Editorial

Abstract

“To everything
There is a season…
A time to be born,
And a time to die.”
So begins the song Turn! Turn! Turn! by Pete Seeger that many of my generation first heard in a recording by The Byrds in 1965. The words are from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament of The Bible. It came to me again in June when I learned of the passing of two dear friends and colleagues while attending meetings of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) in Milan, Italy.
Michael J. Doughty was an expert on corneal physiology and pharmacology who was one of my colleagues at the School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo (UWSO). I first met him at a meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology while he was completing his postdoctoral association with Professor David Maurice at Stanford University. During the early 1980s, UWSO was looking for new faculty, and someone with Michael’s background was a good match. He was duly invited to Waterloo and soon became a member of the UWSO faculty, teaching ocular pharmacology. A lifelong bachelor with a devotion to cats, Michael was well respected by students, a prolific researcher, and an enthusiastic teacher. Throughout his years in Waterloo, Michael rode a bicycle to work almost every day. He never learned to drive.
In addition to his teaching of ocular pharmacology, Michael played a crucial role in preparing the profession for the eventual expansion in our scope of practice to include therapeutic drugs.
Despite the security of a tenured position, Michael left Waterloo for the Department of Optometry at Glasgow Caledonian University to be closer to his aging parents, who lived in the Orkney Islands. Michael remained there until his retirement. He passed away in early 2026.
Mohammed Jalie was head of the Department of Applied Optics at City & East London College from 1964 to 1995. In retirement, he served as a visiting professor at the University of Ulster. Mo, as he liked to be addressed, was the author of The Principles of Ophthalmic Lenses, a text that I used for my teaching of ophthalmic optics at UWSO for many years. He was a leading expert on the optics of spectacle lenses, optical theory, and dispensing.
I enjoyed meeting Mo during my trips to the United Kingdom, discussing new developments in these subjects. I will be forever grateful that it was Mo who suggested that Hoya approach me to conduct a clinical trial on their progressive power lenses. The discussions resulted in the largest funded study in ophthalmic lenses to be conducted at UWSO.
Just weeks before his death, Mo sent a characteristically pointed but gently worded message to the British Standards Institution, suggesting that a section on lens aberrations be inserted in the ISO standard on ophthalmic optics vocabulary (ISO 13666). It was fitting that this was reported during the meeting in Milan where this matter came up for discussion.
I will never cash in on Mo’s promise to take me for lunch at his club in London, but I will cherish my memories of his great knowledge, wit, and gentle nature.
Rest in peace Michael and Mo. Thank you for being part of my life, both personally and professionally.