Honoring an optometry trailblazer: Richard Hopping, O.D.

The profession of optometry has lost one of its most distinguished leaders with the passing of Richard Hopping, O.D., 97, whose remarkable 72-year cumulative membership in the AOA demonstrated his dedication to the profession and his patients. Dr. Hopping, an AOA past president, inspired generations of future optometrists, including his son, past AOA president Ronald Hopping, O.D., and grandson, Reed Hopping, O.D. 

For several decades, Dr. Hopping was a leading national advocate for the expansion of scope of optometric practice and patient care. He guided leaders, nationally and internationally, and testified in numerous legislatures across the country to advance optometric scope of practice for the patients’ benefit. As a leading college president, he was a force in advancing optometry’s educational curriculum and training. His influence was pervasive and improved public health and veterans’ health care across our nation. 

A legacy of virtue and excellence 

Dr. Hopping's career began in 1952 when he graduated from the Southern College of Optometry. In Ohio during the 1950s, he and his beloved wife Patricia Louise Vance Hopping began their optometric journey together, with Patricia working to support his practice in Dayton while cultivating her passion for serving the community and advancing the profession. He was also employed by the U.S. Veterans Administration and is recognized as the first optometrist in the country to be on staff of the VA (1953-57), where he proved the essential value of optometric care for our nation’s veterans.  

Dr. Hopping quickly became active in the Miami Valley Optometric Society and was tapped for leadership in the Ohio Optometric Association, serving in all chairs including president (1964-65). He was elected to the AOA Board of Trustees in 1966 and served until 1973, including as president from 1971-72, a role in which he demonstrated exceptional leadership during a critical period in optometry's evolution. His presidency coincided with the beginning of significant changes in the profession, and his influence extended far beyond his term of office. He proposed and worked to pass the AOA motion creating the historic Airlie House Conference on the Role of Optometry in Health Care (1969). This event laid the groundwork for integrating optometry into the U.S. health care system and helped focus the profession to expand optometric scope of practice. It was a fundamental precursor to the diagnostic and therapeutic legislative scope gains for optometry over the following decades. 

Following his AOA presidency, Dr. Hopping assumed another transformative role, serving as president of the Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) from 1973 to 1997—an unprecedented 24-year tenure that left an indelible mark on optometric education. Under his leadership, SCCO flourished, and the institution acknowledged his contributions by naming the Hopping Academic Center in his honor. 

During his presidency at SCCO, Dr. Hopping authored The Optometric Oath, a defining document that articulates the ethical foundation and professional commitment expected of all optometrists. This oath was subsequently adopted by both the AOA and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and is recited and pledged by every optometrist at graduation ceremonies and optometric meetings across the nation. 

With his 2003 induction into the National Optometry Hall of Fame, Dr. Hopping cemented his place among the profession's most revered figures. This honor reflected not only his individual achievements but also his lasting impact on optometric practice, education and professional standards. 

Dr. Hopping's example influenced his son, Ronald Hopping, O.D., M.P.H., who followed in his father's footsteps to become AOA president in 2012. This marked the first time in AOA history that a father-son duo held the prestigious title of association president, creating a legacy that speaks to the family's commitment to optometric excellence. The legacy continues with Reed Hopping, O.D., who followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, joining his father’s practice, Hopping Eye Associates, in Houston. 

Throughout his career, Dr. Hopping worked alongside Patricia. Together, they represented the optometric profession on the global stage, including a historic 1981 People-to-People delegation to mainland China and Japan, where they shared American optometric expertise and fostered international professional relationships. 

Dr. Hopping's passing marks the end of an era, but his contributions will continue to influence optometry for generations to come through the educational institutions he led, the oath he crafted and the professional standards he helped establish. The AOA remains grateful for his and his family’s contributions and commitment to the field of optometry. 

Services will be held Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, at McAuley-Wallace Mortuary, Fullerton, California, at 1 p.m. There will be a private interment earlier that day.