Optometry
General News
Current Student News
It was supposed to be a surprise. But Fredda Weisbond needed her husband, Steven Weisbond, OD ‘81, to make an appearance at The Eye Institute (TEI), which is the clinical facility for the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Drexel University without him knowing why.
Here was the plan: The Weisbonds were scheduled to fly from Tampa to Newark to see their son in Harrison, New Jersey. Mrs. Weisbond knew they could easily drive to Philadelphia from there but she didn’t have a cover story for why they needed to be in Philly.
So the night before they left Tampa she had to spill the beans that for his milestone birthday, Mrs. Weisbond had arranged for a room to be named in Dr. Weisbond’s honor at TEI.
“Once we were packed for our trip, I had to tell him because I had no other way to get him there,” said Mrs. Weisbond. “This is something he’s always wanted to do, to give back to The Eye Institute.”
And, even though he got an advance heads-up, Dr. Weisbond said he was totally surprised that the trip north included the dedication of Room 601 in the Pediatric Suite at TEI as the “Dr. Steven Weisbond examination room.”
“I was in a state of shock when my wife put our son and daughter on FaceTime and told me,” said Dr. Weisbond. “I had no idea. She kept it a very good secret.”
Dr. Steven Weisbond followed his father, the late Edwin Weisbond, OD ‘50, who graduated from what was then known as the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (PSCO). The name changed to PCO in 1964 and is still named that today.
“It was a great time at PCO. I made a lot of good friends and had a lot of good experiences with the professors, they shaped my life. It definitely prepared me for my career,” he said.
After optometry school, Dr. Weisbond completed an internship in Florida and decided he liked the warm weather too much to go back up north. He settled in Tampa and along with three partners, brought Optical Outlets to the largest optometrist-owned chain on the west coast of Florida with more than 55 locations. Two years ago, they sold the business but he continues to work there today.
Dr. Weisbond conducts the majority of his exams in Spanish and loves interacting with his patients. He has always said he wanted to do something to give back to his school who he credits with his success.
In addition to his wife, Dr. Weisbond was joined at the room dedication by his son Jay, who works for a nonprofit environmental organization in New Jersey. His daughter Erin also works for Optical Outlets and recently finished opticianry school.
David Meltzer, OD ‘02, FAAO, interim vice president of Clinical Operations and assistant professor, and Beth Moy, associate vice provost at the Elkins Park Campus, hosted the dedication ceremony and conducted a tour of TEI for the Weisbond family.
“This is amazing. It warms my heart to see that exam room and be able to help TEI, the students and patients,” said Dr. Weisbond.
