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New York Times
25-04-2025
- Health
- New York Times
David Paton, Creator of Flying Eye Hospital, Dies at 94
David Paton, an idealistic and innovative ophthalmologist who started Project Orbis, converting a United Airlines jet into a flying hospital that took surgeons to developing countries to operate on patients and educate local doctors, died on April 3 at his home in Reno, Nev. He was 94. His death was confirmed by his son, Townley. The son of a prominent New York eye surgeon whose patients included the Shah of Iran and the financier J. Pierpont Morgan's horse, Dr. Paton (pronounced PAY-ton) was teaching at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University in the early 1970s when he became discouraged by increasing cases of preventable blindness in far-flung places. 'More eye doctors were needed,' he wrote in his memoir, 'Second Sight: Views from an Eye Doctor's Odyssey' (2011), 'but equally important was the need to beef up the existing doctors' medical education.' But how? He considered shipping trunks of equipment — almost the way a circus would — but that presented logistical challenges. He pondered the possibility of using a medical ship like the one that Project Hope, a humanitarian group, sent around the world. That was too slow for him. 'Shortly after the first moon landing in 1969, thinking big was becoming a reality,' Dr. Paton wrote. And then a moonshot idea struck him: 'Could an aircraft be the answer? A large enough aircraft could be converted into an operating theater, a teaching classroom and all the necessary facilities.' All he needed was a plane. He asked the military to donate one, but that was a nonstarter. He approached several universities for the money to buy one, but administrators turned him down, saying the idea wasn't feasible. 'David was willing to take risks that others wouldn't,' Bruce Spivey, the founding president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said in an interview. 'He was charming. He was inspiring. And he didn't quit.' Dr. Paton decided to raise funds on his own. In 1973, he founded Project Orbis with a group of wealthy, well-connected society figures like the Texas oilman Leonard F. McCollum and Betsy Trippe Wainwright, the daughter of the Pan American World Airways founder Juan Trippe. In 1980, Mr. Trippe helped persuade the United Airlines chief executive Edward Carlson to donate a DC-8 jet. The United States Agency for International Development contributed $1.25 million to convert the plane into a hospital with an operating room, recovery area and a classroom equipped with televisions, so local medical workers could watch surgeries. Surgeons and nurses volunteered their services, agreeing to spend two to four weeks abroad. The first flight, in 1982, was to Panama. The plane then went to Peru, Jordan, Nepal and beyond. Mother Teresa once visited. So did the Cuban leader Fidel Castro. In 1999, The Sunday Times of London's magazine sent a reporter to Cuba to write about the plane, now known as the Flying Eye Hospital. One of the patients who arrived was a 14-year-old girl named Julia. 'In developed nations, Julia's condition would have been little more than an irritation,' The Sunday Times article said. 'It is almost certain she had uveitis, an inflammation inside the eye, which can be cleared with drops. In Britain, even cats are easily treated.' Her doctor was Edward Holland, a prominent eye surgeon. 'Holland uses tiny knives to make openings that allow him to get his instruments into the eye, and soon he is pulling at Julia's scar tissue,' The Sunday Times article said. 'As the tissue is pulled away, a dark and liquid pupil, unseen for a decade, is revealed. It is an intimate and moving moment; this is medicine's chamber music. Next, he breaks up and removes the cataract, and implants a lens so that the eye will keep its shape.' The Cuban ophthalmologists watching in the viewing room applauded. But after the surgery, Julia still couldn't see. 'And then a minor miracle begins,' the article said. 'As the swelling begins to go down, she makes discoveries about the world around her. Minute by minute she can see something new.' David Paton was born on Aug. 16, 1930, in Baltimore, and grew up in Manhattan. His father, Richard Townley Paton, specialized in corneal transplants and founded the Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration. His mother, Helen (Meserve) Paton, was an interior designer. In his memoir, he described growing up 'among the fine, intellectually sharp, widely traveled persons of the Establishment.' His father practiced on Park Avenue. His mother threw parties at their home on the Upper East Side. David attended the Hill School, a boarding school in Pottstown, Pa. There, he met James A. Baker III, a Texan who later became secretary of state for President Ronald Reagan. They were roommates at Princeton University and lifelong best friends. 'David came from a very privileged background, but he was down to earth and just a very likable guy,' Mr. Baker said in an interview. 'He had his objectives in life straight. He was a hell of a lot better student than I was.' After graduating from Princeton in 1952, David earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. He worked in senior positions at the Wilmer Eye Institute and served as chairman of the ophthalmology department at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In 1979, while still trying to procure a plane for Project Orbis, he became the medical director of the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 'Among my duties,' he wrote in his memoir, 'was providing eye care for many of the princes and princesses of the kingdom — about 5,000 of each, I was told — and it seemed that all of them insisted on being treated exclusively by the doctor in charge, no matter how minor their complaint.' Dr. Paton's marriages to Jane Sterling Treman and Jane Franke ended in divorce. He married Diane Johnston in 1985. She died in 2022. In addition to his son, he is survived by two granddaughters. Dr. Paton left his role as medical director of Project Orbis in 1987, after a dispute with the board of directors. That year, President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Citizens Medal. Although his official connection with the organization had ended, he occasionally served as an informal adviser. Now called Orbis International, the organization is on its third plane, an MD-10 donated by Federal Express. From 2014 to 2023, Orbis performed more than 621,000 surgeries and procedures, according to its most recent annual report, and offered more than 424,000 training sessions to doctors, nurses and other providers. 'The plane is just such a unique venue,' Dr. Hunter Cherwek, the organization's vice president of clinical services and technologies, said in an interview. 'It was just an incredibly bold and visionary idea.'
USA Today
12-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Everything you need to know about macular degeneration
Hear this story Many of us are painfully aware of our body's increasing number of shortcomings as we get older. Sagging skin, hearing loss, receding hairlines and tending to use the bathroom more frequently than we used to. But one of the most dreaded adverse outcomes is that of diminishing eyesight. Reduced vision, also known as vision impairment, is so common that research shows that nearly 30% of U.S. adults 71 and older have it. While many factors can contribute to it occurring, the leading cause of vision loss in older adults is age-related macular degeneration, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Here's what macular degeneration is, what causes it and how you can expect it to be treated if it affects you or a loved one. What is macular degeneration? What is AMD, wet AMD? Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration or AMD, is an incurable eye disease that damages the middle part of the retina that's known as the macula, "which is responsible for our central, detailed vision," explains Laura Di Meglio, OD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. When this area of the eye is damaged, it leads to a gradual loss of sharp central vision, seeing dark spots, distorted or wavy vision and difficulty seeing colors. In these ways, "AMD can severely impact quality of life by making it harder to see fine details even though it doesn't cause total blindness," says Inna Lazar, a Connecticut-based optometrist and founder of Greenwich Eye Care. Some such adverse impacts include difficulty driving or with close-up activities like reading, writing, cooking, sewing or fixing things around the house. People with AMD can even have problems recognizing faces, Lazar says. Symptoms vary though as there are two types of AMD: dry AMD and wet AMD. "Dry AMD is very common with about 80% of people with AMD having this form," says Dr. Purnima Patel, an ophthalmologist at ORA Vision in Georgia and spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. It is characterized by the macular gradually getting thinner with age. "Wet AMD is less common, but affects sight much quicker," says Patel. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye and damage the macula. In case you missed:Here's why it's so important to catch and treat glaucoma early What causes macular degeneration? More than 20 million Americans have AMD, per the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, but your risk of developing it significantly increases with age. Aging is the single biggest contributor of AMD, in part, because cell regeneration slows down as we get older, which is one of the highest risk factors associated with diminished eyesight. Several other factors are also thought to contribute to the development of AMD. These include a family history of the condition, your race (Caucasians have been shown to be at higher risk, Patel says), and environmental factors such as "smoking, excessive UV exposure, poor diet, high blood pressure and obesity, all of which can damage the delicate blood vessels that nourish the macula," says Lazar. Elsewhere in eye issues:Kids' eyesight is getting worse. Special contact lenses may be the answer. How is macular degeneration prevented and treated? No matter which associated risk factors you may be facing, there are ways of preventing or at least diminishing the worst outcomes of the condition. These include "making healthy lifestyle and dietary choices like eating leafy greens and omega-3s, quitting smoking, staying active and keeping your blood pressure in check," says Lazar. Once AMD has been diagnosed, a handful of treatment options are available depending on which type of AMD you're dealing with. "To treat wet AMD, ophthalmologists usually use medications called anti-VEGF drugs," says Patel. She explains that anti-VEGF drugs are delivered through a very thin needle and can help stop the leaking of the vessels. "This can slow or stop worsening of the vision and can often even improve vision," she explains. It's best to consult with your eye care professionals about the best courses of action, especially if you notice symptoms worsening. "It is important for patients with macular degeneration to routinely check their vision in each eye," adds Di Meglio, "and to notify their eye care provider if they notice any changes as quick treatment can help prevent further irreversible damage."
