Founder of Flying Eye Hospital Dies at 94

Paton, a leading specialist in ophthalmology, launched the concept of a mobile teaching hospital aboard an aircraft in the late 1970s, aiming to bring eye care training and services to several developing nations. His idea materialized in 1982 with the introduction of the first Flying Eye Hospital, a fully equipped teaching hospital housed within a DC-8.

The first jet was donated by United Airlines, and was converted at a cost of around $1.25 million.

With a fully-equipped aircraft, the program took off, and had support from a handful of wealthy donors, including Betsy Trippe Wainwright, the daughter of Pan Am’s founder, Juan Trippe. Several high-profile people visited the aircraft, too, including Mother Teresa and Fidel Castro.

Orbis’ Flying Eye Hospital provided training for local doctors and treatment for blindness and other visual conditions in communities with limited access to ophthalmic care. Over the last four decades, the program has expanded to multiple aircraft and reached around 95 different countries.

These missions are run by volunteer medical professionals. The pilots are also volunteers, staffed by FedEx. 

Paton’s background included leadership roles at major U.S. institutions, including serving as chairman of ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine. He also directed research initiatives in eye care throughout his career.

More modern aircraft were introduced to Orbis’ fleet later, including a DC-10 in 1992. 

“This replacement DC-10 aircraft was twice the size of the original DC-8,” the non-profit states. “The extra space in the DC-10 was needed to accommodate the expanding scope of the Flying Eye Hospitals operations. As technology progressed and made training doctors around the world even easier, our facilities were updated, too.”

This aircraft is now on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

In 2016, FedEx employees donated a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30, which was equipped with brand-new facilities. This aircraft still flies today, resuming in-person projects in 2023 after a three-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was David’s vision that ignit­ed the spark that grew to a bea­con in the bat­tle against glob­al blindness,” Jack McHale, Orbis’ former CEO, said in a statement.