Brien Holden obituary: A global leader in eye care and vision research

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Sightsavers was shocked and saddened to hear the news of the sudden death of Professor Brien Holden, OAM, the CEO of Brien Holden Vision Institute and a professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science at UNSW Australia.

Brien was a global leader in eye care and vision research and an internationally renowned scientist and humanitarian.

Sightsavers CEO Caroline Harper said: “I have many fond memories of Brien. He was a fantastic character and his drive and vision were inspirational. He devoted his life to improving care for people with visual impairments and eye diseases, including devoting significant resources into breakthrough research for new innovations in eye health and vision. He championed the message that refractive error – which can be corrected by a simple pair of glasses – should be given more priority in the fight against avoidable blindness or visual impairment. Brien leaves a fantastic legacy that will continue to motivate colleagues, partners and all who worked with him.”

Sightsavers sends deepest sympathies to Brien’s family, friends and colleagues and looks forward to continuing his legacy by tackling uncorrected refractive error as part of our work in avoidable blindness.

Visit the Brien Holden Vision Institute website.