(PRESS RELEASE) HAUPPAUGE, NY — ClearVision Optical’s David Friedfeld and SUNY College of Optometry awarded the latest Fred Friedfeld Memorial Scholarship and inaugurated a new scholarship, the Optical Community Scholarship, this past November at the college’s annual Scholarship Presentation program, held in partnership with its foundation, the Optometric Center of New York (OCNY).
The Optical Community Scholarship
David Friedfeld, co-owner and president of ClearVision, joined with the college, as well as the OCNY, to create an endowed fund to be annually awarded to optometry students who demonstrate personal experience with or an interest in working with underrepresented patients and communities.
Disparities in access to eyecare remain, and this scholarship effort aims to close that gap by identifying students who will work with underserved communities to offer more inclusive care and ensure improved vision health. With the Optical Community Scholarship, David Friedfeld and ClearVision Optical hope to work with SUNY College of Optometry and OCNY to build a future with better eyecare access for everyone.
As an endowed fund, the Optical Community Scholarship will be funded annually through Friedfeld’s initial donation.
The winners of the inaugural Optical Community Scholarship were Christine Chou, class of 2025, and Nia Ebrahim, class of 2024.
Click here to donate to the Optical Community Scholarship endowed fund
“ClearVision was founded 75 years ago on a set of values including service, compassion, respect, and integrity.” Friedfeld said. “Those values were instilled in the company, and in our family, through my father. This scholarship is an effort to live up to those values by helping future optometrists close the gap in eyecare access and ensure better industry and vision health for patients everywhere.”
The Fred Friedfeld Memorial Scholarship
The Friedfeld family and ClearVision Optical also partner with the SUNY College of Optometry to grant the Fred Friedfeld Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship was founded in 2014 by David, his brother and ClearVision Co-Owner and Vice President Peter, and Friedfeld family in honor of Friedfeld’s father and founder of ClearVision, Fred Friedfeld. Since then, over $110,000 has been raised for the Fred Friedfeld Memorial Scholarship and 10 scholarships have been awarded. Recipients receive $3,500 each year.
The recipient of the 2023 Fred Friedfeld Memorial Scholarship was Gurleen Klair, class of 2024.
“We place great emphasis on our relationships with universities, working closely with several, including Stony Brook University, Lehigh University, and Drexel University,” Jen Trakhtenberg, chief people officer and co-COO of ClearVision, said. We also consider our engagement with students, particularly through our dynamic internship program, as a key way to meaningfully contribute to the community and to the ongoing career development, education, and skill-building of future professionals through training and support.”