Eye Healthcare: 90 Years of Progress by Patrick Condon is far more than a historical account, it is a deeply personal, thoughtful and richly illustrated journey through the most transformative decades in ophthalmology, told by one of Ireland’s most respected eye surgeons. With clarity, warmth and quiet authority, Condon reflects on the evolution of eyecare not only as a witness but as a contributor at key moments in its advancement.
From the earliest intraocular lens implants to the sophisticated refractive and cataract techniques of today, the book chronicles a remarkable era of progress. Condon’s father, himself an ophthalmologist and a contemporary of Sir Harold Ridley, performed Ireland’s first intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in 1959. Carrying that legacy forward, Patrick Condon introduced phacoemulsification to Ireland in 1987, at a time when it was still regarded with scepticism.
Condon guides readers through decades of technical evolution: the shift from intracapsular to extracapsular extraction, the refinement of posterior chamber lenses, the rise and fall of radial keratotomy, and the arrival of excimer and femtosecond lasers.
His reflections on the first laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) procedures in Ireland are particularly vivid, capturing the excitement and scepticism that surrounded its arrival in the 1990s. These advances are documented not just in clinical terms but in how ophthalmologists debated, adapted and ultimately transformed their practice to meet new possibilities and patient expectations.
But this is also a book about the man behind the milestones. Condon sees parallels between the precision of microsurgery and the nuance of performance, both requiring discipline, sensitivity and timing. Woven gently throughout the narrative are reflections on his love of music, his enduring partnership and the personal relationships that have shaped his long career.
Beyond the operating room, Eye Healthcare: 90 Years of Progress devotes significant attention to the structural and policy-level efforts that helped shape the delivery of eyecare in Ireland. Condon’s tenure as President of the Irish College of Ophthalmologists in the early 1990s is presented as a formative period, during which the College matured from a professional association into a key stakeholder in national health strategy. The book details his role in spearheading the establishment of a standardised national curriculum for ophthalmic training, and how he advocated for the creation of a formal CPD framework.
Condon reflects candidly on negotiations with the Department of Health, particularly around increasing surgical capacity in regional hospitals and addressing prolonged cataract waiting lists through targeted service delivery models. One such initiative, the Cataract Fast Track Programme, is discussed as a practical example of how policy, funding and workforce planning must align to meet public demand. His leadership extended beyond Ireland’s borders through long-standing involvement with the UK & Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (UKISCRS), where he contributed to the design of early refractive outcomes registries. International outreach is another central theme, as the book provides several accounts of Condon’s work with the Harold Ridley Foundation, reflecting a commitment to equity in global eyecare.
Visually, the book is a treasure. With over 180 photographs, many in colour, it documents not just instruments and procedures, but people: surgeons, patients, colleagues and mentors. These images breathe life into the narrative, reminding us that progress in medicine is always rooted in human experience.
For today’s ophthalmologists, Eye Healthcare: 90 Years of Progress is more than a retrospective; it is a meditation on what it means to grow with a specialty, to contribute to its arc and to remain inspired by the potential to restore sight. Through Condon’s eyes, we not only see the past, we see how much further we can go.
