Optician Winifred Cuthill (née Thomas) died last month aged 97.
Born on March 22 1909, she became a FBOA (Hons) on December 16 1930 and worked in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and later in Swansea.
On the death in 1947 of her husband Ronald Cuthill, a physics lecturer in higher education, she moved back to Swansea as her family were originally from this area, first working as a resident optician in the Co-operative Society, but later in her own business in high street Swansea. She retired 35 years ago.
Dr Colin Evans of the School of Health Science and Department of Physics at University of Wales Swansea, husband of Winifred's niece said: 'We did originally wonder whether she may have been one of the earliest women to qualify in this profession, but the College of Optometrists have informed us that this was not the case, there having been a minor surge of lady members following the First World War.'
In the British Optical Association Yearbook of 1938, she was one of 119 identifiably female practising members of the Association.
Dr Evans added that perhaps her most noteworthy achievement was obtaining the professional qualification in the first place, having been orphaned while still young, and brought up by other members of the family who had no links with professions like optometry.