SCENE + HEARD The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry Present Inaugural Herbert Wertheim Award to Namesake, Dr. Wertheim By Staff Wednesday, March 29, 2023 12:18 AM Dr. Herbert Wertheim. ROCKVILLE, Md.—The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) awarded Dr. Herbert Wertheim ASCO’s inaugural Herbert Wertheim Award, affectionately called “The Herbie.” Dr. Wertheim received his award in October during a special recognition reception in San Diego at the American Academy of Optometry’s annual conference. “We are honored to not only recognize and praise Dr. Wertheim for his remarkable inventions and his unparalleled support of optometric education, including his remarkable donation to the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Optometry. He is such an icon, and we are pleased to name this award after him,” said Dr. Melissa Trego, ASCO president. “Dr. Wertheim’s passion for optometry, the past, present, and future, will forever be evident as we continue his legacy through future ‘Herbie’ recipients.” The Herbert Wertheim Award recognizes remarkable individuals or organizations that have accomplished high-impact, groundbreaking, and innovative programs or initiatives, and contributed substantially, or have the potential to sustainably address, eye and vision health and/or the social determinants of eye health and vision care, at the local, national, or global level. “I’m highly honored to be the recipient of this very special recognition award that is named after me for my contributions to optometry while emphasizing the need for enhanced education for the preservation of vision worldwide. This is a wonderful and needed calling that will enhance the lives of tens of thousands, if not millions, of patients who will need professional optometric vision and eye health evaluations and treatments throughout their lifetimes,” said Dr. Wertheim a worldwide clinician, educator and researcher. “This is a profession I am proud to be a part of and encourage any young person who is considering helping to make the world a better place to choose the optometric profession as a career choice.”