HINDSIGHT: Journal of Optometry History 63

MOVING 
FORWARD WHILE 
RESPECTING AND 
LEARNING FROM 
OUR HISTORY

Regular readers of Hindsight: Journal 
of Optometry History will recognize 
the change in the design for this issue. 
This is the first issue in the 48 year 
history of the Optometric Historical 
Society (OHS) that its quarterly 
publication has not been printed 
on the Indiana University campus 
in Bloomington. This issue is being 
printed at the American Optometric 
Association headquarters in St. Louis 
overseen by Kirsten Hébert, who as 
Heritage Services Specialist for the 
Archives and Museum of Optometry of 
Optometry Cares, is an energetic and 
enthusiastic advocate and contributor 
for OHS activities. The new cover was 
designed by Chris Martin, the Graphics 
Specialist for the American Optometric 
Association. The cover retains an 
element of seafoam green, the color of 
optometry and the color of the hoods 
received at the graduation ceremony 
for optometry students completing 
their education.

Soon after Maria Dablemont 
and Henry Hofstetter initiated 
the formation of the OHS, its first 
Newsletter of the Optometric 
Historical Society was published 
in January 1970. The title of the 
periodical was changed to Hindsight 
in 1992 while retaining its newsletter 
form. It was changed to Hindsight: 
Journal of Optometry History 
starting with the January 2007 
issue. The OHS publication now has 
accumulated more than 3,100 pages 
of information on optometry history, 
a truly remarkable compendium 

documenting the centuries-long 
existence of our profession, including 
its transitions from spectacle making 
to refracting opticianry to doctors 
of optometry to applications of new 
devices, new treatments, and new 
technologies. Henry Hofstetter, OD, 
PhD served as the first president of 
OHS, the first editor of the Newsletter, 
and the primary contributor to the 
Newsletter and Hindsight for over 25 
years. Optometric historians owe him a 
great debt.

While we are moving Hindsight 
forward, hopefully we are respecting 
and learning from its history. There 
have been more changes in Hindsight 
in the past ten years than in the 
previous 38 years. These changes have 
included shift to journal format, use 
of color photographs, digitization of 
all issues back to volume 1, number 
1, and deposit of them in the 
online repository IUScholarWorks, 
online publication of current issues, 
and introduction of refereeing of 
submitted papers. These changes 
would not have been possible without 
the support of the OHS Board/
Advisory Committee and especially 
its presidents over the past ten years: 
Melvin Wolfberg, Irving Bennett, John 
Amos, and Ron Ferrucci. We hope that 
you the readers like these changes. 
Please feel free to send in your 
feedback.

David A. Goss, OD, PhD
Editor 
dgoss@indiana.edu

FROM THE EDITOR DAVID A GOSS, OD, PHD

David A. Goss, OD, PhD