o Scholarly Profession takes a look at the long span of optometry history, with a primary focus on the United States: examining its path from spectacle making to its current status as a profession with strong academic standing integrated into today's health care system. Along with an overview of the history of optometry from the invention of spectacles to recent years, the book considers the maturation of the optometric examination from simple trial and error of spectacles to today's comprehensive eye and vision examination; the history of optometric education from the brief instructional programs offered in the late nineteenth century to the challenging academic programs of the present; and the increasing sophistication of optometric publications. Optometrists and other readers will gain an appreciation for the struggles, advancements, and contributions of optometry.