Moorfields Eye Hospital is a specialist

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

eye hospital in Finsbury in the

London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough in Inner London. Whilst the majority of the district is located in north London, the borough also includes a significant area to the south which forms part of central London. Islington has ...

in London, England run by

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS foundation trust which runs Moorfields Eye Hospital. The Trust employs over 1,700 people. Over 24,000 ophthalmic operations are carried out and over 300,000 patients are seen by the hospita ...

. Together with the

UCL Institute of Ophthalmology The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is an institute within the Faculty of Brain Sciences of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, United Kingdom. The institute conducts research and post-graduate teaching in the area of ophthal ...

, which is adjacent to the hospital, it is the oldest and largest centre for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

History

Moorfields Eye Hospital was founded at

Charterhouse Square Charterhouse Square is a garden square, a pentagonal space, in Farringdon, in the London Borough of Islington, and close to the former Smithfield Meat Market. The square is the largest courtyard or yard associated with the London Charterhouse ...

in 1805 as the London Dispensary for curing diseases of the Eye and Ear, by John Cunningham Saunders, assisted by

John Richard Farre John Richard Farre (31 January 1775 – 7 May 1862) was an English physician. Early life The son of Richard John Farre, a medical practitioner, he was born on 31 January 1775 in Barbados. After school education in the island he studied medicin ...

. It moved to a site on the former

Moorfields Moorfields was an open space, partly in the City of London, lying adjacent to – and outside – its northern wall, near the eponymous Moorgate. It was known for its marshy conditions, the result of the defensive wall acting like a dam, ...

in 1822, before moving to its present site in 1899, and became part of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

in 1948. These anniversaries gave it the unique ability to celebrate a centenary in 1999 and a bicentenary in 2005. In February 2007, the new Richard Desmond Children's Eye Centre (RDCEC), was opened by

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

. Its location is adjacent to the hospital's main

City Road City Road or The City Road is a road that runs through central London. The northwestern extremity of the road is at Angel where it forms a continuation of Pentonville Road. Pentonville Road itself is the modern name for the eastern part of Lon ...

building. In December 2021, it was announced that the hospital will relocate to a new facility near King's Cross railway station and the Moorfields building had been sold to private developers.

Teaching and research

Moorfields Eye Hospital is a major centre for postgraduate training of ophthalmologists,

orthoptists Vision therapy (VT), or behavioral optometry, is an umbrella term for alternative medicine treatments using eye exercises, based around the pseudoscientific claim that vision problems are the true underlying cause of learning disabilities, par ...

, optometrists, and

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

s. It has also played a pivotal role in ophthalmic research.

Sir Stewart Duke-Elder Sir William Stewart Duke-Elder (22 April 1898 – 27 March 1978), a Scottish ophthalmologist who was a dominant force in his field for more than a quarter of a century. Life Duke-Elder was born in the manse in Tealing near Dundee. His fat ...

founded the Institute of Ophthalmology (now an integral part of University College London), and Sir Harold Ridley,

Charles Schepens Charles Louis Schepens (March 13, 1912 – March 28, 2006) was an influential Belgian (later American) ophthalmologist, regarded by many in the profession as "the father of modern retinal surgery",American Academy of Ophthalmology2003 Laureate A ...

, and

Norman Ashton Ashtons was a housebuilder in Yorkshire in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. History Norman Ashton started his Leeds-based housebuilding business in 1933, and it was incorporated in 1938 as Norman C Ashton Ltd. Following the outbreak of war in 193 ...

have carried out research at Moorfields and the Institute.

Fundraising and associated charities

Founded in 1963, The Friends of Moorfields Charity is an independent registered charity, raising funds for the benefit of the patients of Moorfields Eye Hospital. The primary aim of this charity is to provide supplementary services and equipment for the comfort and well-being of Moorfields' patients and their visitors. It contributes towards buying much needed technical items for professional use in the hospital's clinics, satellite centres, operating theatres and research laboratories. The charity also promotes and manages a wide range of volunteers, supporting the work and service of the hospital. Moorfields Eye Charity is an independent registered charity for Moorfields Eye Hospital. Moorfields Eye Charity raises funds, above and beyond those normally provided by the NHS, to support and promote the work and research of Moorfields Eye Hospital, for the benefit of patients and staff, by raising extra funds to enhance services, research, equipment and facilities including a major joint – Moorfields and Institute of Ophthalmology, UCL – new building project. The Special Trustees of Moorfields Eye Hospital (charity number 228064) is a grant-giving body, which primarily supports research carried out at the hospital and research partners at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, alongside a range of other projects.

Notable people who worked or studied at Moorfields

* Selig Percy Amoils (1933), South African ophthalmologist and biomedical engineering inventor * Eric Arnott (1929–2011), British ophthalmologist and surgeon *

Vivian Balakrishnan Vivian Balakrishnan ( ta, விவியன் பாலகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving in the Cabinet as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A m ...

(1961),

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

* Alan C. Bird (1938), English ophthalmologist * Geoffrey Bridgeman, British soldier and ophthalmologist * John Dalrymple (1803–1852), English ophthalmologist * James Hamilton Doggart (1900–1989), leading British ophthalmologist *

Frank Flynn Francis Stanislaus Flynn AC FRACO (6 December 1906, Sydney – 29 July 2000) was a Northern Territory-based Australian medical doctor ( ophthalmologist), author and missionary priest. He is notable for his contributions to religion, medicine ...

(1906–2000),

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

-based Australian doctor ( ophthalmologist), author and missionary priest * Frederick T. Fraunfelder (1934), American ophthalmologist *

Norman Gregg Sir Norman McAlister Gregg, (7 March 1892 – 27 July 1966) was an Australian ophthalmologist, who discovered that rubella suffered by a pregnant woman could cause birth defects in her child ( congenital rubella syndrome). Early life and educat ...

(1892–1966), Australian ophthalmologist * Robert Marcus Gunn (1850–1909), Scottish ophthalmologist * Michael B. Gorin, American ophthalmologist * William Hancock (1873–1910), English ophthalmologist * Henry Bendelack Hewetson (1850–1899), ophthalmic and Aural surgeon * Fred Hollows (1929–1993),

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

-Australian ophthalmologist * Keith Martin, British ophthalmologist *

Gordon Morgan Holmes Sir Gordon Morgan Holmes, (22 February 1876 – 29 December 1965) was an Anglo-Irish neurologist. He is best known for carrying out pioneering research into the cerebellum and the visual cortex. Education He was born as the son of a Louth fa ...

(1876–1965), British

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

* Ulrich Meyer-Bothling, English ophthalmic surgeon * Edward Nettleship (1845–1913), English ophthalmologist * Charles Conor O'Malley (1889–1982), Irish eye surgeon *

James Hogarth Pringle James Hogarth Pringle (born 26 January 1863 in Parramatta, Australia – died 24 April 1941 in Killearn, Scotland) was an Australian-born British surgeon in Glasgow, who made a number of important contributions to surgical practice. He is most f ...

(1863–1941), Scottish surgeon * Dan Reinstein (1962), ophthalmologist * Harold Ridley (1906–2001), English ophthalmologist * Geoffrey Rose (1955), English ophthalmologist *

(1912–2006), Belgian (later American) ophthalmologist * Ċensu Tabone (1913–2012), fourth President of Malta *

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

(1u59-1946), British neurologist * William Taylor (1912–1989), Scottish ophthalmologist * Edward Treacher Collins (1862–1932), English surgeon and ophthalmologist * Clive Warren, radio presenter * Claud Worth, ophthalmologist; known for "Worth's squint"

Notes

External links