Obituary: Ben Lewis OBE

An optometrist and former AOP chair has been remembered as “a true gentleman of our profession” following his death at the age of 87.

John Benjamin David Creighton Lewis was AOP Chairman between 1974 and 1976. He served as treasurer of the AOP between 1978 and 1992.

Lewis played a leading role in the formation of the European Council of Optometry and Optics and was one of Wales’ first optometric advisers.

As well as working as an optometrist, Lewis established a group of optometry practices across South Wales.

Outside of optics, he was an organist for the Tabor Baptist Church, chair of the Pendyrus Male Choir and a Welsh Rugby Union referee. Lewis was also a keen angler and a Baptist lay minister.

Donald Cameron, who served as AOP Chairman between 1999 and 2000, told OT that Lewis was a “constant quiet voice of reason” at AOP meetings.

“His gentle Welsh lilting tones had a soothing effect on many tetchy discussions,” he said.

Cameron added that Lewis was closely involved in supplementary fees discussions in the 1990s. Lewis’ advocacy helped to support the roll out of a new national contract in Scotland in 2006.

His gentle Welsh lilting tones had a soothing effect on many tetchy discussions

Cameron shared that this contract catalysed a series of changes that means the profession is now “light-years away from where we were in Ben’s time.”

“I have fond memories of working with a true gentleman of our profession and have many reasons to be thankful for his enthusiasm and easy-going nature,” he said.

“I am sure his family and colleagues will give him a good, well-deserved send off to where he can sing in his beloved choirs forever,” Cameron shared.

Lynn Hansford, who served as AOP Chairman between 2003 and 2006, first met Lewis when she was serving on the Mid Glamorgan local optical committee in the 1970s.

“He took me under his wing. He was very supportive and encouraged me,” she said.

The retired optometrist reflected on Lewis’ giving nature.

“He was generous with his knowledge, his friendship and his time,” she said.

Hansford highlighted Lewis’ innovative approach to optometry.

“He was one of the pioneers of the way that we wanted to practice. Everyone wanted to do their training at his practice – if you had your pre-reg with Ben Lewis, you thought you had cracked it,” she said.

Optometrist, Ian Jones, completed his pre-registration period with Lewis. He recalled that Lewis had a sphygmomanometer in practice and would check the blood pressure of patients if he saw signs indicative of hypertension on fundus images.

“He would send them off to the GP,” Jones said.

“He was already looking at optometrists as healthcare providers,” he added.

Jones shared with OT that working within the practice gave him a feeling of belonging.

“He instilled with us that foundation of doing the right thing for people. The patients always came first – they were the most important person in the room,” he said.

We have walked through the doors he opened

Jones reflected that Lewis’ principled nature can be seen in his decision to leave a job after he was criticised for not selling enough spectacles.

When Lewis explained that some people did not require more spectacles, his boss replied that people have more than one pair of shoes.

“He said, ‘I didn’t go to college and get my exams to be compared to a shoe seller’,” Jones shared.

Lewis went on to work in the Rhymney Valley with a practice owner who was known as the Admiral. There, Lewis earned the nickname Cap.

“Locally within the profession he was known as the captain. It felt like a family within the workplace – that was his term of endearment,” Jones said.

The optometrist observed that Lewis’ legacy can be seen in the people he inspired through his vision that optometrists should become the ‘GPs of the eyes.’

“We have walked through the doors he opened,” Jones said.

Retired optometrist, Lyndon Taylor, met with Lewis when he was supporting AOP members through allegations of overclaiming NHS fees.

“I do recall always breathing a sigh of relief when I found out that Ben was the optical adviser in a case. Ben was a stickler for the rules but in my experience always fair and compassionate in his dealings with optometrists,” he said.

Don Grocott recounted how Lewis presented an island of calm when a series of transport failures meant that he arrived late for his inauguration as vice president of the AOP.

“I arrived and Ben was standing at the front door. He put me at ease and got me a cup of coffee,” he recalled.

“From then on in my work with the AOP, Ben was always thoughtful and principled with well-formed views – yet ready to hear a contrary opinion,” Grocott said.

Ian Hunter, OBE, who served as the AOP’s chief executive for 21 years, described Lewis as “a fine man and a leader.”

“For me, his passing truly marks the end of an era. He worked for many years to change the profession into one whose emphasis lay in the healthcare it could and should offer,” he said.

Hunter shared that Lewis led by example.

“Long before optometry would be described as a primary care profession, Benpractised it as if that was a given. He had an outstanding reputation with ophthalmologists and GPs in South Wales,” he said.

“The trust they put in his judgment rubbed off on the rest of us. As he once said, ‘I just put the ladder up against the wall’,” Hunter recalled.

The funeral service for Ben Lewis will be held at Bethany Baptist Church, Pwllgwaun, Pontypridd at 11am on Thursday 12 March. Those who wish to attend can contact Lewis’ son, Jason Lewis, by email.