Complete Story
10/04/2024
The OAO: A Retro-SPEC-tive Look
While the first Society of dispensing Opticians was not proposed in Ohio until 1951, the history and influence of Ohio opticians began long before.
At a meeting of lab owners in Pittsburgh in 1929, a prominent Columbus lab owner pointed out what he referred to as a serious problem. “Who is your real competitor? Not your fellow jobber who is soliciting business on a legitimate basis! Your real competitor is the automobile industry, the radio industry, the clothing industry. Today we have a one-style market- the white gold frame. The patient buys it because the retailer says it is the latest. He wears it morning, noon and night, not for 6 months or a year, but very likely many years”. The society was sold on the concept of an organization meant to carry the eye care message to the public and on April 25th, 1929, the Better Vision Institute was born.
A one style market. I can’t imagine anything further from the truth in our current world. While our industry is constantly changing, some things remain the same. We are still here carrying our eye care message and expertise to the public and fighting hard to maintain our professional rights.
A special thank you to Tom Hicks for archiving this information for the OAO.
