Erie Optical was founded in 1962 in Painesville by Dr. Jacob Waldman. Previous to the opening in Painesville, Dr. Waldman had a practice in the city of Cleveland. He was very progressive in his thinking in that he was one of the first doctors to advertise his services in the newspaper. In 1978 his son Robert joined the practice and worked alongside his father until his retirement in 1984. The practice was moved to its present location in Mentor in 1988.