Optometry
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As a self-described “military brat,” Perry Umlauf, OD ‘87, was exposed to military optometrists when he was a kid. The experiences stuck with him so much that when it was time for him to decide on a career, the optometric profession was something he wanted to pursue.
At the time, in the late 1980s, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), which would eventually become part of Drexel University after merging with Salus University in 2025, was one of the top optometry schools in the nation.
Dr. Umlauf’s experience at PCO, and how it prepared him for his future as an optometrist laid the foundation for what has now become his nearly 40-year career of accomplishments.
And, now he can add another. Dr. Umlauf has been named the H. Ward Ewalt Meritorious Service Award recipient by the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA). “At first, I was like, ‘Why me?’ for this award. It’s a very limited list of people who get this award,” said Dr. Umlauf. “But I’ve always been involved in some aspect.”
That he has. Dr. Umlauf has served organized optometry all of his career, and specifically the POA for the past 30 years. In 2009, he was awarded the state’s highest honor, the Pennsylvania “Optometrist of the Year” from the POA and his peers. He has also been involved with continuing education initiatives, in conjunction with PCO and with the Central Pennsylvania Optometric Society (CPOS) annual continuing education forum, now in its 22nd year.
The H. Ward Ewalt, OD, Meritorious Service Award recognizes a POA member or an individual who has long-term dedication/service to POA and/or optometry, whose life-long dedication and commitment to the profession is exemplary. While the criteria for this award is exemplary service to the profession and/or organized optometry, community service (which is not required) may also be recognized in addition to the aforementioned, according to the POA website.
While at PCO, Dr. Umlauf was able to work with and learn from a Who’s Who of PCO giants, including Lorraine Lombardi, PhD, professor emerita; and former PCO presidents Melvin Wolfberg, OD ‘51, FAAO (1979-1989) and Thomas Lewis, OD ‘70, PhD, FAAO (1989-2013).
“I felt so confident coming out of PCO,” said Dr. Umlaut. “What I did not realize, though, is that optometry is a legislative profession by state. So, when I graduated, I came out with all this wonderful knowledge and I couldn’t use it right away because legislation for the profession had not yet caught up with that knowledge.”
After graduating from PCO, Dr. Umlauf completed a hospital based primary care residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania is 1987-1988. After that, he practiced with Dr. Albert Alley, an ophthalmologist, in Lebanon for 21 years.
His community service includes participating in third world vision missions for World Blindness Outreach and vision screenings for the Lebanon Lions Club.
A five-year stint in Colorado followed, but Dr. Umlauf returned to Lebanon County in 2013. For the past 10 years, he has been working at the Wyomissing Optometric Center, In Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, practicing medical optometry as well as contact lens optometry.
Dr. Umlauf serves on the Allied Health Medical Staff at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center (inpatient consults and Emergency Room eye care) in Reading, Pennsylvania. He is also recognized for his expertise and experience in prescribing specialty contact lenses for keratoconus and other corneal diseases and has authored several professional journal articles.
The H. Ward Ewalt Meritorious Service Award will be presented to Dr. Umlauf June 6, 2026, at the POA’s annual conference in Pittsburgh.
“I’m thrilled, surprised and honestly pretty lucky to receive this award,” he said.
