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TOA Timeline

The Texas Optometric Association has been an essential advocate for Texas optometrists. Today, optometry plays a vital role in Texas's health care system. Below is a timeline demonstrating how far optometry has come since the formation of the Texas Optometric Association in 1900.

Date	Milestone
1900	TOA established
1901	First optometry law in the country passed
1903	First TOA Constitution and By-Laws adopted—W.C. McCahan elected first president
1919	A prominent Texas optometrist was charged with ‘practicing medicine’ for fitting a pair of glasses, giving renewed emphasis to the need for a Texas optometry act
1921	Governor Pat Neff signed first Texas Optometry Act
1923	Mollie Armstrong elected first woman president of TOA; she was the second woman optometrist to practice in the country.
1934	TOA Convention first offered continuing education—a complete examining room was set up on stage to demonstrate the in-depth 21 point vision analysis
1936	First ‘Save Your Vision Week’ proclaimed by Gov. James V. Allred
1943	First TOA monthly journal, “The Bulletin” was published
1952	College of Optometry opened at University of Houston; TOA pledges $100K
1963	UHCO became a state-supported school
1969	Texas Optometry law significantly revised and modernized with TOA support
1981	Optometry Act reviewed under Sunset for the first time, resulting, at TOA’s urging, in passage of the optometry “Bill of Rights” which contained provisions designed to prevent optical companies from influencing the professional judgment of optometrists.
1981	“Clayton Compromise” passed as an amendment to the Medical Practices Act allowing optometrists to use diagnostic eyedrops under a standing delegation order from a physician. This was made possible when Speaker Bill Clayton refused to pass the Sunset bill for medicine until a provision for optometry was added during a special session.
1987	AOA and TOA successfully lobbied Congress to include optometrists as physicians in Medicare.
1989	TOA successfully lobbied to have optometrists included in Medicaid.
1991	Optometrists won the right to independently administer all diagnostic eyedrops and most topical eyedrops, including topical steroids.
1993	TOA successfully defended attacks on the optometry law during the Sunset process.
1997	Texas Contact Lens Act passed, striking a balance between patient’s rights to contact lens prescriptions and doctor’s concerns for public safety.
1999	At TOA urging, the legislature passed a bill allowing optometrists to prescribe oral medications and treat glaucoma.
2001	Optometry law amended to unite the profession by eliminating reference to two different optometry associations.
2001	With TOA support, a bill was passed to allow optometrists and physicians to practice in partnerships.
2001	TOA successfully fended off attacks from 1-800CONTACTS to weaken the Texas Contact Lens law.
2003	TOA passed ‘Eyecare Savings Bill’ which required insurance medical panels to accept optometrists who are on that company’s vision panels.
2007	TOA passed Medicaid "Direct Access" bill, allowing Medicaid patients to see optometrists without referrals from primary care physicians.