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LESSON 1 WORLD HISTORY OF OPTOMETRY

 1267- Roger Bacon first mentioned the improvement of light with lenses.
 1287*- World’s first spectacle was invented in Northern Italy  primarily worn by scholars
and monks whose profession required reading of literature and scripts.
 1452- The demand for spectacles increased during the invention of the printing press.
 1604- A few centuries passed and German astronomer Johannes Kepler, better known for
his discovery in the laws of planetary motion, was the first to accurately describe the
image formation in the retina.
o His studies in the newly invented Keplerian Telescope and his observation of light
and lenses he demonstrated how concave lenses correct near sightedness and
convex lenses farsightedness.
 1621- astronomer and mathematician Willebrord Snell had an unpublished paper
concerning the the relationship between the angle of incidence and angle of refraction of
a ray of light crossing the boundary between two media which is now known as Snell’s
law of refraction.
 1623- With booming interest towards corrective lenses comes physicist Benito Daza de
Valdés. He authored the first book in optometric principles entitle “The use of
Eyeglasses”
o He devised and alternate technique to capture visual acuity involving discerning
rows of mustard seed and small print at various distances
 1784- American inventor Benjamin Franklin asked his optician to cut his distance lenses
in half and his reading lenses in half and joined the two inventing what we now know as
bifocal lenses
 1851- German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz discovered the ophthalmoscope to
show his students how the pupil at times appears dark and at other times appears light. He
was also the first person to view the human fundus with the use of the ophthalmoscope.
 1862- Dutch professor Herman Snellen wrote on many ophthalmic topics but his most
famous contribution to the field of optometry was his visual acuity charts. He devised a
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formula that would express any individual’s eyesight in the form of a fraction. The
Snellen acuity charts were first published in 1862.
 1865- the word optometry was coined by J.W. Verschoor in his doctoral dissertation
“Optometers and Optometry”.
 1872- the first optometry school was established, the Chicago College of Ophthalmology
and Otology later known as the Illinois College of Optometry.

 1888- Years later contact lenses are on the scene and Adolf Fick fit the first scleral
contact lens. At 18mm thick the contact lens were thick and impermeable to oxygen and
uncomfortable

 1892- optometrist Charles Prentice charged a patient $3.00 for an eye exam in the United
States. Backlash came from the medical community and Prentice was threatened with a
lawsuit. He wrote an explanation on why the stated would recognize the profession of
optometry and since then he came to be known as the father of optometry.

 1898- Prentice helped organized what we know today as the American Optometry
Association to financially and legally support optometrists being sued for fitting glasses
without medical licenses.

 1901- Minnesota was the first state to lawfully recognize optometry and set regulations

 1921- all states had recognized optometry.

 1938- (Check Canvas for mission info) 50 years after the first glass blown contact lens,
Theodore Obrig and John Mullen created the first plastic contact lenses

 1951- the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) exam was established to
accurately assess the qualifications and competence of practicing optometrists
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 1968- President Johnson established the National Eye Institute in 1968 as a branch of the
National Health Institute. This was the first government organization dedicated research
on vision disorders and eye diseases.

 1971- Rhode Island passed the first law that allowed optometrists to use diagnostic drugs
to treat patients.

 1976- Congress passed a law in 1976 that embedded optometric services in Veterans
Affairs hospitals across the united states. It took more than 20 years (Check exact year) to
see optometric services included in the Medicare Act and approved by congress.

 1989- All states soon followed with diagnostic pharmaceutical agent laws. law that
allowed optometrists to use diagnostic drugs to treat patients

 *** Date sa 1976

 1998- the first law authorizing optometrists to use lasers for certain treatments was
passed in Oklahoma.

M1-LESSON 2 HISTORY OF OPTOMETRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

 There was no established record of optometry in the Philippines and no facilities for
grinding prescriptions for lenses.
 Dr. Jose P. Rizal
o Our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, had a trial case which is now in the collection
of the late Dr. Geminiano de Ocampo, and the only available evidence of an
actual prescription for eyeglasses are those written by him.
o He trained in ophthalmology under the famous Dr. Louis de Wecker in Paris in
1885, with Dr. Otto Becker in Germany, and with Drs. Schweiger, Zulzer and
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Galezowsky after finishing medical studies at Universidad Central de Madrid and

Universidad de Santo Tomas in Manila.
 1902 - The first optometric clinic where refraction was practiced was established in
Manila by R.M. Clark
- He also set up the first lends grinding facility in the Philippines
- After his came H.C. Strong followed later by Cipriano Lara, Federico Sarabia,
Carlos Ortiz and Manuel Sabater. The “optical business” became popular and at that time
anybody even without adequate preparation and technical training can engage in said
business.
 1917- The problem of standardization and the need for training became a great concern
and this stimulated the organization of the first optometric association of the Philippines
- The name of the association was the Philippine Association of Optometrists.
- It was through the efforts of this association that the Philippine legislature
enacted the first regulatory law in optometry known as the Optometry Law of
1917 (later amended in 1919)
- Optometry earned its legal recognition as a profession with the passage of this
law.
 For almost 70 years, the Philippines was the only country in Asia with a regulatory law in
optometry.
- This was due to the influence of American colonization of this country.
- The optometry Law of 1917 provided for among other things, the creation of the “Junta
Examinadora” (Board of Examiners) who was charge the duty to determine the requirements for
licensing to practice optometry. Article 812 of said law also provided that those who were
already practicing the profession with an established office at least one year prior to March
11,1917 may secure a certificate of registration as optometrist upon passing a practical
examination by means of a trial case. Jokingly referred to as “examinacion de gracia” this
examination satisfied the so-called “grandfather clause” provision of the newly enacted law. The
members of the first “Junta Examinadora” were G.T. Hermann, H.O. Haynor, William G.
Moore, E.V. Bartholomai and Justo Gonzales
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OPTOMETRIC ORGANIZATION

 1917- The first known effort by practicing optometrist to bind themselves into an
organization, national in scope was the founding of the Philippine Association of
Optometrists in 1917 whose initial members were so-called “opticians” namely Drs. G.T
Hermann, Justo Gonzales, E.V Bartholomai and Carlos Ortiz. This organization helped in
the passing of the Optometry Law of 1917.
 1932- a handful of pioneering optometrists revived this fraternal spirit and founded the
Philippine Optometric Association.
- They were Drs. Vicente Bernardo the first elected president, Cipriano Lara,
Manuel Sabater and Justo Gonzalez. This association lasted only four years.
 1936- a new organization was formed, the Optometric Association of the Philippines with
Dr. Justo Gonzales as its founding president.
 1946- the OAP reorganized and held its first national convention electing Dr. Antonio
Sabater as its president.
 1948- OAP was registered as a non-stock corporation with the following as incorporators:
Drs. Antonio Sabater, Gregorio Estrada, Emmanuel Mangunay, Filipinas Clemente, Roy
A. Thorson, Joaquin del Alcazr, Manuel Sabater, Cipriano Lara and Agapito Casaje. Dr.
Estrada was then the elected president.
 1976- the Samahan ng mga Optometrist sa Pilipinas, now known as the Integrated
Philippine Association of Optometrists, was established and the integration of all three
optometric associations, Philippine Optical Dispensers Association (PODA), Philippine
Optical Retailers Association (PROA) and Optometric Association of the Philippines
(OAP) in 1979 through a Presidential Decree ordered by then President Ferdinand
Marcos under which only one organization representing each profession was to be
recognized and thereby accredited with the Professional Regulation Commission. During
the integration period some 37 component chapter societies of the OAP were assimilated
into the SOP led by Dr. Vigan delos Reyes, recognized as the Father of SOP.
 1995- The SOP was able to pass its much-awaited legislation.
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- during the presidency of Dr. Charlie Ho. Despite some challenges and objections filed
against the bill through a writ of preliminary injunction from the Regional Trial Court
 1997- President Fidel Ramos signed the Presidential Proclamation No. 985 declaring
June 1-7 of every year as Philippine Optometry Week through the efforts of Dr.Ligaya D.
Perez, then member of the board of optometry and Dr.Charlie Ho.
 1998- when the Supreme Court finally ruled to lift the injunction paving the way for the
law’s implementation.
 1999- The revival of the Optometric Association of the Philippines in 1999 only
strengthened IPAO’s resolve to focus on protecting optometrists from elite business and
truly represent the interest of the optometric profession especially the middle class
practitioners who are the most affected by some ‘anti-optometry’ provisions in RA No.
8050.

 2004- Among the significant implementations were in the field of education where the
optometry course was increased from four to six years. The first batch of optometrists
who graduated from the six-year curriculum in 2004 were authorized by law to use
diagnostic pharmaceutical agents (DPAs) in their practice. A Special Pharmacology
Course was likewise offered in different optometry institutions to give practitioners who
graduated from the four-year course the privilege to use DPAs

 2009- IPAO was able to withstand divisive challenges posed by a few rival organizations
and retained its status as the PRC-integrated accredited national organization representing
the profession of optometry in the country and in 2009 the organization was accredited
by the PRC as a CPD Provider and has embarked on continuing education programs since
then in compliance with the Code of Ethics for Optometrists.

OPTOMETRIC SCHOOLS
 The first optometric school organized which lived up to 1925 is the Philippine College of
Optometry whose faculty members include: Dr. William G. Moore (president), Justo
Gonzalez, AB OD (Dean), E. V. Bartolomai, AB OB (secretary-treasurer), Dr. G.T
Herrmann, Dr. H.O Haynor, Dr. Cipriano Lara, and Dr. Roy Thornson. Their first
graduates were Bibiana Roxas de Jesus, C. Campomanes, and Pio Catoto.
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 Aside from Philippine College of Optometrist, there were several schools established
which had short Optometry course namely: Philippine School of Optometry and Institute,
Manila College of Optometry (1951), and Lyceum of the Philippines. At present, several
optometry schools are in existence in the Philippines namely: Manila Central University,
Emilio Aguinaldo College - Cavite, Lyceum Northwestern University - Pangasinan, Cebu
Doctors University, Davao Doctors University, Mindanao Medical Foundation College,
and our very own Centro Escolar University - Manila.  
 1928-Centro Escolar University is the first university affiliated school for Optometry
established in 1928. It was Dona Librada Avellino who realize the importance of
conservation of eyesight and conceive the establishment of CEU College of Optometry.
Not so much information gather, but it was in M.H del Pilar building were the first
classes of Optometry were organized.
o Dr. Roy Thorson a former Professor in Northern Illinois College of Optometry
was the first Dean of the College until 1930
 1931- Dr. Justo Gonzales replaced Thorson in 1931 as Dean.
 1932- It was also the same time when the college of Optometry was transferred to the
main building of the university at Mendiola, Manila. In 1932.
 The College of Optometry, now School of Optometry, has its first graduate with a total of
eight (8) students
 1938- Dr. Gregorio Estrada became the third Dean of the College
o During his term, He organized a post graduate course of Optometry in CEU, headed
by Dr. Roy Thornson as the faculty. It was also in the term of Dr. Estrada that
permission was granted by the bureau of private education for College of Optometry
grants the degree “Doctor of Optometry”.
 1949-1950- optometry in the Philippines was still a four-year course.
 1954- the CEU College of Optometry was the first to be accepted to the Omega Epsilon
PHI, thus transforming it to an international optometric fraternity. CEU College of
Optometry gained the distinction of being the only school outside of the United States to
be elected to this fraternity.

 Dating back to 1928, Centro Escolar’s School of Optometry have had 8 deans namely:
Dr. Roy Thorson (1928), Dr. Justo Gonzales (1930), Dr. Gregorio Estrada (1938), Dr.
Avelino Reyes (1966), Dr. Mariano Tanada Jr. (1991), Dr. Jessica Flor-Torre (2000), and
Dr. Elena C. Borromeo (2018 to present)
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 1980- the dean of eight optometry colleges organize the Council of Deans held in Cebu
city and was  led by Dr. Claro Cinco (elected chairman). The council committed to
upgrade the Optometric education in the Philippines with its first project was to work for
the increase of the optometric curriculum from 4 years to 6 years. The additional two
years was set to preparatory optometry course. 
 1995- Republic Act no 8050 was enacted to replace R.A 1998. Some major changes in
the law includes the following expanded definition of optometry, Inclusion of dispensing
as part of the practice of optometry, use of Diagnostic Pharmaceutical Agents and
increasing optometry course to six years.