The Art of Eyes 2024: Volume 2
Showcasing a selection of art from across the spectrum of ophthalmology
Jamie Irvine | | 10 min read | Gallery
For the 10-year anniversary of The Ophthalmologist’s Art of Eyes, we’re excited to present the second volume of our two-part series. This collection features images, illustrations, and paintings from our diverse audience of practitioners, visually impaired artists, and beyond.
Four Scenes
After being diagnosed with RP/Usher’s syndrome, Connie Avery channeled her passion into a fine arts degree and a vibrant art career. She loves experimenting with different painting styles and has exhibited her work in numerous solo and group shows across the country, earning several awards.
https://www.artlifting.com/collections/connie-avery
Riding the Wave
Colors of Fall
Nature’s Mirror
The Old Man and the Mermaid
The Final Stain
Derek Ogbourne is a UK-based fine artist and founder of the Museum of Optography, which is composed of a diverse collection of art relating to the last image seen on the retina at the moment of death. The project started in 2007 and has since been showcased in galleries worldwide.
www.museumofoptography.net
Explorers of Darkness
Macula
Unit
Retinal
The Dance of Birds
In 2014, at 20, Amy collapsed from a brain hemorrhage caused by an Artero-Venous Malformation (AVM) while working in Sardinia. She required emergency treatment and spent weeks in the hospital – but it was here that she decided, once recovered enough, to pursue her dream of becoming a portrait painter. Amy says “my experiences have deepened sensitivity as an artist. I now create art that reflects my vision loss by erasing parts of detailed drawings.”
https://amyizat.com/
Goldfinches Wofts
Goldfinches Erased
Vision of the Past
Miguel Paciuc-Beja is an ophthalmologist at Denver Health Medical Center with an interest in MTI Photoscreening. He explains: “MTI Photoscreening was once a common method for screening children's vision. It involves using a high-resolution polaroid camera to capture images of undilated eyes and estimate refractive errors and other potential issues. While the MTI Photoscreener is no longer in production, more advanced and modern vision screening technologies have since emerged.”
Through the Lens
Donjeta Decani is an ophthalmology resident at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, with a passion for art – especially using acrylic canvas paintings.
https://www.instagram.com/donjetadecaniartist/
Abstractions
Patricia L. Caulfield is a visually impaired abstract artist who works primarily with mixed media on cradleboard. Her techniques include acrylic paint, vine charcoal, conté crayon, pencil, collage, sanding, and distressing. As a dedicated patient advocate, Patricia founded an art show and silent auction benefiting the Glaucoma Research Foundation in San Francisco for 2022, 2023, and 2024. She curates art from visually impaired artists worldwide, highlighting their stories and experiences with vision loss. Patricia also lectures at Boston University’s biomedical neuroscience graduate program, discussing glaucoma, vision loss, and its connection to art.
www.patricialcaulfield.com
Breathing Lessons
Fleeting Feelings
Tetris Braille
Clarke Reynolds, a visual artist with severe sight impairment, uses Braille as a medium to explore shape, color, and size in his artwork. Over the past three years, he has exhibited his Braille-based art in multiple solo shows, including his debut at Quantus Gallery in London. Reynolds aims to modernize Braille through workshops, exhibitions, and public art, serving as a role model for those with visual impairments. He is also a patron for the charity VICTA, which supports visually impaired children and young adults.
https://www.seeingwithoutseeing.com/
A Matter of Perspective
Lindsey Whitelaw is a fine artist working in collaboration with Moorfields Eye Hospital, creating paintings to raise awareness of visual impairment. She focuses on comparative artworks, pairing her original pieces with interpretations by visually impaired individuals.
Original – Iomani Interior
Samantha Leftwich’s Iomani Interior Interpretation – Samantha has diabetic retinopathy and received cataract surgery in their right eye which, unfortunately, caused the lens pocket to thicken very rapidly. Despite being ‘polished,’ it made no difference to her vision
Original – Workshop
Anne Conduit’s Workshop Interpretation – Anne has Autosomal Recessive Optic Nerve Degeneration and was registered blind in the 1990s. She can see vague shapes but no detail and her vision is largely a feat of imagination, including objects and colors
Five Faces
Marina Marinkovic, an ocular oncologist at Leiden University Medical Centre, is also a trained photographer from the Photo Academy in Amsterdam. One of her first photography projects after graduation was a portrait series featuring individuals with artificial eyes in their own environments, inspired by her professional experience in surgically removing eyes and interacting with patients with prosthetic eyes.
Rosan lost her eye when only three years old. She used to cover her prosthesis with her bangs but turning 15 she did not want to hide anymore and decided to get an ear piercing and has worn her hair off her face and behind her ear ever since
Hans suffers from Stickler and after surgery for retinal detachments his eye shriveled and was removed. His main concern is the fact that his grandchildren might experience the same problems he has faced
Alex sees the world in a different light since losing his eye. It feels as if one eye is now looking out and one eye is looking in. He is more aware of the people around him and of nature
Anita’s orthosis is part of her to the extent that she can almost feel the bubbles when she takes it out and puts it in a soap bath. She tries to help other people undergoing exenteration by writing about her situation with a hearty dose of humor
The Ophthalmologist Presents:
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Associate Editor | The Ophthalmologist and The New Optometrist.
