Dr. Potvin is both an engineer and an optometrist. He has successfully combined these two disciplines to become a sought-after analyst of clinical and bench data in the field of ophthalmology. His career included some time in private optometry clinics, as well as several years in Lens Eye Research and Clinical Science at Bausch + Lomb. He spent over 8 years with Alcon (Novartis) in the areas of laser refractive surgery and cataract/vitreoretinal surgery. His last position at Alcon was Director of Surgical Medical Affairs, responsible for the post-market (Phase IV) studies to highlight the advantages of Alcon’s IOL, cataract and vitreoretinal equipment.
Rick left Alcon in 2010 to start a private consulting service for eye care professionals. This allows him to provide a range of valuable services. This includes such things as independent third party data collection and analysis, providing surgeons with an objective review of their clinical outcomes. He has worked with a number of surgeons on investigator initiated post-market studies, from protocol development to IRB approval, data collection, statistical testing and manuscript preparation. He has also prepared scientific papers and presentations based on existing data, helping busy surgeons bring their clinical findings to press. He has assisted major ophthalmic companies with the review of important clinical and bench data, helping R&D and regulatory groups to interpret results. From 4/11 to 6/12 Rick served as the acting Chief Scientific Officer for ACE Vision Group.
Rick has two black belts. One is a Six Sigma Black Belt, from the American Society for Quality, while the other is a third degree black belt in Isshin-Ryu karate.
Dr. Potvin is co-holder of a patent (US 9,091,864) related to calculating visual performance using simulation of imaging by a population of optical systems. He is also co-developer (with Dr. Warren Hill) of the Potvin-Hill formula for calculating IOL power after myopic LASIK surgery using data from the Oculus Pentacam Scheimpflug imaging system. Drs. Hill and Potvin also developed the post-RK formula for the same device.
Rick is repurposing his life, so new contracts are no longer being accepted. Good luck with your research!