An editorial I wrote in July 2018, “From Darkness to Light—With Gratitude,” discussed the celebration of Guru Purnima, an Eastern tradition observed annually, especially in India and Nepal. This religious festival honors spiritual gurus (Gu meaning darkness and Ru light) for sharing wisdom and guiding others. In Nepal, it is celebrated as Teachers’ Day, and schoolchildren give their teachers gifts. In that editorial, I mentioned, among others, David Paton, MD, FACS. David sadly passed away in early April at the age of 94, and I once again feel compelled to honor my mentor—a special man and a champion of global ophthalmology.
As an international medical graduate in the United States in 1985, I had little hope of entering an ophthalmology training program. Michael Rivers, MD, who was my co-intern in internal medicine and later an ophthalmology resident at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, introduced me to David, then the chairman at the Catholic Medical Center New York. To cut a long story short, I was fortunate to be trained as a resident under David. Over the years, he taught me much more than ophthalmology; he introduced me to a whole new world.
I spent many weekends with David at his home in East Hampton, New York, entertained by stories from his time on staff at St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem. I also learned about what motivated him to build and develop major projects, including the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—revolutionary in its time. He is perhaps even more widely remembered for establishing Orbis International and the Flying Eye Hospital.
Project Orbis was conceived in 1970 when David was searching for a way to train international doctors in their own countries. Although the idea was initially dismissed, he persisted, securing funding and a donated DC-8 from United Airlines. Orbis finally took flight in March 1982. Many early skeptics became champions. Over the course of 4 decades, Orbis has been sustained by the dedication of ophthalmologists, allied personnel, industry, and generous donors.
Orbis International continues to thrive as a nonprofit organization and is embracing the digital era through Cybersight—a telemedicine platform that incorporates AI, surgical simulation, and online education. Global ophthalmology has made tremendous progress, yet the journey toward addressing world blindness continues.
Many physicians, patients, and ophthalmic care systems worldwide have been positively influenced by David. He was a pioneer in global ophthalmology and an imaginative thinker whose ideas, once considered bizarre, proved profoundly transformative. His lineage was equally impressive; his father, R. Townley Paton, MD, established the first US eye bank in 1946, and his grandfather was a neurologist and psychiatrist. David did, however, once tell me that his ancestors were banished to America from Scotland for stealing sheep!
He was the recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal from US President Ronald Reagan and the Legion of Honour from France, and he was twice decorated by King Hussein of Jordan. One such honor followed his arrest for procuring eyes from unclaimed bodies while at St. John’s in Jerusalem—a situation resolved through his father’s Washington connections, resulting not only in his release but also in formal recognition.
There are many more stories I could relay—these are just snippets. His entertaining autobiography Second Sight: Views from an Eye Doctor’s Odyssey, available from Amazon, offers many more.
Personally, I owe David a tremendous debt of gratitude. He was a human template of excellence, teaching me to live and work at the limits of my imagination.
Rest in peace, my guru and friend.
