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Stephan Jankowski O.D.  93 S. Morse St. Sandusky, MI 48471  (810) 648-2456

Although optometry is relatively new health care profession, its roots can be traced back through many centuries. The dates in this very abbreviated history are very approximate.

• 3000 B.C. The discovery of glass
• 1000 B.C. First lenses were used for starting fires
• 500 B.C. Early theories of vision were developed
• 100 A.D. Discovery of vision problems
• 300-1000 A.D. The Dark Ages cause scientific discovery to halt
• 1000 A.D. The first book on physiological optics
• 1300 A.D. The invention of spectacles
• 1400 Increasing need for vision care due to increased reading, education and industrialization
• 1600 The first book on practical optometry
• 1800 The first instrument design
• 1850-1900 The first schools of optometry
• 1901-1924 The passage of laws in all states to regulate optometry
• 1926 The first accreditation of optometry schools
• 1940 Contact lenses begin to be used
• 1970 Soft contact lenses become available
• 1970-present Diagnostic and therapeutic drug laws are passed
• 1970-present Refractive surgery techniques improve and become widely available