NEW YORK— Lighthouse International has honored Clare Gilbert, MD, professor of International Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, with its 2012 Pisart Vision Award. Gilbert previously worked as a clinical ophthalmologist for ten years and has an MD in surgical retina.

A leader who has put prevention of childhood blindness at the forefront of the global eyecare agenda, Gilbert is in charge of the research undertaken by the International Centre for Eye Health that reflects the priorities of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight and includes infectious diseases, childhood blindness studies, Cochrane systematic reviews and diseases of the elderly (such as cataract, glaucoma as well as national surveys of the prevalence and causes of blindness). Professor Gilbert’s own research focuses on the epidemiology of blindness in children, particularly in middle and low income countries. The findings of her research have been used to assist in planning and evaluating eyecare programs for children.

The Lighthouse International Pisart Vision Award was established in 1981 and is partially funded through a bequest of Georgette Pisart, a longtime Lighthouse volunteer. The award recipient receives a prize of $30,000 and a replica of the Pisart sculpture, which represents the rods and cones of the eye and was originally designed by visually impaired artist, Gary Kleiman.