Dr. Paul Lichter received the Lucien Howe Medal for distinguished service to ophthalmology at the May meeting of the American Ophthalmological Society (AOS). The Howe Medal, first awarded in 1922, is one of the highest honors in the field of ophthalmology.
Lichter, a glaucoma specialist, is the F. Bruce Fralick Professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. He also is director of the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center.
In presenting the award, Dr. Dennis Robertson, representing the AOS, cited Lichter’s service to professional organizations, his pivotal role in clinical studies involving patients with glaucoma and his research on the genetics of glaucoma. He also noted Lichter’s role in advancing ultrafast laser technology for eye surgery and his interest in genetic research, which led to the discovery of a genetic link between glaucoma and Nail Patella Syndrome.
Lichter is a Detroit native who graduated from Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills. He received his undergraduate, medical school and ophthalmology residency education at U-M. Lichter completed his glaucoma fellowship training at the University of California, San Francisco.He has served as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences since 1978.
The American Ophthalmological Society was founded in 1864 to promote excellence in the field and to advance the art and science of ophthalmology. Since 1922, 73 ophthalmologists have received the Howe Medal, named after Lucien Howe, a noted ophthalmologist who endowed several awards to recognize his peers, of which the AOS Howe medal is the most celebrated.
