| The founder of Jardon Eye Prosthetics, Fritz W. Jardon, was born in Munich, Germany in 1910. After immigrating to the United States in 1932 he worked as a dental technician in Kansas City, Missouri. At that time he developed an interest in artificial eyes. He was recruited by the American Optical Company in Southbridge, Massachusetts and became director of the Monoplex eye division of that company. Most of the artificial eyes in this country were made out of glass and came from Germany but the supply was cut off when the United States began boycotting German imports due to World War II. While at American Optical, Fritz developed the all plastic artificial eye and was mass producing them for the numerous veterans who lost eyes in the war.
While at American Optical, he met and worked with most of the “giants” of ophthalmology (such as Drs. Woods, McLean, Guyton, Stone and A. D. Ruedeman, Sr.) in developing various implants and prosthetic eyes. In 1947, along with A. D. Ruedeman, Sr., he won the Gold Medal Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology for the plastic one piece prosthesis. In1950, when A. D. Ruedeman Sr. moved from the Cleveland Clinic to Detroit, he persuaded Fritz to come with him. For the first time, ophthalmologists were offered a complete eye fitting service. He started out in a small office on Madison Avenue in downtown Detroit, later moving to the Kales Building and in 1975 he moved the office to Southfield, where we are still located today.
Fritz gave instructional courses on ocular prostheses at the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology from 1946 to 1969 and received the Gold Key Award from the academy in 1957. He remained on the committee for prosthetic devices at the academy for many years. He has been an instructor with the Kresge Eye Institute and was appointed Assistant Professor with the Wayne State School of Medicine. Fritz was the driving force and one of the founders of the American Ocularists Society and was past-president of the Society.
Twice named an honorary member of the Michigan Ophthalmological Society, he has written a number of eye fitting manuals and co-authored a number of articles on artificial eyes, flush fitting Ridley contact lenses and implants. In the late 1950's he also added Veterinary Implants which are sold to Veterinarians all over the world for enucleation and evisceration.
Thousands of patients throughout this country and around the world who have been disfigured because of the loss of an eye are forever grateful to Fritz Jardon for restoring them to normality; for his compassion; his diligence and his expertise. Even though he was a pioneer in the development of the artificial eye and the impression molding technique for fitting them, he has always been willing to share generously in his knowledge. Fritz has literally taught hundreds of people around the country in the eye fitting technique for the plastic eye. In 1982 he was instrumental in getting a bill passed in the Michigan State Legislature to license and regulate the Ocularists in Michigan.
Unfortunately in 1996 Fritz passed away at the age of 86, but his legacy will continue to live on in our Southfield office by ocularists Paul Jardon and Lee Morris.
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