American Optical History
AO Firsts and other achievements!
Notable AO Contributions
include a wide variety of fields which are summarized
below:
Ophthalmic Optics
Safety Eyewear
Fiber Optics
Todd – AO movie projection / sound
Military Contributions
Instruments
Medical Devices
AO Ophthalmic Lens “Firsts”
Tillyer Corrected Curve Series
First US
Progressive lens patent – Dr. Estelle Glancy in 1924
First Minus Toric Series
Implementation of Franklin Style Executive Bifocal
First plastic Photochromic
Lens - Photolite
Permalite – Industry first
Abrasion Resistant tintable coating
AO Compact – first PAL designed for Small Frames
AO Safety Products
Firsts
First Safety Goggle
First Heat Tempered Glass Lens (added impact resistance
lens strength)
Invented Calobar and Cruxite
Fulvue Frame (first with temples attached at the top)
Executive Safety lens
AO Safety info from 1954 letters to Arthur Keeney by George Schauweker
AO
Safety firsts - 1981 summary
AO Instrument Firsts Include:
The LENSOMETER
Additive Phoroptor
Additive Trial Sets
Non Contact
Tonometer (1972)
Cardiac difibrillator
Demand
pacemaker
Solid State Laser
Fiber Optics Events at AO Southbridge
Early 1953 Dr. Brian O’Brien joins AO (Todd-AO
his
top priority)
Sept 1954- AO Hires Will Hicks / CIA
Mid –1957 Image Scrambler Project ends after Hicks tells
CIA code easy to break
1958 – Hicks leaves AO and Forms Mosaic Fabrications
in Sturbridge
1960 – Hicks / Eli Snitzer (AO): single mode wavelength
patent
AO Historical Firsts/ Timeline of Events
In depth 1945 historical document by H. Styll from the Optical Heritage Museum archives 8-Feb-10
Product Firsts at AO in pdf form Rev 27-Jan-10