A Tribute to Our Colleague, Neil Draisin, OD, FCOVD, President of SECO

Ever hear of country music singer Sara Evans?  Me neither, but what do I know?  I’m just a Yankee visiting Georgia for the SECO meeting.  Heck, I’m not even a Yankee – more of  a Phillie, thus you’ll find me in March on Clearwater Beach for Spring Training, not in Tampa.  So what’s this got to do with Sara Evans?  Well Ms. Evans was the entertainment at SECO’s Saturday night event, and I’ll tell you that plenty of people who comprise the Southeastern States that populate this mega meeting were big fans.  Miriam and I weren’t there for Sara, though.  We were there for our dear friends, Carolyn and Neil Draisin.  You see, this was Neil’s big event, walking on stage with Carolyn as President and First Lady of SECO and we wanted to share it with them, their family, and other colleagues and friends. From the verses of one of Sara’s songs, Every piece of the puzzle doesn’t have to fit perfectly.  But it sure did last night.

Let me tell you a bit more about this fine gentleman who was born, raised and practices in Charleston, South Carolina.  He is one of our original visionhelp.com Founding Fathers.  His wife, Carolyn, is a recently retired educator and welcome company at our PMG meetings.  They have three children, Alison who is a psychologist in Seattle , Leslie who works at a children’s shelter in Boston, and David who is an attorney in New York.  Dr. Draisin has mentored Diann Geisert, who is an icon among vision therapists, as well as Dr. Jennifer Smith, a rising superstar among vision therapy docs.  He is active in Jewish communal affairs, civic areas, Rotary, and the College of Charleston Foundation.  He has previously served with distinction as President of his state optometric association and of COVD. Ascending through the executive ranks to the Presidency of the Southeastern Congress of Optometry is the pinnacle of Dr. Draisin’s career, and we are incredibly proud of this achievement.

In his President’s remarks, Dr. Draisin spoke of the opportunities SECO has, as Optometry’s premier education destination, to blend knowledge of ocular disease and optics together with functional vision to serve the needs of mankind in areas as diverse as children with vision based learning disorders to soldiers and other individuals struggling with acquired brain injury.  He also spoke lovingly of family and friends, and it was therefore a fitting tribute that this weekend a cadre of his many fans were able to take in the  moment alongside him.  Every piece of the puzzle fit perfectly together.

– Leonard J. Press, O.D., FCOVD, FAAO