Edward J. Fisher, OD, FAAO 1913–2003

Dr. Edward J. (Ted) Fisher, the 23rd President if the American Academy of Optometry, died on December 22, 2003 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. I had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Fisher in several capacities over the past 41 years. I first knew him as a teacher, then as a mentor during my years in graduate school. After I joined the University of Waterloo in 1971, I was able to work with him as a colleague. Dr. Fisher practiced in Lindsay and Toronto, Ontario, from 1934 to 1967. Involved in optometric education since 1937, he taught the majority of practitioners in Canada. He served as head of the School of Optometry for 27 years, both at the former College of Optometry of Ontario and at its later incarnation at the University of Waterloo, leaving that position in 1975. Dr. Fisher taught virtually every subject in the curriculum. As a pioneer in contact lens fitting, he provided leadership in the early days of this specialty. Dr. Fisher served as president of the American Academy of Optometry from 1968 to 1970. He was the first Canadian to be elected to this position. Dr. Edward J. Fisher made signal contributions to eye care on a global scale. He was a frequent speaker and instructor in the continuing education programs sponsored by almost every Canadian province, many American states, and at International Congresses held in England, Ireland, and Greece. His articles on clinical optometry, contact lenses, and optometric education have appeared throughout the ophthalmic literature. In concert with the Canadian International Development Agency, Dr. Fisher organized eye care visits by teams of optometric interns and supervisors to numerous countries in the Caribbean, particularly the Turks and Caicos Islands and Dominica. I supervised one of the eye care teams in Dominica in 1974; during that visit, we provided eye examinations and corrective glasses for all of the schoolchildren on the island. No matter how far afield we went, we knew we could rely on Dr. Fisher to assist with sage advice and guidance. For 10 years, he spent 2 months of the year in Benin, Nigeria, assisting in the establishment and development of a School of Optometry. From his earliest days in the professions, Dr. Fisher was interested in optometric history; he was the founding curator of the Museum of Visual Science and Optometry at the University of Waterloo. He was an active member of several international groups that are interested in ophthalmic history, including the Optometric Historical Society and the Ocular Heritage Society (both based in the U.S.), as well as several similar groups in the United Kingdom. Dr. Fisher also helped to write a history of optometry in Canada. His list of memberships and affiliations included the Ontario Association of Optometrists, the Canadian Association of Optometrists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Canadian Psychological Association, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, the Optical Society of America, the University Lodge A.F. & A.M. (Past Master, 1948), the American Academy of Optometry (Council member beginning 1957), a Diplomate of the Section on Cornea and Contact Lenses of the American Academy of Optometry, the Optometric Historical Society, and the Ocular Heritage Society. In all of his activities, Dr. Fisher manifested a characteristic spirit of generosity and selflessness. I believe his greatest pleasure came from enabling others to achieve their highest potential. Dr. Fisher enriched the lives of generations of optometrists and, through them, the lives of countless others. Dr. Fisher and his late wife Eleanor had one son (deceased) and two daughters. He had 10 grandchildren. His wife Eleanor made generations of students welcome in their home; the kindness and hospitality of the Fishers will be remembered with fondness.

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