Optometric History

One Billion Chairsides Later...

This column has been marking its territory in these hallowed pages for a quarter of a century. So watch where you step.
07/21/2016

A Review of the Review

Experts in the field reflect on their early contributions to the magazine and how things have changed since.
07/21/2016

Speaking Frankly

He fought for his country in World War II and for his profession back home. A conversation with Frank D. Fontana, OD.
07/21/2016

Refractive Surgery in Retrospect

ODs once feared this threat to their livelihoods, but its boom and bust left optometry smarter and stronger. Here, we look at the sentiment then and the reality today.
07/21/2016

How Comanagement Reinvented Optometry

A pioneer looks back on the conflicts and conquests that unfolded as ODs and MDs established an uneasy new collaboration.
07/21/2016

Days of Diversity

Wartime needs, demographic shifts and the elevation of women in society remade the identity of the profession.
07/21/2016

A Fight for the Right to Learn

Nothing has come easily for the profession of optometry, and education is no different. But it’s come a long way from the days of apprenticeship.
07/21/2016

Optometric Societies: Catalysts for Change

Early organizations had to fight in the trenches to pass legislation, battle organized medicine and create a path forward.
07/21/2016

Legalizing Optometry

A behind-the-scenes look at the people, the moments and the legislation that made the profession what it is today.
07/21/2016

A Black Eye for Optometry

In 1937, Reader’s Digest took a swing at the young profession in a scathing investigative report, but optometry came back fighting.
07/21/2016