Robert Morrison was born and raised, along with two brothers and one sister, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, he attended the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and graduated with his Doctor of Optometry degree in 1948. Shortly after that, Robert opened up his own two-room optometry practice in Harrisburg. Thanks to what Robert considers "good timing, a little luck, and more energy than brains", his fledgling practice eventually grew to become one of the largest in the country, serving tens of thousands of patients. His patients have included numerous royal families, Hollywood stars and other celebrities, and high-ranking politicians. During his more than fifty years as an eye care professional, Robert has been an inventor, teacher, lecturer, researcher, and author and a man tireless in his efforts to help the vision of the poor throughout the world.
Robert's teaching career has included four professorships: Associate Professor of Optometry at Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at New York Medical College, and Professor of Ophthalmology at Albany Medical College. He is currently a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Penn State University College of Medicine.
Morrison is the winner of many awards including Popular Science magazine's Inventor of the Year, the Leonardo da Vinci Award presented by the National Eye Research Association, and the Alumni Award from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Robert was nominated for National Optometrist of the Year by the American Optometric Association, and he was nominated by the faculty of MIT for having the Invention of the Year. He was knighted by the Royal Family of Holland in a ceremony at the United Nations in recognition of his outstanding achievement to the field of eye care throughout the world.
Robert and his wife, Ruth, have two children, Jim and Patty, and five grandchildren. They divide their time between their homes in Harrisburg and Longboat Key, Florida.