UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is 70!

On 4^th November 1948, the Institute of Ophthalmology was officially opened.  To celebrate the 70^th anniversary two main events are taking place: on 28^th June there is a symposium filled with talks on the progress of research leading to treatments of ocular conditions over the past 70 years and a 1940s themed staff party on June 29^th at the Honourable Artillery Company.  To draw all this together a booklet 70 years of history: The Institute of Ophthalmology has been written by Amanda Vernon, Quality Assurance Manager for Cells For Sight, Debbie Heatlie, Librarian and Victoria Tovell, Postdoctoral Research Associate.

The whole experience of writing the short history has involved speaking to lots of people who have been at the Institute for decades, as well as looking through a number of our library resources including the Institute Annual Reports, biographies, unpublished material, obituaries and so on. Naturally, there has been lots and lots of writing, rewriting and editing. To quote Professor Barrie Jones (pictured examing a patient), an ophthalmic consultant who transformed ophthalmic practice by encouraging ophthalmologists to specialise and who went on to set up the Department of Preventive Ophthalmology, when writing you “have to think until it hurts”.

Much has been learned about the people, the research, the locality and the buildings along the way and not all of it could be incorporated into the booklet. However, Wiki pages are planned to include these nuggets of information, so more writing is on the horizon. The Institute Annual Reports 1948-1990 were an excellent source and summary of information and detail, but these stopped almost 30 years ago and it was difficult to fill the void and left many unanswered questions: what research of note has been done? Who was responsible? When did it happen?  What was the outcome?

I have reflected on this knowledge gap and upon the value and quality of annual reports in general and how they can be used as a tool to record meaningful events, awards, milestones, and interesting facts. Not everything will make it into the history of the future but, providing the information is interesting and is available, it could well do.  Often our day to day work can appear to be routine, but it’s important to reflect each year on what worked, what was outstanding and how this can be recorded in an interesting and informative way, with a view that history is being recorded and could one day be of use.

Please contact me at d.heatlie@ucl.ac.uk if you would like a copy of the booklet.