Robert Walter Doyne (1857–1916) was an Anglo-Irish

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

He was born in Monart,

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, second son of the Reverend Philip Walter Doyne (died 1861),

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Monart, and Emily Sophia Richards, daughter of

John Goddard Richards John Goddard Richards (born 1794, died 1846) was an Irish barrister, justice of the peace, and High Sheriff of Wexford for 1824. He was the eldest son and heir of the leading surgeon Solomon Richards and his wife Elizabeth Groome, daughter o ...

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

, of Ardamine House,

Gorey Gorey () is a market town in north County Wexford, Ireland. It is beside the main M11 Dublin to Wexford road. The town is also connected to the railway network along the same route. Local newspapers include the ''Gorey Guardian''. As a growi ...

, County Wexford and his first wife Anna-Catherine Ward, and granddaughter of the noted

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

Solomon Richards. He belonged to a junior branch of the long-established Doyne family of Wells House, County Wexford, who were descended from the eminent judge

Sir Robert Doyne Sir Robert Doyne (1651–1733) was an Irish barrister and politician. Judge He was member of the Irish House of Commons for New Ross from 1692 to 1695, and later a distinguished judge who served as Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer from 1695 ...

(1651-1733). Doyne studied medicine in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and St George's Hospital in London. In 1886, he founded the Oxford Eye Hospital, and in 1909 became the first president of the Oxford Ophthalmological Congress. In 1899 Doyne discovered colloid bodies lying on

Bruch's membrane Bruch's membrane is the innermost layer of the choroid of the eye. It is also called the ''vitreous lamina'' or ''Membrane vitriae'', because of its glassy microscopic appearance. It is 2–4 μm thick. Layers Bruch's membrane consists of five l ...

that appeared to merge, forming a mosaic pattern that resembled a honeycomb. Afterwards, this disorder was referred to as "Doyne's honeycomb choroiditis". Today this condition is known to be a rare hereditary form of

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...

that results in progressive and irreversible loss of vision. Other names for the disorder are: "

macula The macula (/ˈmakjʊlə/) or macula lutea is an oval-shaped pigmented area in the center of the retina of the human eye and in other animals. The macula in humans has a diameter of around and is subdivided into the umbo, foveola, foveal av ...

drusen Drusen, from the German word for ''node'' or ''geode'' (singular, "Druse"), are tiny yellow or white accumulations of extracellular material that build up between Bruch's membrane and the retinal pigment epithelium of the eye. The presence of a ...

", "malattia leventinese", "dominant radial drusen" and "Doyne honeycomb

retina The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which then ...

l dystrophy". In 1889, he was the first physician to describe

angioid streaks Angioid streaks, also called Knapp streaks or Knapp striae, are small breaks in Bruch's membrane, an elastic tissue containing membrane of the retina that may become calcified and crack. Up to 50% of angioid streak cases are idiopathic. It may oc ...

, a disorder that affects Bruch's membrane, the innermost layer of the choroid. Two years after his death in 1916, a prized distinction in British ophthalmologic medicine known as the "Doyne Memorial Lecture" was established. He married Gertrude Hope Hollings, daughter of John Hollings of The Watchetts,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, and had two sons including Philip, who was an ophthalmologist like his father.Montgomery-Massingberd

References

British ophthalmologists 1857 births 1916 deaths {{England-med-bio-stub