Photo: Brien Holden Vision Institute.

Brien Holden, PhD, OAM, CEO of Brien Holden Vision Institute, and a professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia, died July 27 in Sydney. He was 73.

Dr. Holden was described as the most influential optometrist of our generation when receiving his honorary doctorate in humane letters at the University of Houston. His career was spent inspiring scientists and health care professionals around the world with his dream of “vision for everyone, everywhere,”a Brien Holden Vision Institute press release says. 

Dr. Holden began his career after completing his optometry training at Melbourne University in 1964, and his contributions extend across research, education, public health and humanitarian efforts. Over the course of his career, Dr. Holden received over 30 awards from organizations around the world for his contributions to research, eye care and health. He delivered more than 90 keynote addresses and authored more than 220 papers, 26 book chapters and 380 abstracts, according to the Brien Holden Vision Institute.

“Brien may be the most highly skilled, exceedingly capable person I have ever known,” said Joseph Shovlin, OD, of Northeastern Eye Institute. “He is the ‘Giant among the Giants’ as a visionary in so many realms. Brien Holden will be hailed as a wonderful educator, productive researcher, creative inventor and passionate humanitarian,” says Dr. Shovlin. “He will be sorely missed by so many.”