David Abrams

J D Abrams, known as David, who has died aged 94, was a leading London eye surgeon, head of ophthalmology at the Royal Free Hospital, and coauthor (with Stewart Duke-Elder) of The Practice of Refraction.

David took finals in medicine as the NHS was starting up. His career tracked big changes in ophthalmology, from slow hazardous procedures with long recovery and little guarantee of better sight, to laser surgery and lens implants.

He treated large lists of patients in the NHS alongside a private practice, covering everything from cataract, glaucoma, and squint to eye disease in relation to general medicine. As a houseman he even tested eyes in opticians’ …