1899 |
The Oregon Association of Opticians formed. First Optician meeting held. |
1905 |
Formed the Oregon Board of Optometry (OBO). |
1906 |
Oregon State Association of Optometrists formed. |
1910 |
DeKeyser Institute of Optometry in Portland. 204 Optometrist registered in OR. |
1911 |
Optometrists fight to be called doctors. |
1913 |
OSAO was reorganized into the Oregon Optometric Association. Known as OOA for the next 82 years. |
1919 |
DeKeyser founded the Oregon College of Ocular Sciences. |
1921 |
DeKeyser Institute of Optometry & Oregon College of Ocular Sciences merge to become: North Pacific College of Optometry. |
1923 |
OOA President reiterated that we NEED OOA & AOA. Dues are established. |
1936 |
Les Burdette is OOA President. |
1938 |
Les Burdette becomes AOA President. |
1940 |
WWII. Disrupted Optometry Training for a time. |
1945 |
North Pacific College of Optometry re-opened as Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon OOA raised funds to see this happen. |
1952 |
Jefferson Hall Groundbreaking. |
1958 |
R. Max Peck OOPA President describes the beginning of the teachings of PUCO. |
1959 |
OOA Hires first Executive Director & Lobbyist. First OOA Directorships & Committees are formed. |
1960 |
Optometry was excluded under Medicare. VA’s started allowing OD’s to dilate and check pressure. |
1961 |
Pennsylvania introduced the first DPA Bill but it never made it to the floor. It took another decade before optometrists were granted this privilege. |
1972 |
SB 124 - covered members of private insurance have free choice of practitioner. HB 1060 - puts professional licensing boards under the newly created Health Division (under the Department of Human Resources). SB 494 - provided for licensing of opticians, never got a hearing. HB 1053 - Established Physicians’ Assistance program, Optometry specifically excluded from Law. |
1975 |
Introduction of Landmark HB 2740: DPAs. Governor Robert Straub signed bill into LAW on May 20th, 1975. |
1983 & 1985 |
Oregon tried twice to pass Therapeutic Bills, but failed. Neither bill made it out of the Senate committee. |
1991 |
Governor Barbara Roberts signed SB 3591 into Law. Great Western Council of Optometry was formed and had inaugural meeting in Portland. |
1993 |
Board of Medical Examiners fought the formulary, resulting in re-legislation in 1993, bringing the formulary under the OBO. |
1994 |
Optometrists in Oregon were now allowed to prescribe medication topically. |
1995 |
Oregon Legislature passes a bill allowing Optometrists to use the term “Physician”. OOA becomes OOPA. |
1997 |
Oregon Board of Optometry (OBO) became independent. |
1999 |
SB 16 “Direct Access to Eyecare Act”. Allowed individuals to have direct access to Optometric Physicians for emergency care. |
2001 |
TPA Expansion - Added Orals and Injectables. “Non-Topical” This phrase allowed the OOPA to pass legislation that included pharmaceuticals to be taken orally or by injection. |
2013 |
HB 3000 - Mandated ODE to require vision exam or screening prior to starting education program. |
2015 |
HB 3530: Patient Choice on Non-Covered Services - This bill safeguards the patient-doctor relationship by ensuring recommended services are accessible without added expense or hassle, despite ongoing challenges from some insurance companies. |
2019 |
SB 129: Patient Protection from Predatory Online Actors. This bill empowered the Oregon Board of Optometry to regulate online vision apps that disrupt patient-doctor relationships and compromise eye health, mandating in-person consultations and accessible patient records, thus modernizing optometry regulations in Oregon. |
2019 |
SB 575: Comprehensive Eye Exams for Students. SB 575 strived to ensure that all children referred for a special education evaluation receive comprehensive eye exams to rule out vision and eye health problems as barriers to learning. |
2019 |
SB 289: Vision Screening Funding via Dept. of Education: SB 289 is a continuation of the funding for the Lion’s Screening Program in the public schools and extends grants to community non-profits for mobile vision screenings. This legislation simplifies the referral process for students needing comprehensive eye exams, ensuring they receive necessary vision and eye health services. |
2021 |
Future Practice Initiative (FPI): OOPA introduced legislation in 2021 to modernize the practice of Optometry in Oregon. HB 2541. Goal was to introduce “As Taught” Scope. |