History
The Society of Military Ophthalmologists (also known as SMO) was established in February 1972. We network with international military ophthalmologists to help develop a global ophthalmology curriculum. We support the next generation of military ophthalmologists by mentoring HPSP students and taking an active role in the USUHS Specialty Interest Group for ophthalmology, encouraging medical students to discover the exciting and rewarding practice.
Order of St. Lucia
The creation of the Order of St. Lucia was approved by the SMO Board of Governors in October 2004.
The order is based in the tradition of military honor societies such as the of the Order of St. Barbara (artillery), the Order of St. George (armor), the Order of St. Maurice (infantry), and others. Similar to these older societies, it is named for and based on a patron saint with the “protector of...” symbology which is more of a social idea rather than religious.
The society’s name was chosen for St. Lucia (284-304), the patron saint for the blind, a Sicilian martyr who, by various accounts had her eyes plucked out because of her faith. She is often painted holding a platter containing her eyes. Probably not coincidentally, the Latin name Lucia shares a root (luc-) with the Latin word lux, for light. Somewhat ironically, or perhaps appropriately, her feast day is December 13, near the solstice with the fewest hours of daylight of the year.