The Optometrists Network began in 1996 when its flagship web site vision3d.com was published on the Web. One month after its launch, vision3d.com won the Internet Medical Site of the Week Award and was receiving over 10,000 visitors a month. Visitor traffic has continued to grow ever since.

In 1997, our on-line Directories with interactive forms were launched and the public began receiving free, immediate referrals to optometrists over the Internet. In our first year, referrals were actually executed via hand-typed email messages, so our automated system has allowed us to give free referrals to many more people! Our system now processes over 1500 referrals per week!

Many members and visitors still know us as vision3d.com or vision3d, yet -- as a result of years of research and development -- we have grown into a large network of interconnected patient advocacy and optometric web sites. The Optometrists Network, which educates the public about visual health and spreads the word about unique aspects of optometric care, has been free from vendor advertising from its inception.

vision3d.com and the Optometrists Network was founded by Rachel Cooper, writer and designer of Magic Eye How to See 3D (Andrews and McMeel; ISBN 0-8362-0467-0).

As a child, Rachel Cooper was diagnosed with untreatable lazy eye. As an adult, she discovered a visual health care choice called optometric vision therapy and, under the care of an optometrist, gained normal vision!

Ms. Cooper knows that many people are not aware of the unique types of care provided by some optometrists AND that -- when it comes to health -- people want to be informed of all effective treatment options! She also knows that there are many parents and children out there who would benefit greatly from optometric care.

Optometrists Network aims to:

• Help people find eye doctors who can help them
  
  
• Provide useful patient education
  
  
• Inform the public about their visual health care choices
  
  
• Connect optometrists with the people they serve
  
  
• Increase communication and collaboration between optometrists, teacher, and therapists in the best interests of the patient/student
  
  
• Increase communication within the profession of optometry
  
  
• Encourage cooperation between ophthalmologists and optometrists in the best interests of the patient (we offer as an example the model of cooperation between orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists)

To further our goals, we develop, maintain, and deliver public service content. Every year we add on at least one new patient education web site which addresses the information needs of a special patient group served by optometric care.

Content providers to the Optometrists Network may include:

1. Optometric associations, colleges, societies
   
   
2. Government agencies (e.g., National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities)
   
   
3. Publishers of "Licensed Content" (e.g., from a for-profit medical publisher)
   
   
4. Private, non-profit organizations (e.g., American Optometric Association, Optometric Extension Program, etc.)
   
   
5. Private Health Care Providers
   
   
6. Educators
   
   
7. Patients and Patient Advocates
   
   
8. Parents

Content providers to Optometrists Network are made aware that no paid advertisements are seen on the interface wherein their content appears.