History

Sterling Optical opened its first door in the financial district of New York in 1914.  Thirty-five successful years later, a second store opened in the Washington, D.C. area.

In 1966, Sterling embarked on the first of its expansion programs by acquiring IPCO, a retail optical company and public corporation, making Sterling Optical the largest retail optical chain in the Northeast.  

Over the next 30 years, Sterling continued its growth across the nation through franchising and by acquiring other optical chains such as Benson and Superior in the Midwest and Singer Specs and D&K Optical in the Mid-Atlantic region.

In October of 1993, Sterling Optical's parent company Emerging Vision, Inc. acquired 26 new stores with the Site for Sore Eyes chain in California.

Emerging Vision was the first in the optical industry to develop group plans providing union members with eye care at the lowest costs possible.  We were also the first to import frames and develop private label brands on a large scale.

Today, through a combination of company-owned and franchised stores, Sterling Optical and Site for Sore Eyes number nearly 200 locations nationwide.

As a franchise, we have been repeatedly named by Crain's Franchise Buyer and by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top franchise operators in the United States.

In addition to its retail units, Emerging Vision, Inc. also owns and operates Insight Managed Care, which develops Third Party business, to make Sterling the nation's only full-service eye care company.

As we enter the 21^st century, we have renewed our commitment to remain an industry leader in the optical industry.