A visionary, innovator and businessman, Dr. Ronald Blum is named as the inventor or co-inventor on well over 750 patents and patent applications worldwide. He is one of the top inventors in the world in the fields of optics, electronic eyewear and vision correction. He has also had substantial commercial innovation success. Presently there are nine different innovations or IP portfolios for which Dr. Blum is named as the sole inventor or a co-inventor that have been licensed or sold to seven different global billion-dollar companies.
By way of example only, Dr. Blum is named as one of the inventors of the core patents that back up eye drops for treating presbyopia, blue light filtering for protection against macular degeneration, electronic focusing spectacles, electronic focusing contact lenses, electronic IOLs and the world’s smallest camera attachable to eyewear. Dr. Blum stopped examining eyes in 1989 and by the time of his departure in 1992, his group practice had grown to be one of the largest multi-location private optometric practices in the Southeastern United States.
Dr. Blum has served on the Board of Trustees for Roanoke College. He received his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern College of Optometry 1972. His philanthropic work includes providing two major entering scholarships here at Southern College of Optometry.