Bernard Becker, MD, FARVO, a past president of ARVO, was professor emeritus of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He passed in August at the age of 93.

Dr. Becker served as ARVO president in 1966, and was a recipient of both the Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology and the Proctor Medal.   He was the founding and first executive editor of ARVO's Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science journal, known then as Investigative Ophthalmology. He served in this capacity for 10 years, the longest term to date.

Dr. Becker also served as director of the American Board of Ophthalmology and was a founding member of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology. He played a vital role in establishing the National Eye Institute, where he served in many leadership positions.

An internationally recognized expert on the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, Dr. Becker was noted for his introduction of the drug acetazolamide to treat the disease and the many contributions his laboratory made to the understanding of the biochemistry and physiology of glaucoma. In addition, he was the co-author of the first two editions of Diagnosis and Therapy of the Glaucomas, one of the classic textbooks in ophthalmology.

Dr. Becker received a myriad of awards including the Helen Keller Prize, the New York Academy of Medicine Award and the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Laureate Recognition Award. He also was a recipient of the Washington University Medical Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Award and the School of Medicine's Second Century Award.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Becker attended Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps before completing his ophthalmology training at Johns Hopkins University, where he briefly served on the faculty before coming to Washington University. Dr. Becker joined the Washington University School of Medicine faculty in 1953 and served as head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences from his arrival until 1988.