Lifetime Achievement Award given to Dr. Harry Zeltzer

In America, Shri Nathji’s mission found ultimate fulfillment in Dr. Harry Zeltzer, and his wife, Lois Zeltzer. Dr. Harry Zeltzer was an agnostic. When his father had died, scepticism for religion had set in. If there was a God, He should have answered. There was a vast cosmic silence in the Universe. God appeared to be nowhere. But there was a quest in Dr. Zeltzer’s mind–a deep-rooted spiritual quest that exhibited itself in his pursuits in life, in his art, in his profession. He was an Optometrist of great repute. He had travelled to the East, to Japan, and had sought an answer in Eastern philosophy, but complete fulfillment appeared to lie elsewhere.

Priya Nath had met him at a dinner party, and had told him about Shri Nathji. "Is he here, in America?" Dr. Zeltzer asked. When Priya Nath told him that Shri Nathji was in America, a spark of happiness lit up within him. It was as if he was nearing his goal. He invited Shri Nathji to his house. When the invitation reached Shri Nathji, he said:

"This is the man I was waiting for! My work in America has now ended. I travelled thousands of miles from the East at the calling of thirsty souls, and until I have satiated the thirst of the last of them, I cannot leave. They come to me when the time is ripe for them, and I must wait till that time."

At Harry Zeltzer’s house, Shri Nathji said: "Harry, you do not know me, but I know you!" Harry Zeltzer and his wife gave a tastefully prepared dinner to Shri Nathji and Priya Nath. After the dinner they asked Shri Nathji to sit in one of the finest chairs they had in their drawing room, which was of Japanese make. He thought the chair, which looked like a throne, had been made for Shri Nathji. Shri Nathji looked grand and exotic sitting on the chair, as if he was an Emperor who had come into his own. Accounts of Shri Nathji’s interaction with Dr. Harry Zeltzer is mentioned on pages  1119 – 1121 of the Mahagranth – God Incarnate.

Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Dr. Harry Zeltzer by the prestigious organization - VOSH/INTERNATIONAL (Which stands for - Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) in 2008. Sometimes there is a special person who doesn’t fit the mold and has the unique ability to have a vision beyond the normal expectations. Dr. Harry Zeltzer is just such an individual. Dr. Zeltzer is the inventor of the X-Chrom contact lens, which is used to help color deficient individuals better discriminate between confusing shades. Among his activities outside optometry, he has been a fisherman, sculptor, and antique dealer. He has served on the VOSH/INTERNATIONAL board, including the presidency. He now tirelessly continues to serve as webmaster and volunteer executive director of this organisation. His insight, dedication, and tenacity are lessons for us all. In accepting his award, Harry commented, “I should be giving you a gift for letting me serve.”

"Dr. Harry Zeltzer invented a contact lens to cure color deficiency in year 1970. Dr. Harry Zeltzer was awarded United States Patents 3,586,423 and 3,701,590 and 4,998,817 for developing the lens.  Adventure in Colors is the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of the ZELTZER X-CHROM™  soft contact lens for the treatment of red-green color deficiency also known as color blindness. To know more about his invention one can see the following webpage - http://www.techcolors.com/X-CHROM.htm"
Dr. Zeltzer, has been active in humanitarian eye care since 1986 serving in the Americas, Eastern Europe, Africa and for the Navajo Nation. His VOSH experience evolved from the New England chapter as its co-founder and president. For many years he assisted in the development of ASAPROSAR (Association of Salvadoren Rural Health) and is on their Board of Directors. Dr. Zeltzer is the recipient of the VOSH/International Lifetime Achievement Award and was recognized by Essilor as Humanitarian of the Year. He was awarded Alumnus of the Year by the New England College of Optometry where he also received an Honorary Doctor of Ocular Science degree. During his 35 years of optometry practice in Waltham, Mass he was awarded patents for the X-Chrom Lens, a contact lens for color deficiency, was a reservist at the Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine and a consultant to Helen Keller International, assisting in the development of their "Childsight Program". He is a life member of the American Optometric Association, The American Academy of Optometry and the New England College of Optometry (NECO). During WW11 he served in the Army of Occupation of Japan. (He brought a grand chair from Japan, which he offered to Shi Nathji when He visited his house. When He divorced with his wife, they both fought a bitter battle in court to retain the chair. Each wanted that chair.)

Harry I. Zeltzer, O.D., retired from practice before he embarked on a career as a volunteer. During his years in private practice outside of Boston, Dr. Zeltzer advanced the science of color vision and invented the X-Chrom contact lens for color deficiency. Meanwhile, he planned carefully for his retirement, which he began in 1985 at the age of 55. Since retirement, Dr. Zeltzer has made about 50 missions to all parts of the world. He averages about three or four trips a year to places such as the Yucatan in Mexico, El Salvador, the Ukraine, as well as to underserved places in the U.S. like the hills of Appalachia and pueblos of Arizona.

Dr. Zeltzer works at the ground level to provide hands-on care, but he has also played a significant role as a visionary policy-maker and administrator. He’s the immediate past president of VOSH/International, and co-founder of the New England chapter of VOSH. Through VOSH/International, Dr. Zeltzer helped optometry to join the World Health Organization’s Vision 2020 program, and helped form affiliations between VOSH and the American Optometric Association and also SEE (Surgical Eye Expeditions) International.

He seems particularly proud of aligning optometry with ChildSight, a program through Helen Keller Worldwide that provides screenings and eyeglasses to children both in the U.S. and abroad. He’s also the VOSH webmaster (www.vosh.org), a site that got a shot in the arm in 2001 thanks to a grant from Vistakon. In 2002, he was awarded New England College of Optometry’s Alumnus of the Year. In 2003, he received the Essilor Humanitarian Award at UNESCO’s First International Congress for Development of Visual Health.

Even now at age 82, Dr. Zeltzer is still on the move.  Dr. Zeltzer says he does it for selfish reasons. Helping others makes him feel fulfilled. “It makes me feel more complete,” he says. “My hope is to inspire other optometrists—especially young optometrists—to recognize their value in helping people who need their assistance.”