Blair Wong, M.Ed, ABOM, NCLC, CRO, board president of GoodVision USA, has been named the 2025 International Optician of the Year by the International Opticians Association (IOA). The award was presented Sept. 27 at Silmo Paris, an international optical trade show.

Wong, who is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, is the first optician with complete vision loss to receive the award. He was chosen from six international finalists in recognition of his contributions to opticianry, including professional achievement, education, and efforts to expand access to vision care worldwide.

After working as a practicing optician in Massachusetts, he shifted to education following his diagnosis, teaching optics to students at the New England College of Optometry for more than 30 years. In 2007, he launched the opticianry program at Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology in Boston, where he built the program to a nearly 100% job placement rate while serving predominantly first-generation college students and students of color.

Wong’s honor coincides with a milestone for GoodVision USA, which recently delivered its one-millionth pair of eyeglasses to underserved communities. To date, the organization has provided 2.2 million free eye screenings and created more than 530 permanent jobs in 11 countries.

"I am very humbled and overwhelmed by this amazing honor from the International Opticians Association," says Wong. "I hope this moment helps elevate the awareness that not only is opticianry an exciting career choice but it is also an opportunity to serve the most vulnerable and vision-needy populations, locally and throughout the world."

"Blair reminds us regularly that we're not just in the vision business, we're in the business of human dignity," says Matt Gianino, GoodVision USA's executive director. "Everyone who works with and learns from Blair starts to see that every pair of glasses is a bridge to someone's full potential."

In addition to his role at GoodVision USA, Wong was inducted into the Opticians Association of America Hall of Fame in 2022 and was named an #EBGameChanger honoree that same year. He currently serves as executive director of the Opticians Association of Massachusetts.