Mr Richard Grills, an Optical Distributors and Manufacturers Association (ODMA) board director and former chair and founder of Designs For Vision, has passed away aged 80.
“On behalf of the board of ODMA it is my sad duty to advise the community that optical industry stalwart, Richard Grills, has passed away suddenly at Kareena Private Hospital today, 12 July 2022 just a few days past his 79th birthday,” ODMA CEO Finola Carey said.
“Richard had been battling respiratory issues for a number of years. [He] was first and foremost a family man and we extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Faye, son Brad and all the family.”
According to the ODMA website, Grills’ ophthalmic career began in 1960 as a dispensing optician at OPSM before rising to become the principal of the Guild of Dispensing Opticians Optical Dispensing Training Course.
In 1978, he founded Designs For Vision Pty Ltd, starting with two optical dispensing outlets before changing from a retailer to a distributor of ophthalmic products in 1982.
Designs For Vision (now a Paragon Care brand) remains one of the leading distributors of ophthalmic and optometric products throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Up until his death, he was the director of ODMA, having previously served as its chair for 10 years, a director of the Genetic Eye Foundation from its inception, a director of the Macular Disease Foundation Australia from its foundation and the chair of the former Essilor Vision Foundation.
He was also a member of the Visiting Advisory Board at both UNSW School of Optometry and Vision Science and UTS orthoptics school.
“We do not know how we could ever possibly fill the void that he leaves in ODMA and the optical industry. We have lost a true champion of optics and an amazingly talented, humble, caring and creative human being,” Carey said.
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