Optical Heritage Museum Web Site
Industry Present and Past Historical Resources Page
Industry Organizations- The Vision Council
The OMA => OIA => VCA => The Vision Council
The Vision Council Present Headquarters in Arlington, VA
The Vision Council Staff today
The Vision Council was originally founded as the
OMA (Optical Manufacturers Association) in the late 1940s.
OMA History article (1980 article):
Click on link this link for entire article
"It was just about sixty years ago that a small group of eyeglass
manufacturers gather in Providence, Rhode Island to discuss setting standards
for gold filled eyewear. Such were the beginnings of what we know now at the
Optical Manufacturers Association. In those days most frames and mountings were
made of metal and, with gold commanding a higher and higher price, the group
gathered to decide whether or not eyewear would conform to the recently-set
jewelry standard for gold-filled, which was 1/20th 12K. Since eyeglasses are
worn with more intimacy than jewelry, these
manufacturers opted for 1/10th 12K gold-filled as their standard..."
Download the above 1949 Marking Std. Download 1975 Glass Radiological Std.
OMA Board Member Names from the 1960's and 1970's
The OMA - Optical Manufacturers Association today is The Vision Council
OMA Draft PAL lens ANSI Z80.1 / ISO Proposal from March 1989- Dave LaMarre Chair
OMA 1990 Impact Resistance meeting -
Dick Whitney (my first stds meeting), Mark Shupnick,
Steve Drake, Raul Van
Lighten, John Young, Dave LaMarre
Eugene Keeney 1990 - The Director of the OMA
In the late 1990s, the OMA became the OIA
Past Presidnet Bill Thomas and Ken Wood (Technical Director)-1999
Optical Industry Association became VCA- 1999
Vision Council of American (VCA) Became Vision Council (2008)
Jeff Endres and Ken Wood - Oct 2008
OLA and Vision Council planned merger (Jan 10)
ISO TC172 Ophthalmic Optics photos/hot topics
ISO Reference Wavelength historic information
Standard for making Dry Martini's - a more interesting document worth following