Founder of Flying Eye Hospital Dies at 94

Paton launched the traveling program in the 1980s.

Ryan Ewing

Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 04:13 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Orbis aircraft [Courtesy: Orbis International]

Key Takeaways:

Dr. David Paton, the American ophthalmologist who founded Orbis International's Flying Eye Hospital, has died at the age of 94.
Paton conceived the Flying Eye Hospital in the late 1970s, launching the first fully equipped mobile teaching hospital on a DC-8 in 1982 to provide eye care training and services in developing nations.
Run by volunteers, the program has since expanded to multiple aircraft and reached approximately 95 countries, offering ophthalmic training to local doctors and treatment for visual conditions.

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David Paton, the American ophthalmologist who founded Orbis International’s Flying Eye Hospital, has died at the age of 94. Paton’s death was confirmed by his son to The New York Times.

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.