Dr. Robert Steinmetz is the director and owner of SoLo Eye Care and Eyewear Gallery in the South Loop. Dr. Bob was born and raised in Oak Lawn, IL and attended Marist High School on the south side of Chicago. He then went on to the University of Notre Dame where he graduated cum laude with a degree in biological sciences. Dr. Steinmetz earned his Doctorate of Optometry degree as a cum laude graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry. During his time there, Bob was the recipient of a record number of awards recognizing his academic and clinical excellence and his commitment to community service.

Dr. Steinmetz is one of only a few optometrists nationwide to be board certified by both the American Board of Optometry and the National Board of Optometric Examiners.

Dr. Bob is the 2006 Illinois Young Optometrist of the Year and the 2015 Illinois Optometrist of the year. He is a past trustee in the Illinois Optometric Association, a member of the American Optometric Association and a member of the Illinois Optometric Association PAC Board. He is active in his south loop community and belongs to a numerous organizations including the Near South Planning Board, the Greater South Loop Alliance, and the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance.

Dr. Steinmetz has been published in several optometric journals and has presented numerous lectures on ocular disease and optometric practice management. Dr. Steinmetz is an Adjunct Clinical Preceptor at the Illinois College of Optometry and serves on the advisory board of three major pharmaceutical companies involved in the research and development of anti-allergenic and dry eye therapy.

Dr. Bob also serves as a frequent eyewear fashion consultant for celebrity photography shoots in Chicago. His clinical interests include anterior segment disease, hybrid and scleral contact lens technology, and corneal refractive therapy. He is actively involved in concussion research and the impact of traumatic brain injury on the ocular structure and function of professional boxers and NFL players.

Robert Steinmetz’s outside academic interests include paleontology; he has had the opportunity to travel to southeastern China where he and a team of paleontologists unearthed a large bone bed of sauropod dinosaurs including several previously unknown species. Also an avid sports fan, Robert is co-owner of the now infamous Bearsmobile, the revamped classic Cadillac hearse now devoted to supporting the Chicago Bears.