Anyone who has ever had an eye exam will recognize the Eye Chart on the right-hand wall. Even folks who couldn’t read could point to show which direction the “legs” on the E are pointing.

The Oph-thal-mom-eter on the desk is a 1928 instrument for measuring the reflection of an image on the surface of the cornea and other capacities of the eye… used chiefly for determining the presence and degree of astigmatism. The Stereoscope behind it was used for testing the eyes for distance vision and focus, as well as binocular vision, or 3-dimensional vision.

Some interesting styles of antique eye wear are displayed on the windowsill. The goggles have a fine screen on the sides and were used for such dusty activities as piloting an aeroplane, riding a motorcycle, or driving down the roads in one of those new-fangled motor machines that scare all of the horses! When they would remove the goggles, their faces would often be covered with dirt—except for the clean area around their eyes where they were protected by their goggles. They looked rather funny!

Just to the right of the goggles is a pair of ladies’ spectacles that hang from a very fine chain. At the end of the chain you will see something that looks like a hairpin. This could be pushed through a buttonhole, with the decorative closed end catching on the button. The lady could hold the “specs” up to her eyes when she needed them, and simply let them dangle from the chain when she didn’t want to use them.

Since optometrists often worked with tiny screws and chains, many also dealt with watch and jewelry repair. The wooden chest on the left side of the room actually contains more watch repair parts than optometry equipment! As you can see from the opened drawers, there are hundreds of watch crystals, tiny screws, watch chain ends, and pieces of jewelry in the chest.