UNSW is deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of Brien Holden, Professor of Optometry. A global leader in research and innovation, Brien has been described as “the most influential optometrist of our generation”.
Denise Knight
UNSW Media Office
0405 207 685
d.knight@unsw.edu.au
Statement from Professor Ian Jacobs, President and Vice-Chancellor of UNSW Australia
"I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of Professor Brien Holden, a member of our University community for more than 40 years.
On behalf of UNSW, I extend my condolences to Brien’s family, friends and colleagues here in Australia and around the world. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with them during this very difficult time.
Professor Holden was a global leader in research and innovation in his field, described by one US university as “the most influential optometrist of our generation”. He was Professor at the UNSW School of Optometry and Vision Science, CEO of the Brien Holden Vision Institute and CEO of the Vision Cooperative Research Centre.
An international ‘giant’ of vision science, Brien led the development of new contact lenses and surgical vision technologies, investigated the causes and solutions to blindness and impaired vision from refractive error, and helped to combat the global epidemic of myopia.
His pioneering breakthroughs had real world impact and transformed lives. Some 60 million people now wear safer, more breathable ‘soft’ silicone hydrogel contact lenses manufactured using a scientific formula designed by Brien and his colleagues at UNSW more than three decades ago.
His many national and international honours – most recently receiving the American Academy of Optometry’s highest award – attest to his lifetime commitment to the advancement of knowledge.
An outspoken advocate for government investment in science, innovation and humanitarian aid to improve health outcomes in the developing world, Brien’s contributions to society extended well beyond research to education, public health and social enterprise.
I have no doubt his fine legacy will continue. Only in May this year, the world’s first extended Depth of Focus contact lens was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Developed by the Brien Holden Vision Institute at UNSW, it is technology that could help the one billion people globally who live with presbyopia.
As UNSW Dean of Science Professor Merlin Crossley said: ‘Professor Brien Holden was a towering figure who showed initiative, inventiveness and leadership. He translated research in a way that improved the lives of millions of people’."
Statement from the Brien Holden Vision Institute at UNSW.