Dr. David Paton, who died April 3, 2025 at age 93, is remembered for his efforts to make modern eye care and technology available worldwide. Born in Baltimore on August 16, 1930, he spent much of his childhood in New York City, where his father was a prominent ophthalmologist and founder of the world’s first eye bank (1944).
Dr. Paton was educated at Princeton University and Johns Hopkins Medical School. Before qualifying in medicine, he spent a final medical school year in Jordan, and where he established the first eye bank in the Middle East, for which he was decorated by King Hussein. Returning to Baltimore in 1964, he worked on eye surgery at Johns Hopkins until 1971, when he assumed the chairmanship of the Department of Ophthalmology at Baylor College in Houston. He achieved national recognition for his expertise in corneal transplantation and in ocular surface disorders affecting the cornea, conjunctiva, and eyelids. Expanding his interests, he became active in providing community eye care to the underserved, developing the Cullen Eye Institute, and taking a leading role in national ophthalmology organizations and education programs. He authored numerous scientific papers and textbooks, and traveled extensively to teach on all continents.
In 1973 Dr. Paton started fundraising to establish ORBIS International, a nonprofit organization. He persuaded the chief executive of United Airlines, Mr. Edward Carlson, to donate a DC-8 aircraft which was converted into the world’s first Flying Eye Hospital. It had an operating room and all the modern facilities needed for surgery and teaching medical workers. This revolutionary approach enabled skilled ophthalmologists to fly to developing countries to perform sight-saving surgeries. The hospital’s voluntary staff worked in over 40 countries, carrying out thousands of eye surgeries and treatments and conducting millions of preventative screenings. By training local doctors, Dr. Paton ensured that communities would continue to receive care for treatable conditions such cataracts, trachoma, and diabetic retinopathy even after the departure of the ORBIS team.
Dr. Paton subsequently served as the first medical director of the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1982-1984). He was a professor of clinical ophthalmology at Cornell University and devoted himself to raising funds for providing high-tech eye-care, especially for developing countries. In 1987 President Reagan awarded him the Presidential Citizens Medal. He became Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor and received many other honors.
Dr. Paton was greatly esteemed for his clinical insights and skill, particularly regarding corneal diseases and transplantation techniques. He influenced generations of eye surgeons who trained under him. After forty-three years the ORBIS International foundation, which he founded, remains active. In June 2016 it released a third-generation Flying Eye Hospital in its efforts to provide access to eye care and prevent blindness in all parts of the world.
Acknowledgment
Hektoen International honors the life of Dr. David Paton, a visionary ophthalmologist whose ideas helped launch Orbis International and its Flying Eye Hospitals. See also The New York Times, April 2025.