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

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Orbis aircraft [Courtesy: Orbis International]

Key Takeaways:

American ophthalmologist David Paton, founder of Orbis International's innovative Flying Eye Hospital, has died at the age of 94.
Paton conceived and launched the world's first mobile teaching hospital aboard an aircraft (a DC-8) in 1982 to deliver eye care training and services to developing nations.
Over four decades, the volunteer-driven Orbis program has expanded its fleet and reached approximately 95 countries, providing vital training for local doctors and treatment for blindness and other visual conditions.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.