University of Waterloo

Sharon Qiu, OD

Sharon Qiu grew up in Hangzhou, China and Ottawa, Canada. Like many of her childhood friends in China, she developed nearsightedness at a young age. Her yearly visit to the eye doctor sparked her interest in optometry and vision science. She graduated from the prestigious Neuroscience BSc program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

At McGill, she joined a vision science research laboratory and became interested in myopia research. At the New England College of Optometry (NECO), Sharon enrolled in the OD/MS dual degree program and graduated as the valedictorian of the Class of 2022. Under the supervision of Drs. Jane Gwiazda and Thanasis Panorgias, her Master’s project focused on novel interventions of myopia control. Over the course of optometry school, she rotated through NECO’s specialty eye care clinics and solidified her passion for myopia control and contact lens care. Her rotation with Dr. Edward Boshnick at the Global Vision Rehabilitation Center in Miami truly opened her eyes to the power of specialty contact lenses for complex anterior segment disease management. Inspired by her clinical experiences, Sharon will start a residency in Cornea and Contact Lenses at the University of Waterloo in August 2022. After residency, she plans to work in academia and/or open her own specialty contact lens practice.

In her spare time, Sharon loves to travel (19 countries and counting), read and spend time with friends and family. She is an avoid yogi and hopes to become a part-time yoga teacher one day.