Abrahamson, Ira A., 1924-

The son and namesake of a prominent Cincinnati ophthalmologist, Ira A. Abrahamson Jr., M.D., graduated from the UC College of Medicine in February, 1948 and followed with an internship in Cincinnati at what was then called General Hospital. He conducted a two-year residency at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary before joining the armed forces, where he was especially interested in eye surgeries for military personnel whose eyes turned in or out, resulting in double vision and eventual blindness in the deviating eye. It was during this time, he says, he realized while he could align the eyes to appear normal, he couldn't surgically fix the vision issues associated with many of the eye abnormalities because the diagnoses had come too late, after the age of seven years. After leaving the military, he returned to Cook County Hospital in Chicago (1953-1955) to pursue specialized training.

Abrahamson decided to make it his mission to spread the word about early eye screening in children and address correctable eye conditions nationwide. One of the ways he did this was to collaborate with Cincinnati's local Rotary Club 17 to encourage screenings for all children, especially in underserved communities. Today, more than 1,200 Rotary organizations carry his baton, helping to eliminate preventable causes of blindness in approximately 13,000 children a year.

From the military, Abrahamson went into private practice with his father and then, in 1964, joined the UC Department of Ophthalmology, where he also served as an educator and researcher for over 40 years and authored four textbooks-including the popular "Know Your Eyes"-and countless peer- reviewed papers.

One of Abrahamson's crowning achievements was the opening of the Abrahamson Pediatric Eye Institute at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in 1995. After retiring in 2004, Dr. Abrahamson still remains active in the UC medical community.

Source: UC Health News, October 1, 2014

From the guide to the Ira A. Abrahamson Archival Collection, 1930-2011, (University of Cincinnati, Health Sciences Library, Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions)