Optometric Historical Society

An organization for persons interested in the history of optometry, spectacle lenses, vision science, or related topics

Table of Contents

Purposes

• to encourage the collection and preservation of materials relating to the history of optometry
• to assist in securing and documenting the recollections of those who participated in the development of optometry
• to encourage and assist in the care of archives of optometric interest
• to identify and mark sites, landmarks, monuments, and structures of significance in optometric development
• to shed honor and recognition on persons, groups, and agencies making notable contributions toward the goals of the society

Membership

Linda Draper
Optometric Historical Society
243 North Lindbergh Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63141 USA

Activities and Functions

Activities and functions of the Optometric Historical Society are:

1. Publication of a quarterly journal, entitled Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History. Hindsight publishes a regular column by Jay Enoch, noted vision scientist and optometric historian. Other regular features are reviews of books of optometric historical interest, reviews of articles published in various journals, and other tidbits about the history of optometry. We also publish notes from members who researched various topics or visited sites of interest. Click here for contact information for the editors and for a sample copy of Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History. Manuscripts submitted for publication should be sent to the Editor, David A. Goss, dgoss@indiana.edu.
2. An annual meeting and lecture held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry.
3. Recognition of persons contributing to knowledge of the history of Optometry. Click here for a list of persons who have received recognition awards from the Optometric Historical Society.

Officers

OHS officers for 2011 are:
President: Irving Bennett, 3307 Seventh Avenue, Beaver Falls, PA 15010; irvbennett23@gmail.com
Vice President: Douglas Penisten
Secretary-Treasurer: Arol Augsburger
Trustees: Jerry Abrams
Jay M. Enoch
A. N. Haffner
Chuck Haine

History of the Organization

The Optometric Historical Society was the brainchild of Maria Dablemont, who was hired by the American Optometric Association in 1964 to serve as librarian for their growing collection of books, journals, and archives. Dablemont suggested to Henry W Hofstetter during his term as President of the American Optometric Association in 1968-69 that there should an organization for the study and preservation of optometric history. Dablemont knew of Hofstetter's passion for history and his excellent organizational skills. In 1968 and 1969, Dablemont and Hofstetter drafted a set of by-laws for the organization and drew up a list of persons to ask to assist them in founding the organization. The first executive board of the organization consisted of Maria Dablemont, Arthur Hoare, Henry Hofstetter, John Levene, and Sol Tannebaum, with Hofstetter as president. In 1969, a call for membership went out in the optometric press,and 33 members were enrolled as charter members. The first issue of the Newsletter of the Optometric Historical Society was published in January, 1970. The newsletter has been published on a quarterly basis ever since the first issue. In 1992, the name of the newsletter was changed to Hindsight. Henry Hofstetter was an editor of the newsletter for over 30 years. The editors of the newsletter in its 30 plus years have been Henry Hofstetter, John Levene, Douglas Penisten and David Goss. Contributing editors have included Jay Enoch and Irving Bennett. Starting with 2007, the title of the society's publication is Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History. The first of the annual meetings of the OHS held at either the American Academy of Optometry meeting or the American Optometric Association meeting was held in 1972. Through the years, the presidents of OHS have been:

Above is a picture of Maria Dablemont taken at the International Library, Archives, and Museum of Optometry in St. Louis where she was a librarian. Below is a picture of Henry Hofstetter taken in about 1952. Dablemont and Hofstetter were co-founders of the OHS.

Links

Another organization that studies topics related to the history of optometry is the Ocular Heritage Society. Its area of emphasis is the collection of items of ophthalmic interest such as spectacles, vision testing equipment, etc.

The Fall, 2003 issue of the Indiana Journal of Optometry was devoted to a history of the Indiana University Division of Optometry from its founding to 1975. Click below on the image of the cover of that issue of the journal to see a downleadable pdf file of that issue. Please note that it takes a while for that file to load.



Click here for notes on a two-hour lecture on the history of optometry given each year at Indiana University.

An excellent website with much information on antique spectacles is www.antiquespectacles.com.

For information on the Archives and Museum at the American Optometric Association headquarters, go to: www.aoa.org/x11718.xml. The AOA website also features an optometry history timeline at: www.aoa.org/x18842.xml

To read "historical gems" produced through the cooperation of Optometry Cares - The American Optometric Association Foundation and the Optometric Historical Society, go to: www.optometryscharity.org/archives-museum-of-optometry/historical-gems/.

web page designed by: David A. Goss;
email address: dgoss@indiana.edu
Last update: August 18, 2011