The first person to receive an honorary lifetime membership from the BCLA and a developer of fenestrated scleral and corneal contact lenses, Dr Norman Bier, has died aged 88.
Bier had a long career, from the age of 16 when he worked in a Baker Street practice, qualifying as an optometrist at 21. Five years later he was awarded the patent 'Improvements in contact lens for personal wear' for fenestrated CLs. and is credited as one of the UK instigators of monovision CLs. He lectured extensively in hospitals and universities worldwide, retiring in 2002 after over 60 years of practice.
Professor Emeritus Robert Fletcher, a fellow student at City University, writes: 'Norman Bier, who died on 27 October, made outstanding contributions to contact lenses and partial sight aids with publications which were early standard guides. Following work with Clifford Hall, Bier commenced his own London practice. Here he pioneered fenestrated scleral and later, "contour" corneal lenses.
'His work was recognised with the presidency of the Contact Lens Society and an honorary DSc from City University, London.
'Lecturing abroad included Scandinavia, America and Italy several years were spent in clinical work in hospitals in Israel and in an American university. His skills included ocular prosthetics helped by his artistic wife Frieda.
'In recent years, he attended patients at London's City University, adding MPhil to his qualifications after researching the development of optical LVA appliances.
'Bier is survived by Frieda, his wife and their four children.
'A firm, considerate friend, helpful to many patients, students and colleagues, Bier a supreme exponent of CL practice, is greatly missed.'