Education: Dr. Richard Maharaj completed his Doctor of Optometry degree at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry in 2003, and Fellowship of the American Academy of Optometry in 2012.

Dr. Maharaj is the Canadian Association of Optometrists Section Chair for Ocular Surface Disease, Editorial Board Member for The Journal of Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Disease, Chief Education Officer at MyDryEye.ca and co-founder for the Canadian Dry Eye Summit - a national conference dedicated to educating eye doctors in the area of dry eye disease management.

Experience: Dr. Richard Maharaj has a special interest in dry eye disease, glaucoma and disease of the retina. He is a clinical adjunct associate for the University of Waterloo College of Optometry. He is currently a professional affairs consultant for companies like Johnson and Johnson Vision Care, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Allergan, Labtician-Thea, Alcon-Novartis, Bayer Canada and IMED pharmaceuticals.

Accomplishments: He is a published respected national speaker in eye education on diseases and diagnostics of cornea, retina.and meibomian gland dysfunction. His primary research is in non-surgical treatments of the eyelid and meibomian glands. In 2018 he was honoured as one of the Top 40 Canadian Optometrists under 40 by Johnson and Johnson Vision Care.

He is an active member of the Ontario Association of Optometrists, Canadian Association of Optometrists, American Academy of Optometrists and the College of Optometrists of Ontario.

Dr. Faran Vafaie received his Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology and Masters of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario, graduating with distinction on the Dean’s Honour List. During his graduate work, he presented at several international conferences and published in a respected journal. Following this, he continued his studies at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Sciences graduating on the Dean's Honour List. He was the recipient of the OSI Award for Excellence in Practice Management, awarded to a student that demonstrated leadership in areas of professionalism and communication skills, as well as excellent academic standing. He was also selected to deliver the valedictorian address to the graduating class.

During his studies, Dr. Vafaie completed an ocular disease and therapeutics externship in ophthalmology with Dr. Leslie Landecker in Newmarket Ontario. He received extensive training in the treatment and management of conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration, as well as performing pre- and post-operative surgical care for patients at Southlake Regional Health Centre. He currently leads eyeLABS glaucoma services and is part of PRISM eye institute's collaborative glaucoma unit.

Dr. Vafaie is an active member of the Canadian Association of Optometrists as well as the Ontario Association of Optometrists. He is excited to continue contributing to the profession of optometry and has a keen interest in management and treatment of ocular disease, specialty contact lens fits, and dry eye disease.