Alan C. Bird

Emeritus Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK; Honorary Consultant, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK

Profile

The Retina Specialist

Alan Bird first studied neurology and neurosurgery at Guy’s Hospital, London, before turning his attention to ophthalmology. In 1964, he began a residency at Moorfields Eye Hospital, followed by a fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Institute, Miami, under the mentorship of J Lawton Smith. In 1969, Bird returned as a consultant at Moorfields. In 1976, he was appointed Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, serving almost 40 years before becoming Emeritus Professor in 2015. 

Bird is renowned for his mentorship of subsequent generations of ophthalmologists. Last year’s Power Lister, Sobha Sivaprasad, called him an inspiration, saying “his knowledge in the field attracted so many of us from around the world to the Moorfields Medical Retina Fellowship.” Francesca Cordeiro, another Power Lister and the Chair of Ophthalmology at Imperial College London, also reflected on Bird’s influence on her career: “I spent time with him as a medical student, and that inspired me to become an ophthalmologist.” Meanwhile, Jose Pulido, Larry Donoso Chair of Translational Ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital, has called Bird “a God of medical retina.” 

Bird spent many years in Africa undertaking research into tackling onchocerciasis – river blindness – where he helped to determine that retinal and optic nerve disease was the main cause of the condition, a discovery which led to the anti-parasitic drug, Ivermectin, becoming the preferred treatment for the disease. For more than two decades, Bird has also collaborated with British medical researcher, Graham Roger Serjeant, studying the retinal changes in sickle cell disease in Jamaica.

Bird is known throughout the profession for his work on degenerative and hereditary diseases of the retina. He has been the recipient of many eminent ophthalmic awards, including the Duke Elder, the Doyne and Bowman medals, the Prix Chauvin, the Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research, the Alcon Research Award, and the Gonin Medal from the International Council of Ophthalmology. He has also been involved in designing and implementing numerous clinical trials, and has either authored or co-authored more than 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

We are delighted to induct Alan Bird into The Ophthalmologist Power List Hall of Fame.

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Awards and Honors

2023 — Gold Medal Award from the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers
2010 — Gonin Medal of the International Council of Ophthalmology
2008 — Laureate Recognition Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
2006 — Honorary Fellowship, South African College of Ophthalmologists
2004 — Helen Keller Prize of the Helen Keller Foundation
2004 — Alcon Research Award
2003 — IOC Golden Apple award for teaching
2002 — Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Ophthalmologists
2002 — Bowman Medal of the Royal College of Ophthalmology
2000 — Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine
1998 — Jules François Medal of the International Council of Ophthalmology
1998 — Herman Wacker Award, Club Jules Gonin
1997 — Donders Medal of the Netherlands Ophthalmological Society
1997 — Gass Medal of the Macular Society
1997 — William Mackenzie Medal, Glasgow University
1994 — Jackson Memorial Lectureship of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
1994 — Kayser Award of the International Congress of Eye Research
1990 — Doyne Medal of the Oxford Ophthalmological Congress
1981 — Duke-Elder Medal of the Ophthalmic Society of the United Kingdom
1981 — Prix Chauvin, la Société Française d'Ophtalmologie