Swedish optometrist Kurt Östlund died last month at the age of 75 following an illness he bore with great courage, a colleague has reported.
Fellow optometrist Richard Pearson told Optician how Östlund trained as an optician in Stockholm and then studied optometry at Northampton College of Advanced Technology (now City University of London) from 1963 to 1966.
Following a fourth year of clinical training with the distinguished ophthalmologist, Professor Sölve Stenstrøm in Gothenburg, he became a fellow of the British Optical Association (now the College of Optometrists). He subsequently gained the diploma in contact lens practice.
In 1970, Östlund initiated and directed a post-qualification course in contact lenses for Swedish opticians which continued for 25 years until this subject was incorporated within a degree course. To support this teaching, he wrote the first textbooks on contact lenses to be published in Swedish, Kontaktlinsteknik (1970) and Kontaktologi (1980). From 1971, he worked in his father’s practice in Falun and from 1980 managed it and four other practices until 2000.
Kurt served as vice president of the Opticians Association and chairman of the Swedish Society of Optometry. From the Opticians Association, he received a gold medal (1975), Gullstrand medal (1980) and commemorative medal (1985). He was also the chairman of the board of the Swedish Contact Lens Association when it celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2005. He was active in attempts to achieve a higher level of education in optometry in Sweden and his efforts were rewarded when the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, instituted a degree course in 1994, added Pearson.
Östlund’s wide range of interests outside optometry included service as a reserve officer, reaching the rank of major in 1985, Rotary, Freemasonry, scouting and local politics and government.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Gunilla, his sons Anders, Johan and Fredrik and two grandchildren, Anton and Arvid.