The journal (under its former title Optica Acta ) was founded in 1953 - some years before the advent of the laser - as an international journal of optics. Since then optical research has changed greatly; fresh areas of inquiry have been explored, different techniques have been employed and the range of application has greatly increased. The journal has continued to reflect these advances as part of its steadily widening scope, which encompasses classical and quantum optics including lasers, diffractive optics, holographs, nonlinear optics and photon statistics. There are also special issues on highlighted areas. The current impact factor is 1.475.