Award Lecture

I had the pleasure of first meeting and spending two unforgettable hours with Glen Fry in 1971. I was soon to complete my undergraduate studies at Indiana University, had applied to the Indiana University optometry program, and was interested in the program at Ohio State. So I traveled to Columbus for an interview. Glenn Fry met me and personally escorted me around the facility. I had no clue as to who he was and admit to wondering why the admittance committee would select such an old faculty member to meet me and show me around. My views and definition of old have changed over the last 32 years. Dr. Fry knew who I was and that I was working in Professor Lee Guth’s lab in the Psychology Department of Indiana University. Accordingly, he started discussing his views on color vision. Not anticipating such a greeting, I was a bit flustered. Seeing my response, he immediately put me at ease as we walked into his laboratory and he described and demonstrated his mechanical computer that was personally built to analyze his data quickly and efficiently. Being a fledgling instrument builder, I was duly impressed. The 2 hours flew by, and I was convinced that I had to come to Ohio State until I met with the then Dean. The Dean felt strongly that it was not in my best interest to pay out-of-state tuition when I had an excellent School of Optometry in my home town, a choice I felt was not his to make. I was not to cross Glenn Fry’s path again until after I graduated from Indiana University. Before beginning on the topic of wavefront sensing, ideal corrections, and visual performance, I wish to acknowledge a few of the many who have played important roles advancing the gifts God gave me. I thank my parents for always having faith in my abilities. I thank my wife Rachel and my children, Aaron, Ryan, Camille, and Olivia, for their unwavering love and support. Professionally, I wish to thank my mentors, colleagues, and students on whose shoulders my work has been built. In any endeavor, one builds on and from the accomplishments of many. I wish to acknowledge a few key individuals (Table 1). A unifying thread for this diverse group of colleagues (besides sheer talent) is that they all love what they are doing, enjoy sharing their knowledge and skills, and find the unknown fascinating. Henry Hofstetter, in my introduction to Optometry class in 1971, stated (in loose paraphrase), “90% of learning a new discipline is truly learning the meaning and implications of a new set of words.” Although there are many new words that might be useful to carefully define, the second meaning of the word optometry is particularly appropriate for this discussion. The second of two definitions of optometry has remained unchanged and defines optometry as “The use of an optometer.” The definition of optometer is “Any of several objective or subjective devices for measuring the refractive state of the eye.” New clinical and research aberrometers represent the state-ofthe-art of a new breed of optometers. These efficiently measure the optical defects of the eye with unprecedented detail allowing the design and implementation of sophisticated optical corrections to improve retinal image quality well beyond that provided by traditional spherocylindrical corrections. These new wavefront optometers are the driving force behind a multibillion dollar industry. Wave aberration is a key factor but not the only factor determining retinal image quality. Other factors defining retinal image quality include diffraction, scatter, and chromatic aberration. Although it is tempting to want to conclude that retinal image quality is equivalent TABLE 1. Acknowledgement of key individuals more or less in chronological order