11/04/2025
We are thrilled to announce that our very own Dr. Shane Foster has been named Optometrist of the Year by the Ohio Optometric Association!! 🎉🎉
This prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Foster’s outstanding dedication to patient care, leadership within the profession, and tireless advocacy for children’s vision and access to quality eye care for all Ohioans.
We at Hocking Hills Eye Care are so proud to call him our doctor, our colleague, and our friend.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Foster on this well-deserved recognition!!
Warren G. and Ruth P. Morris Optometrist of the Year – Dr. Shane Foster
Dr. Shane Foster has made significant and lasting contributions to the OOA and the broader optometric community over the past 17 years since becoming a Doctor of Optometry. He has long served the association on various committees, as a Zone Governor, and as a member of the OOA Board. As an OOA Past President and current President of iSee Ohio, a position he has held since 2017—Dr. Foster has consistently demonstrated a steadfast commitment to expanding access to high-quality eye care for children throughout Ohio and to advancing the profession of optometry.
Under his leadership, the iSee Ohio organization has grown to new levels of charitable vision care for Ohio’s children. The Ohio Optometric Foundation (now iSee Ohio) expanded through collaboration with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio and partnership with Vision to Learn’s mobile program. Gaining from the success of the ResultsOhio grant, the Foundation was awarded a monumental $2.5 million OBM grant. Most recently, the Governor pushed for a Children’s Vision Initiative to be included in the state’s biennium budget and was greatly influenced by the proven track record of the Foundation’s iSee program. Dr. Foster’s leadership has been integral in every step of the process.
Dr. Foster serves the AOA on the State Government Relations Committee and previously served on the New Technology Committee. He has long been an AOA Federal Key Person, representing our profession to members of Congress including former Senator Sherrod Brown. He is a Change Agent for the AOA Myopia Collective as well as an InfantSEE provider. He is both an AOA-PAC Visionary Contributor and OOPAC Diamond Contributor. In August, he announced his candidacy for the AOA Board of Directors.
As a Clinical Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University College of Optometry and an Adjunct Professor at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, he continues to mentor and inspire the next generation of optometrists. He exemplifies the high standards of our profession and demonstrates the values of leadership, community service, and mentorship.
