History of Optometry

By AJYO!
  • Jan 1, 1263

    Roger Bacon suggests use of lenses to improve vision

  • Kepler's Idea

    Johannes Kepler describes what the retina does and shows what convex and concave lenses can correct.
  • Daza de Valdas

    The Use of Eyeglasses is published by him, the first book on principles of optometry.
  • Bifocals

    Benjamin Franklin invents split bifocal lens for spectacles
  • The Prentices

    James Prentice, father of Charles Prentice and an English optician, arrives. His son is Charles Prentice, the “father of American optometry.”
  • Hermann von Helmholtz

    He invents the opthalmoscope and through it, is the first to see the living eye's interior.
  • Contact Lenses and a book

    The first sceral lenses were made to correct vision.The Handbook for Opticians, by William Bohne, is also published
  • A college course

    Columbia University ha the first university courses in optometry, making it more professional.
  • Paint Binder to Lense

    Theo Obrig and John Mullen create the plastic contacts, using material from a paint binder.
  • Medicare vs. Optometry

    Medicare and Medicaid are passed, discriminating against optometrists.
  • NORA

    Neuro Optometric Rehabilitation Association is formed with William Padula as the first president
  • Laser Eye Surgery

    Oklahoma allows the use of lasers under specific conditions for optometric purposes.
  • ObamaCare and children

    Children's vision is an essential benefit, as well as no more discrimination towards optometrists
  • The CNNBE

    The Cellular Neural Network Bionic Eye is mass produced, curing millions of people from their blindness and revolutionizing eye treatment.