Join The Celebration

We are very happy to be celebrating our 100-year birthday with our growing Optometry & Vision Science family, and the greater Optometry & Vision Science community. Below is a list of events that will take place throughout the course of our year-long centennial celebration. We cordially invite you to join us in celebrating the history and legacy of our school, go bears!

See below for a list of our centennial events.

Centennial Gala for Optometry and VS

Join us for an evening of nostalgia, commemoration, and reflection on our legacy of providing the best clinical training, eye care, and vision science research. We are proud of how far we have come, and we look forward to the next century of excellence! The Centennial Gala is the final event on the school’s year-long centennial celebration schedule. It will be an evening of fun and fellowship; including a cocktail reception, dinner, recognition of awardees, and an after dinner reception. President Michael V. Drake and other dignitaries will be in attendance!

Ticket Prices
Individual Ticket: $275
Couple: $500 
Table Sponsorship (8 seats): $2500 

Alums and friends have the opportunity to sponsor a table (8 seats) for $2500; a portion of your sponsorship is tax-deductible. Corporate and partner sponsorships are available, click here to learn more. 

Paper invitations will be mailed shortly. Please email optometrydean@berkeley.edu for any questions.

Past Events

DEIB Symposium: Digital Health Equity

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed the widespread acceptance of telehealth and other digital innovations in healthcare; however, does advancing medical technology help or exacerbate exclusion, introduce unexpected biases, widen the digital divide, and continue to leave some populations behind?

See vision professionals discuss the challenges and opportunities that technology has in the broader healthcare landscape and in eye care specifically. Our speakers presented their work at the forefront of healthcare and technology and our panelists discussed specifically how this relates to eye care.

To learn about the speakers, click the button below.

Rock the Centennial

On Monday, June 5th, our community gathered at the Cornerstone in Berkeley to hear Dean Flanagan’s band perform – The Lost Faculties! A special thanks to Assistant Director of Admissions, Ardi Samonte, for his amazing DJ set!

Centennial Vision Science Symposium

In celebration of 100 years of excellence of research in vision science, the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science hosted a Centenary Research day on Friday, June 9th. The one day event highlighted the outstanding research being done by school faculty and alumni. The day began with a historical perspectives session followed by sessions on clinical, basic, and translational research. The keynote speaker was Professor Dennis Levi.

Hall of Fame Gala

The Hall of Fame honors alumni and faculty whose contributions to the profession of optometry (through service, teaching, administration, or research) have been so monumental as to be universally recognized. These individuals have made contributions that distinguish the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science above all others.

This year, we inducted 21 new members into our Hall of Fame. Read more about our inductees by clicking the button below.

Community Celebration (The school’s birthday!)

In honor of the 100th year of The Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Chancellor Christ hosted a celebration, joined by faculty, staff and the alumni board.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Caitlin Dabatos at: caitlindabatos@berkeley.edu.

Centennial Roadshows

We took our Centennial Celebration on the Road! To celebrate our centennial year, the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science visited alums and friends of the school in California and across the country. Our roadshows included engaging with more than 3,000 alums and visiting local and regional optometric societies.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact the Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) Team, at: optoalumni@berkeley.edu.

Centennial CE & Alumni Reunion

On September 23-24, The Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science hosted the first in-person Centennial Continuing Education (CE) & Alumni Reunion Weekend since 2019. The two-day program included 13 COPE-accredited CE hours, including the profession’s first COPE-accredited course by a Nobel Laureate, Dr. Randy Scheckman.

If you have questions about the Centennial Alumni Reunion, please contact the Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) Team at: optoalumni@berkeley.edu. For CE questions, please contact optoce@berkeley.edu.