The 29th November 2024 marked the 75th Anniversary of the first intra-ocular lens implant by Sir Harold Ridley who invented the lens in collaboration with John Pike of Rayner.
In conjunction with Rayner and UKISCRS, the Ridley Eye Foundation held a Gala Dinner at the historic and iconic Tower of London. The glittering evening was hosted by Nicholas Ridley, Chairman of the Foundation, and son of Sir Harold, and by Tim Clover, CEO of Rayner. They were ably supported by the outgoing President of UKISCRS, Professor Paul Ursell, and his successor, Professor David Lockington, and 207 national and international surgeons, as well as senior ophthalmic industry leaders.
The Gala dinner was preceded by a tour of the Crown Jewels and a champagne reception in the 1000-year-old White Tower. During dinner, a short video on the evolution of the IOL, and the work of Sir Harold's charity was shown, which can be viewed below.
After dinner, entertainment consisted of a raffle and an auction, with the key prize being a bespoke trek in the Nepalese Himalayas, where the Ridley Eye Foundation works providing free eye treatment and cataract surgery to the remote communities living above 2500 meters. This was follow by an afterparty at the Dockside Vaults in St Katherine's Dock, hosted by Rayner and UKISCRS.
The Foundation's guests included a number of retired surgeons who had worked with Sir Harold, many surgeons who had since further developed both the design of IOLs and the surgical procedure, the Surgeon General of the UK Armed Forces, the Presidents of international societies of cataract and refractive surgeons including ESCRS and ASCRS, and representatives of several of the world's best-known lens manufacturers.
The evening was also notable for the presence of the Foundation's Nepalese Trustees and heads of the ophthalmic departments of the Foundation's Nepalese partner hospitals, who organise and deliver its field surgical camps.
The outstanding evening was a fitting recognition of Sir Harold's twin contributions to humanity, his invention of the IOL and now his charitable mission to restore sight to the poor and needy of the developing world.
