Centennial
Why did you choose your particular profession?
I literally grew up with optometry, as my father was an optometrist with an office in our home.
Tell me about your time at Salus/PCO. Why did you choose to study there?
My father was a PCO alumnus, and it was the school and environment that was most appealing to me. He stayed on staff at PCO for a while, and knew quite a few of my teachers, which made the experience more enjoyable.
What are some of your favorite memories from Salus/PCO – favorite classes, professors, classmates, clinical experiences, co-workers?
One of my fondest memories was participating in a unique program that B&L implemented during the summer of 1974, taking one student from each College of Optometry and training us in Rochester, N.Y. on fitting the new Soflens technology. We then accompanied the sales rep to offices of optometrists and ophthalmologists in Philly and South Jersey to help problem solve. I met with Drs. Joel Silbert, Rick Spinell, Woody Kolb, Mitch Fink, and Les Janoff to compare notes, and this led to my scribing our contact lens course, and ultimately a senior research grant.
Tell me about your life after Salus/PCO – where do/did you practice, how long?
I did a Residency in Pediatric Optometry and went on staff in The Pediatric Unit of TEI, ultimately becoming Chief of the Pediatric Unit. When I was recruited to serve as Chief of the VT Service at SUNY, I recruited my replacement and fortunately for Salus/PCO, Dr. Mitch Scheiman accepted the invitation to come and expand on what we had begun. I also practiced privately in Fair Lawn, N.J. for 32 years during and after my time in academia, and now have a specialty consultation practice in Lakewood, N.J.
As Salus/PCO celebrates 100 years in 2019, what are your hopes for the college in the next 100 years?
I hope that Salus/PCO continue to be a leader in the field. I am proud that my son, Dr. Daniel Press, is a third generation PCO grad and would love to see the lineage continue through further generations!
