The professional life of Dr. James R. Scholles has been both exciting and fulfilling. One of the first to have both optometry and law degrees, Dr. Scholles has been “where the action is” working with many of the distinguished leaders in optometry, including Drs. Irvin Borish, Irving Bennett, Timothy Kime, David Sullins, Melvin Shipp, Fred Hebbard, Ruth and Warren Morris, and many others. He has served as President of the Ohio and American Optometric Associations. He has lectured and written extensively about clinicolegal subjects. He has testified before the US Congress on behalf of the optometry relative to Medicare co-management and in the hearings of the Federal Trade Commission on “Eyeglasses 2.” He served for six years and chaired the Legal and Ethical Issues Committee of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. He was a founding member and first President of Diversified Ophthalmics, Inc., a buying group that enhanced the buying power of independent optometrists and President of Preferred Eyecare Providers, a preferred provider organization that has achieved access to local insurance panels in South Western Ohio for Optometrists to provide diagnostic and treatment services. Dr. Scholles has helped to design strategies for the profession as a member and chairman of two long-range planning committees of the American Optometric Association as the profession expanded its scope of practice. He is still active in both his optometry and legal practices and says he is at his best helping his patients care for their eyes and counseling his optometric constituents about practice issues. Dr. Scholles remains humbled by his good fortune to have had the tireless support of his wife, Barbara, his family, his practice associates, Dr. David Wert (OD’71) and Dr. Philip Jutte (OD’07), his office staff, The Ohio State University College of Optometry and the community of Ohio optometrists.
