Explorers and eye doctors: UAB lecture looks at Lewis and Clark and the first vision care west of the Mississippi

The first eye-care practitioners in the American West? The Lewis and Clark expedition is the subject of a Reynolds Historical Lecture.

lewis clarkThe first vision care provided in the American West happened during the Corps of Discovery expedition led by Lewis and Clark along the Missouri River in 1804. It’s the subject of the Reynolds-Finley Historical Lecture Series at noon Thursday, Feb. 5. William J. Benjamin, O.D., Ph.D., director of advanced refractive services, Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, P.C./Michelson Laser Vision, Inc., will present “Lewis and Clark: First Eye Care Practitioners West of the Mississippi.”

The lecture will be held in the Edge of Chaos, fourth floor of the Lister Hill Library, 1700 University Blvd. It is free and open to the public. A limited number of box lunches will be provided. CMEs are available. The lecture is hosted by the Reynolds Associates and UAB Historical Collections.

UAB Historical Collections consists of the Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, the Reynolds Historical Library and UAB Archives.