Claud Alley Worth (1869–1936) was a British ophthalmologist, inventor of the Worth 4 dot test and Worth's Ambyloscope, a pioneer in the orthoptic treatment of

squint Squinting is the action of looking at something with partially closed eyes. Squinting is most often practiced by people who suffer from Refractive error, refractive errors of the eye who either do not have or are not using their glasses. Squint ...

, a

master mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of licensed seafarer qualification; namely, a master's license. A master mariner is therefore allowed to serve as the captain (nautical), master of a merchant ship for which natio ...

and an established author on the subjects of

ophthalmology Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

and

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

Early life

Claud Alley Worth was born in

Holbeach Holbeach is a market town and civil parish in the South Holland District in Lincolnshire, England. The town lies from Spalding; from Boston; from King's Lynn; from Peterborough; and by road from Lincoln. It is on the junction of the ...

, Lincolnshire in 1869, the son of Thomas Mordaunt Worth,

scion Scion may refer to: Horticulture *Scion (grafting), in horticulture, the upper part of a combined plant Arts, entertainment, and media Characters *Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series *Scion, avatar of the warrior en ...

of an ancient

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

family, and Frances Charlotte (née Alley). He was educated at

Bedford Modern School Bedford Modern School (often called BMS or simply Modern) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in Bedford Charity, The Harpur Trust, born from the financial endowme ...

, between 1884 and 1887, and

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 by Rahere, and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by ...

. He qualified as MRCS and

LRCP The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of p ...

in 1893 and was elected

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

in 1898.

Career

Worth began the study of

under Henry Power and Bowater Vernon at

and in 1906 joined the staff of

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

. He was, for many years, ophthalmic surgeon to the West Ham Hospital in the East End of London. Worth gained fame in two diverse areas of specialisation: the management of childhood

and

amblyopia Amblyopia, also called lazy eye, is a disorder of sight in which the brain fails to fully process input from one eye and over time favors the other eye. It results in decreased vision in an eye that typically appears normal in other aspects. Amb ...

, and the sailing and navigation of small yachts. His inventiveness endures, as demonstrated by Worth's 4 dot test and later versions of his original

amblyoscope A haploscope is an optical device for presenting one image to one eye and another image to the other eye. The word derives from two Greek roots: ''haploieides'', single and ''skopeo'', to view. The word is often used interchangeably with stereoscope ...

. Worth's name and books were also familiar to sailors of small yachts. He was 'deeply knowledgeable about currents, harbours and all aspects of seamanship'. He was president of the

Little Ship Club The Little Ship Club is a yacht club in London. It was founded in 1926 by a group of yachtsmen for the purpose of providing training and lectures over the winter months. The club operates from its riverside clubhouse at Bell Wharf on the River ...

, Vice-Commodore of the Royal Cruising Club and a

Master mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of licensed seafarer qualification; namely, a master's license. A master mariner is therefore allowed to serve as the captain (nautical), master of a merchant ship for which natio ...

Personal life

Worth married Janet Duncan Ritchie in

Sutton Bridge Sutton Bridge is a town and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A17 road, north from Wisbech and west from King's Lynn. The village includes a commercial dock on the west bank of the ...

, Lincolnshire in 1906.England & Wales, Free BMD Marriage Index, 1837–1915 He died in Falmouth, Cornwall, on 24 June 1936 and was survived by his wife and a son.

Publications (selected)

*1939: ''Worth's Squint''; 7th ed. by F. Bernard Chavasse. Baillière & Co. *1950: ''Worth and Chavasse's Squint''; 8th ed. by T. Keith Lyle. Baillière, Tindall & Cox *1959: ''Worth and Chavasse's Squint''; 9th ed. by T. Keith Lyle and G. J. O. Bridgeman. Baillière, Tindall & Cox

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worth, Claud Alley 1869 births 1936 deaths British ophthalmologists Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England People educated at Bedford Modern School People from Holbeach