Dr. Larry Schwab receives International Blindness Prevention Award

West Virginia University Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Professor, Larry Schwab, M.D., has been named the recipient of the annual International Blindness Prevention Award for his dedication to providing care for underserved populations throughout his career.

The International Blindness Prevention Award is a lifetime achievement award presented by the American Academy of Ophthalmology during its annual meeting to “an individual who has made significant contributions to reducing blindness and/or restoring sight worldwide.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting in 2020 was canceled and Dr. Schwab was named the recipient of the 2020 International Blindness Prevention Award during the 2021 Annual Meeting in November in New Orleans.

A 1966 graduate of the WVU School of Medicine, Schwab also received his bachelor’s degree and completed his residency training at WVU. He returned to WVU in 1994 as a professor for the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, where he continues to work as a contractor to the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg.

Following the completion of his residency in 1972, Schwab began his 50-year-long partnership with the International Eye Foundation. Through IEF, Schwab, along with his wife Martha and their three children, spent many years living in several African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe. While living in these countries, Schwab provided ophthalmic care for underserved residents and worked to prevent blindness by providing treatment for the various eye diseases that can potentially cause it. In addition to providing direct care for patients, Schwab also assisted in teaching and training ophthalmologists, medical assistants and nurses and conducted research into the causes of blindness in Africa.

“The world we live in is a largely underserved world,” Schwab said. “Being in a position to help people in those parts of the world, particularly when you can help them maintain, or improve their vision by providing them care they otherwise would not be able to receive is a humanitarian imperative.”

Schwab said that being named the recipient of the 2020 International Blindness Prevention Award means a lot to him personally, but that the greatest thing about the honor is it helps spread awareness.

“I feel very humbled and honored to receive this award, but it means more to me that the promotion of this award brings these issues to light. I hope that through this recognition, I can continue to advocate for blindness prevention, especially for those in underserved communities,” Schwab said.