(PRESS RELEASE) BLOOMINGTON, IN —Three Indiana University School of Optometry graduates will receive the school’s Foley House alumni awards on Nov. 8, during the IUSO Alumni and Friends Reception at the American Academy of Optometry conference in Indianapolis.
IU School of Optometry Dean Suresh Viswanathan, BOptom, MS, PhD, will present Foley House awards to the 2024 honorees Raymond A. Applegate, OD, PhD; Kyle King, OD; and Chelsey Moore, OD.
“It is an honor to recognize these three outstanding alumni, whose dedication and accomplishments continue to elevate the field of optometry,” says Dr. Viswanathan, Dean of the IU School of Optometry. “Their contributions exemplify the values and commitment of the IU School of Optometry. We are immensely proud to celebrate their achievements and the positive impact they’ve made in the world of optometry, to IUSO, and in their communities.”
There are three types of Foley House awards bestowed by the IU School of Optometry. The Distinguished Alumni Award honors an alum for their preeminent status within the field of optometry. The Basement Key recognizes the significant contributions given to the IU School of Optometry. The Early Career Achievement Award calls attention an alum’s significant contributions to their profession in the early years of their career. IUSO has been honoring its alumni yearly since the inception of the Basement Key award in 1976.
The following are brief biographies of each award recipient:
Distinguished Alumni Award
Raymond A. Applegate, OD’75, MS’77
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Raymond A. Applegate
The IUSO Foley House Distinguished Alumni Award recipient is Raymond A. Applegate, OD, MS, PhD, of Kingwood, TX. He is Professor Emeritus in Vision Science at the University of Houston’s College of Optometry. Since retiring from full-time service in early 2022, Dr. Applegate continues his research and teaches as part-time faculty at UH. He is co-editor of two editions of Customized Corneal Ablation: The Quest for Super Vision and is widely published in leading journals.
Dr. Applegate is a sought-after consultant and international lecturer, whose National Institutes of Health funded research interests’ center on the optics of the eye. His PhD work was the first to demonstrate active photoreceptor phototropism based on pupil location. His NIH research was instrumental in moving the refractive surgery industry to abandon radial keratectomy and improve photo-ablative refractive surgery, understanding visual image quality (as opposed to retinal image quality), and improving the vision and quality of life of individuals with highly aberrated eyes by developing and bringing to market wavefront guided hard and soft contact lenses.
After graduating from the IU School of Optometry, Dr. Applegate practiced optometry briefly in Galesburg, IL, before continuing his graduate education at UC, Berkeley, where he received his PhD in 1983 under Dr. Anthony “Tony” Adams.
Dr. Applegate joined the University of Texas Health Science Center faculty in 1988 from the School of Optometry University of Missouri–St. Louis where he served as an assistant professor of optometry. He rose through the faculty ranks quickly to become a tenured professor of ophthalmology in 1993. In 2002, Dr. Applegate accepted the College of Optometry at the University of Houston’s offer to become the first endowed Borish Chair in Optometry.
He has served as a feature editor of Journal of the Optical Society of America, Applied Optics, and on the editorial boards of Optometry and Vision Science, the Journal of Refractive Surgery, the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and currently serves on the editorial board of Clinical and Experimental Optometry.
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He served the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology as chair of the Annual Meeting Program Committee for the Vision Science Section, as well as the Board of Trustees representing the Visual Science Section and Vice-president of ARVO. He is a cofounder of the International Congress on Wavefront Sensing and Aberration-Free Refraction Correction, is widely published in leading journals, consultant, and international lecturer whose NIH funded research interests center on the optics of the eye, visual image quality, as well as early ocular disease detection, treatment, and prevention.
Dr. Applegate is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Optical Society of America, and Gold Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He has received the American Academy of Optometry’s Glen A. Fry Award (2002), Garland W. Clay Award (2008), Charles F. Prentice Award (2019), and Carel C. Koch Award (2020). He has also received the United Kingdom and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Pearce Medal Award for Innovation (2007) and the Wavefront Congress Founders Award for Visionary Leadership (2019).
Basement Key Award
Kyle King, OD’11
Kyle King
The IUSO Foley House Basement Key Award recipient is Kyle King, OD, of Evansville, IN. He is an optometrist and partner at Evansville Eyecare Associates. He has been active in the IU School of Optometry’s Alumni Board since he was student president. Since its inception in 2013, Dr. King has chaired the IUSO Alumni Golf Outing, which raises money for student scholarships.
In 2017, he joined the IUSO Dean’s Development Council. In this role, Dr. King helps identify and prioritize topics and challenges affecting the field of optometry and IUSO’s alumni. In 2020, he joined the IUSO’s Bicentennial Gala Committee, which helped raise funds to create the IUSO Bicentennial Scholarship.
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Dr. King has also been instrumental in leading significant fundraising initiatives for both the Evansville Chapter of the Indiana University Alumni Association and the Marching Hundred Alumni Council, where he continues to be an active member of both their boards. Currently, he serves as Secretary of the IUAA Board of Managers
He is also deeply committed to community service. Dr. King plays an active role on the Development Committee for Habitat for Humanity, serves on the Saint Meinrad Board of Overseers, and volunteers at the Evansville Community Health Organization Clinic, providing free eye care to underserved populations. Additionally, he conducts school vision screenings at elementary schools in the Newburgh area, ensuring that local children receive essential eye health assessments.
Dr. King has become a prominent figure in the optometry community. He is a member of the American Optometric Association and the Indiana Optometric Association, where he serves on the Board of Trustees, including Secretary from 2024 to 2025.
His contributions to the community and profession have been recognized with several honors. In 2019, he was named the Indiana Young Optometrist of the Year, and in 2020, he received an IU Bicentennial Medal for his dedicated service to his alma mater.
Early Career Achievement Award
Chelsey Moore, OD’10
Chelsey Moore
The IUSO Foley House Early Career Achievement Award recipient is Chelsey (Brickweg) Moore, OD, of Chatham, IL. Since her graduation from Indiana University School of Optometry in 2010, Dr. Moore, has served as a full-time optometrist at Prairie Eye Center in Springfield, IL. As the current chair of Prairie Eye’s glaucoma department (and past chair of the low vision department), she brings a wealth of experience and a steadfast commitment to patient care.
Her expertise and dedication to the field have earned her significant leadership roles, including appointments as President and Treasurer of the Midstate Optometric Society and various executive positions during her time as an elected Trustee on the Board of the Illinois Optometric Association (IOA). She served as the IOA President from 2022–23 and just completed her term as Immediate Past President.
Earlier this year, Dr. Moore was appointed to the Illinois State Board of Optometry, underscoring her respected position in the field.
Dr. Chelsey actively participates in both the IOA and the American Optometric Association (AOA), contributing to the Public Health, Membership, and Legislative Committees within the IOA, and serving on the AOA’s Membership Development Committee. Her contributions were recognized with prestigious honors, including the IOA’s Young Optometrist of the Year award in 2018 and the 2023 American Optometric Association President’s Award.
Dr. Moore’s dedication to improving others’ lives extends deeply into her community. She has served as a trustee of the Chatham Public Library, as a member of the Chatham Public Library Foundation, and on the board of directors of the Chatham Jaycees. In addition, she has coached youth gymnastics. Dr. Moore currently serves as the Christ the King School Board President and is an active participant in the Parent Teacher Organization.
Her contributions to her community have been recognized with accolades such as the 2014 Chatham Jaycee of the Year and the 2018 Springfield Business Journal Forty Under 40 Award.
For more information on the IU School of Optometry, visit here.