Dr. Martin Spencer, a Canadian ophthalmologist from Vancouver Island, has been selected as a 2009 Global Hero by Verge Magazine. To read the feature by Verge Magazine about Dr. Spencer and his work, click here.
A long-time Seva board member, Dr. Spencer has transformed the way cataract surgery is done in the developing world.
Dr. Martin Spencer has volunteered overseas with Seva regularly for many years and has both preformed surgery and trained eye care specialists in India, Nepal, Tibet, Malawi, Guatemala and Cambodia. He was one of the first doctors in the world to travel to India, Nepal and Tibet to set up eye camps in remote areas. As a volunteer, he receives no funds and pays for the trips himself. He has voluntarily operated on thousands of cataract patients, transforming their lives by restoring their sight.
Dr. Spencer’s contributions go much further than providing cataract surgery to the blind. He also pioneered a modern cataract surgical technique that can be used in rough situations, such as remote mobile eye camps.
His expert program advice to Seva Canada led to the creation of a manufacturing unit in India called Aurolab, which today provides millions of intraocular lens implants annually for cataract patients, as well as surgical sutures and other sight saving products. The creation of Aurolab brought the cost of intraocular lenses down from $250 per lens to around $5, making it affordable in poorer countries and transforming the way cataract surgery is done in the developing world.
Dr. Spencer has designed several instruments for cataract surgery as well as two intraocular lenses. He has published and lectured extensively on topics related to cataract surgery, particularly in developing countries.
Marty is the recipient of many previous awards including the Lewis Perinbam Award in International Development (1997), the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award (1999) and the Achievement Award of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (2004). Dr. Spencer got his medical degree in Chicago and his residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Western Ontario. He is currently works in the Nanaimo area of Vancouver Island specializing in cataract and intraocular lens surgery.
Congratulations, Marty!
