Even before the University of Houston College of Optometry began educating optometrists, the Texas Optometric Association has been advancing the profession across the state. In fact, TOA’s advocacy catalyzed the college’s founding in 1952. Today, Dr. Adam Cox ('12) is helping carry that relationship forward as President of the TOA Board of Trustees.

Dr. Cox’s path to optometry began with two interests: health care and entrepreneurship. After considering several health professions, he was drawn to the flexibility of optometry and the ability to build a practice while caring for patients.

"I love how this profession allows me to be in health care while promoting an entrepreneurial spirit through self-employment," he said. "UHCO is one of the best optometry schools in the nation, so that’s where I wanted to be."

That entrepreneurial mindset eventually led Dr. Cox to establish a practice near the Texas-Louisiana border, about an hour from Shreveport. He also became licensed in Louisiana after the state expanded its optometric scope of practice in 2014 and has performed laser procedures there since 2015.

The experience strengthened his interest in professional advocacy and his involvement with TOA, where he aims to move the needle forward in expanding the scope of practice for Texas optometrists.

His leadership has earned recognition from his peers, including being named TOA's Young Optometrist of the Year in 2022. Dr. Cox credits UH Optometry with providing the foundation for his career and sees continued growth and professional involvement as part of the responsibility that comes with it.

"UHCO gave me the opportunity to become an optometrist, and now it is my responsibility to become a better optometrist every year," he said. "That includes clinical skill, knowledge, business management, people management and professional association leadership."

Dr. Cox also believes leadership is about leaving organizations stronger than he found them.

"I want TOA to continue to become the best professional association in the nation, and I’m just here to help along the way," he said.

That sense of responsibility extends to the next generation of optometrists, which Dr. Cox reflected upon during a visit to UH Optometry with the TOA Board of Trustees on Aug. 28. He encourages students and early-career practitioners to take ownership of their professional development, embrace new technology and continually look for ways to better serve their patients.

"Take charge of the career you have chosen," he said. "Enhance patients' lives with excellent eye care. Be the problem solver patients are looking for."

He sees significant opportunities ahead as optometrists take an increasingly active role in primary eye care, ocular disease management, and the detection and management of conditions that can provide insight into a patient’s overall health.

"We continue to become more involved in systemic health management while technology allows us to treat ocular disease in new and exciting ways right in our offices," he said.

Through his practice, advocacy and leadership, Dr. Cox sees professional involvement as essential to moving optometry forward, which is a lesson he hopes future UHCO graduates will carry into their own careers.

"We are stronger together," he said.