21 March 2025
An ophthalmology professor who has pioneered innovative treatments for genetic eye disease has been recognised by the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (WCSM).
Professor Robert MacLaren was awarded the Silver (Fincham) Medal for research excellence in a ceremony held at Apothecaries’ Hall on 13 March.
A statement from the WCSM confirmed that MacLaren is the seventh ever recipient of the accolade.
“The citation for the medal noted Professor MacLaren’s record of research excellence, his sustained impact in increasing scientific knowledge related to retinal diseases and his efforts to reduce preventable blindness,” the WCSM statement highlighted.
MacLaren is a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oxford and a consultant ophthalmologist at Oxford Eye Hospital.
He is also an honorary professor of ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and an honorary consultant vitreoretinal surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
The WCSM statement noted that MacLaren has published more than 350 scientific papers and obtained £43 million in research funding.
“He conducted first-in-the-world gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases including choroideremia and X-linked retinitis pigmentosa,” the statement continued.
The WCSM awards The Gold (Crook) Medal and Silver (Fincham) Medal to recognise and reward research excellence by leaders in the field of vision science.
Full details about the range of WCSM awards, including awards by application recognising mid-career researchers, can be found on the WCSM website.
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