Irvin Borish

Dr Borish passed away in Boca Raton, Florida on March 3, 2012. He was 99.

In 1994 the Center for Ophthalmic Clinical Research was opened at the Indiana University. This center was named the "Borish Center for Ophthalmic Research". He was invited to speak to the freshman class every year from 1982 until 2000, telling them the history of optometry and how he got involved and changed it.

In 1990, Borish decided to retire due to his wife's deteriorating health. They moved to Palm Beach County. He continued to contribute to the field and stayed active.

In 1982, he moved to the University of Houston in the role of Benedict Professor of Optometric Practice. His colleagues and friends created an initiative to raise a million dollars to create the Irvin M. Borish Chair in Optometric Practice.

He lectured at the Vision Expo in New York and in California, at the AAO's Ellerbrock Courses, and at all state and regional association meetings and at schools. He was invited yearly to speak to the freshman class at the University of Houston from 1980 to 2010 and wanted new students of optometry to be aware of, and appreciate, the history of the field. He created and delivered a lecture that addressed this concern and also provided his perspectives on the responsibilities of practitioners and the public image of optometry. This entire lecture, which remained very similar each year, was downloaded on youtube. He also contributed material to the CD From Eye Examination to Ophthalmic Lenses, a Chinese book on refraction, later editions of Clinical Refraction, System of Ophthalmic Dispensing, David Miller's Textbook of Ophthalmology, and several published articles. He received 3 of his 9 honorary degrees and 11 of his more than 60 awards after retirement. He continued to attend the AAO and AOA meetings and Essilor Symposiums.

In 1973 after a near fatal heart attack, he was reluctant to slow down in any way, but his wife nudged him to move back to academia. Initially he went to the Indiana University in Bloomington to teach and perform research. Here he helped create a separate school of optometry. Prior to that optometry was taught as a division of the College of Arts and Sciences.

He helped create the accreditation system used by the Council in Education of the American Optometric Association, and was the co-author of the association's first Manual of Accreditation. Between 1968 and 1982, he served on the accrediting body.

Between 1962 and 1982 he was immersed in a nationwide effort to prepare and promote the profession if optometry for an expanded role in healthcare. He recognized that to get optometry recognized as a main-steam science it needed to be taught at universities. There was also resistance from ophthalmologists some of whom considered it quackery. Over several years Dr. Borish lobbied and negotiated extensively to get a couple of laws passed in Indiana - one that would incorporate diagnostic and therapeutic drugs in optometric practice, and the other to require that optometry be taught at universities. He also served as an editorial consultant and referee to the Journal of the American Optometric Association.

Borish always had an artistic streak. He wrote several poems to his wife Bea. In the early 1950s he took up drawing as a hobby. He found Leonardo da Vinci's complete set of drawings and used them to hone his skills. He always had at least one painting in progress. He tried diverse styles from impressionistic to surreal. He has also donated several of his paintings some of which have been used in charity auctions to raise money for good causes.

After the war ended, in 1947 there was an increase in attendance at optometry schools. There was a need for a textbook. Marty Topaz who was the owner and publisher of the Optometric Weekly Magazine asked Borish to write one. The book Clinical Refraction was published in 1949. There have been four editions of this book and the last one was renamed Borish's Clinical Refraction. This book has been a standard reference for the field of optometry.

After that, in 1944, he moved to Kokomo, Indiana. to establish a private practice in optometry to apply his knowledge directly to patients. Finances were tight for his family. Also due to the war, all businesses including his were struggling to operate and to attract clients.

In 1938 when Heather left, Borish took on his role as well - all academic and administrative duties involving the clinic now resided officially with Borish. When the US entered World War II, the enrollment at NICO started to fall, and with challenges in funding there was growing discord within the NICO leadership and eventually Borish resigned.

In 1937, when Needles set out to construct a new clinic for the college, he tasked Borish with creating the complete outline of the new structure for the architects. Along the years Borish became good friends with Needles and with Jere Heather who was the academic administrator at the clinic, but neither of them could be considered his mentor - they learned as much from Borish as he from them.

When he bumped into her again months later at a school dance, they reconnected and Borish knew of a local play offering tickets at half price and asked her on a date. Borish was so broke that sometimes their date would consist of going to the ice cream store where "We'd buy one soda and two straws," Borish would say. They married on June 28, 1936. Their child, Frances Martha, was born the following year. Beatrice nearly died giving birth and Borish spent weeks caring for his newborn child while Bea recovered. It was because of this that they had no more children.

He graduated from high school in the spring of 1929, just as the Great Depression was about to begin. His family only had enough money for one child to attend college for two years and since Irv seemed to have the most potential, he was the one chosen. When considering a career, he wanted to be an author, so he enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia to study literature. While he was still at college, Borish was persuaded by an uncle named Lou to consider the profession of optometry because it would give him a stable career. As this was a two-year program, it was more affordable, and in addition, uncle Lou and his wife also offered free room and board for Borish. So he moved to Chicago and enrolled at the Northern Illinois College of Optometry. While enrolled at the college, he could not afford textbooks and had to go to the library to read them, he generally memorized all of what he read and was the first student to earn straight A's despite never having his own books to study from. It was later determined that he had a genius IQ.

Irvin M. Borish (January 21, 1913 – March 3, 2012) was an American optometrist who is widely considered "The Father of Modern Optometry". Even though he entered the field of optometry because his family could only afford to pay for two years of college, he left a lasting impression in the field. He wrote one of the most renowned textbooks of optometry, Clinical Refraction. He worked to create several educational and research institutions for optometry. He also lobbied tirelessly to establish optometry as a mainstream medical practice. His contribution to optometry has been recognized through prestigious awards and recognition from his peers.

Irvin M. Borish was born on January 21, 1913, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also had a younger brother and sister who were twins. His family moved to Liberty, New York. in the Catskills as his father, Max, had contracted tuberculosis and Liberty had facilities that cared for tuberculosis patients. Because his father developed tuberculosis at a young age, his mother ran a house for TB patients to help make ends meet.