The State College of Optometry was established as an integral unit of the State University of New York through passage of legislation in 1970 and 1971. The establishment of an optometry college was a recognition of a long standing need for a professional curriculum in optometry in New York State. (The optometry program at Columbia University was ended in 1956.)
In 1971, the University entered into a contract of affiliation with the Optometric Center of New York, the largest non-profit vision care clinic in the country. As the College expanded, and the need for clinical and research facilities increased, the clinical programs of the Optometric Center of New York became totally integrated with the College and SUNY by legislative authority (in 1975), and became known as the University Optometric Center. The Optometric Center of New York, in 1975, changed its charter to become an endowing foundation.