From the OptArchives: Gerald Westheimer (PhD’53)

Gerald Westheimer (PhD’53) turned 101 years old on May 13, 2025. To celebrate this milestone, we are highlighting his connection to The Ohio State University College of Optometry in this installment of OPT Archives.

In 1938, state-sanctioned attacks against Jews in Nazi Germany prompted the Westheimer family to emigrate to Australia, settling in Sydney. In 1951, Dr. Westheimer came to the U.S. and enrolled in The Ohio State University’s optometry graduate program. In June 1953, he received his PhD. In September 1954, he joined Ohio State’s faculty, where his responsibilities included Physiological Optics and Mechanical Optics sequences, as well as continuing his research work in binocular vision and eye movements. Since 1960, he has been on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley.