine the career path for Dr. Fritts-Davis. He has a remarkable background and is poised to have real impact.”

About the Bill Mattingly Memorial Scholarship

For almost 40 years, Bill Mattingly was involved in the field of low vision in various capacities – as a practitioner, teacher, author, and business owner. His passion for low vision was ignited when, as a young teacher, he identified a student struggling with math. He determined it was due to the child’s vision, but was frustrated that the school district elected to place the student in remedial classes rather than provide the vision accommodations or adaptive aids truly required. This pivotal event changed Bill’s professional trajectory and started his search to provide quality vision products for people with low vision.

To honor Bill Mattingly's memory, Mattingly Low Vision has partnered with the Paso del Norte Community Foundation to provide a $2,500  and $1,000  to an optometry or ophthalmology resident and student interested in contributing to the field of Low Vision.