British Optical Association
Encyclopedia
The British Optical Association (BOA) was founded in 1895 as the first professional body for ophthalmic opticians (optometrists) in the world. It ran the first professional examinations in optics in 1896 and provided the Secretariat for a number of other optical bodies including what would eventually become the Association of Optometrists and the World Council of Optometry. In 1980, the BOA joined forces with the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers
Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers
The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, UK.The Company was founded by a Royal Charter of Charles I in 1629 AD; it was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1809...

 and the Scottish Association of Opticians (now disbanded) to found the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians, known since 1996 as The College of Optometrists
College of Optometrists
The College of Optometrists is the professional, scientific and examining body for optometry in the United Kingdom, working for the public benefit.-History:...

.

The BOA published the Dioptric Review and the British Journal of Physiological Optics on its own in-house printing press. It administered several higher qualifications including the Diploma in Contact Lens Practice and awarded the BOA Research Medal. Fellows of the British Optical Association were entitled to use the affix FBOA.

British Optical Association Museum

The British Optical Association Museum was founded in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 by John H. Sutcliffe OBE in 1901 as a collection of historic spectacles and visual aids designed to illustrate the development of corrective eyewear. It subsequently expanded its collecting activities to encompass ophthalmic instrumentation and the depiction of optometric subject matter in works of art such as paintings, prints and sculpture. With over 16,000 catalogued objects (including archives) it may be judged one of the most comprehensive and high quality collections of its type. It is believed to be the oldest such museum to be open to the public. Many of its objects are rare survivals and several are unique.

The museum is located at the College of Optometrists at the north end of Craven Street, adjacent to Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...

 in Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...

. Visits to the museum gallery are free and by advance appointment only.

The BOA Museum provides a heritage service to the College, the WCSM and the wider optical professions. The public may visit the exhibition rooms (the Sutcliffe Room and Giles Room) by prior appointment or pay for a guided tour of the College meeting rooms in which various exhibits are displayed. Museum staff are available to give external lectures and objects are frequently lent to temporary exhibitions at other accredited museums in the UK and occasionally overseas.

The BOA Museum is a UK Accredited Museum and a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine
The London Museums of Health & Medicine
The London Museums of Health & Medicine is an organization that brings together some of the activities of some of the museums in London related to health and medicine...

.

External links

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