Publications of the Bureau of Visual Science
 Catalogue Number: 903 Publications of the Bureau of Visual Science Category: Book Sub-Category: Book of historical note Author: Bureau of Visual Science, American Optical Company Year Of Publication/Manufacture: 1937 to 1941 Time Period: 1940 to 1999 Place Of Publication/Manufacture: Southbridge, Mass, USA Publisher/Manufacturer: American Optical Company Description Of Item: Black vinyl ring folder with 'Publications of the Bureau of Visual Science' embossed on it, and a gold coloured embossed seal of the American Optical Company, containing a series of articles on retinoscopy (dated 1940), ophthalmometry (1940), amblyopia (1937). use of the phoropter (1940), clinical procedure (1937), correction of aphakia (1937), use of minus cylinders (1937), interpretation of ophthalmometric readings (1937), testing with the Project-o-Chart and the Cohen slide (1939), Principles of crossed cylinder tests (1937). transposition of crossed cylinders (1938 ), correction of astigmatism (1938), analysis of the reading graph (1938), effect of ametropic distance upon accommodation and reading addition (1937), Phoria norms (1941) and Duction measurements (1941) Historical Significance: The American Optical Company was established in 1833 and incorporated in 1869. It was located in Southbridge Massachusetts USA and its business goal was to make lenses and spectacles. It quickly grew to be a very large company that also made ophthalmic and photographic equipment. It was, along with Bausch and Lomb, also in the USA, and Clement Clarke and Keeler in the UK, very influential in promoting innovation and the expansion of the scope of practice of optometry. The Bureau of Visual Science was established by the American Optical Company in 1938 (See Chronology of American Optical History - Summary by Dick Whitney at http://www.dickwhitney.net/AOEVENTS.pdf. The Visual Science Bureau was a direct outgrowth of an association with Dartmouth College in developing the science of aniseikonia. It was established to promote the scientific credibility of the company and to promote its name and its products to optometrists. The articles give an indication of the scope of practice of optometry in the 1930s including methods to analyse reading efficiency by measuring eye movements. Condition: Good Location: Archive room. East wall. Books of historical note. Folios |