2008-2009 Recipient

For the discovery, characterization and implementation of laser panretinal photocoagulation, which is used to treat proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Lloyd M. Aiello, MD, is an internationally recognized expert on diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes in which weak, leaky blood vessels proliferate in the retina, causing vision loss and blindness. A clinical professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Aiello is also the founding director of the Beetham Eye Institute at Joslin Diabetes Center and a co-founder of the Joslin Vision Network (JVN) and Center for the Humanities in Diabetes Eye Care. In 1967, Dr. Aiello and the late William P. Beetham pioneered the use of lasers to treat diabetic retinopathy. As a leader of several nationwide clinical trials of the technique, known as photocoagulation, Dr. Aiello set a new standard for diabetes care.

Today Dr. Aiello is using imaging technologies to detect early retinal changes. Through a nationwide JVN telemedicine program, he has brought timely, expert eye and medical care to patients in remote locations. During a still-robust career spanning more than five decades, Dr. Aiello’s contributions to research and clinical care have enriched millions of lives.