Frank Fontana, O.D., F.A.A.O., known to eye care as “Uncle Frank” for his courteous, avuncular nature and enthusiasm to share his contact lens expertise, passed away at age 96, on Oct. 3. He was a welcomed fixture at all the optometry meetings, aided by son, Frankie.

“He quickly became a mentor and a friend. Not only was Frank a pioneer in the area of contact lenses, but he opened doors for our profession by establishing strong relationships with industry,” explains Carmen F. Castellano, O.D., F.A.A.O. “Frank had tremendous people skills remembering not only names, but details about everyone he knew. . . ‘Uncle Frank’ loved optometry, and optometry will miss him very much.”

EARLY CAREER

In 1943, the U.S. Army drafted Dr. Fontana, a St. Louis native, for World War II. He became a medical battalion supply sergeant and worked in the European theater. Three years later, he enlisted as a student at the Illinois College of Optometry via the GI Bill.

“After World War II, I felt almost alone, since all of my military friends were gone,” he explained in the May 2016 “O.D. Scene” section of Optometric Management. “To belong to a similar group or discipline seemed natural to me. I chose optometry because it took only four years to reach, rather than six to eight years for dentistry or medicine; plus my Dad’s best friend was an O.D. . .”

Dr. Castellano notes that he heard, “some of the most fascinating stories from World War II one could imagine” from driving with Dr. Fontana.

A year after graduating in 1949, Dr. Fontana opened Fontana Eye-care Associates and saw patients regularly for 66 years.

CONTACT LENSES

In the late 1950s, Dr. Fontana developed a fervor for contact lenses, having been inspired by Newton Wesley and George Jesson and his patients’ desire for vision correction without glasses.

This passion led to the development of the first practice management/contact lens study groups, where other practitioners could meet to increase their fitting skills and bounce contact lens-related questions off one another.

Additionally, Dr. Fontana co-founded the AOA’s Contact Lens & Cornea Section and the Heart of America Contact Lens Society. He also participated in several contact lens-related clinical investigations.

“I wanted industry to know optometry and to use their resources to help our profession to better help our patients,” he said in “O.D. Scene.” “And boy, they have certainly done so!”

Always willing to share his expertise, Dr. Fontana held adjunct teaching and research positions, spoke more than 160 times internationally and published myriad articles related to contact lenses.

ACCOLADES

For his contributions to the profession, Dr. Fontana received several awards throughout his career, including an induction into the National Optometry Hall of Fame in 2012 and, most recently, the AOA President’s Award in 2017, for a lifetime of distinguished service to the profession.

Dr. Fontana leaves behind sons Don (wife Terry) and Frankie, grandchildren A.J. (wife Trish), Laura (husband Mark) Hambrecht, great grandchild Dylan Fontana, and countless “nieces” and “nephews.” ■