Bryan Cruickshanks was an ophthalmic surgeon in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. He was born in Wallsend, Northumberland on 11 October 1935, the second child of William Blackwood Cruickshanks, a tradesman in the shipyards, and his wife, Jesse Cruickshanks née Brown. He excelled at Wallsend Grammar School and enjoyed National Service in the RAF before being accepted into University of Durham Medical School, King’s College, Newcastle upon Tyne. He qualified in 1961. While working at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1962 he met Mary Watson, a radiographer. They married and moved to Edinburgh, where he was an anatomy demonstrator at the University of Edinburgh from 1962 to 1963. He was a senior house officer and registrar at the university eye unit, Edinburgh from1963 to 1966 and a senior registrar in ophthalmology at Chester Royal Infirmary from 1966 to 1967. He then became a tutor in ophthalmology at the University of Birmingham, as well as a senior registrar at Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital, from 1967 to 1970. He was appointed as a consultant at the Worcester Eye Infirmary in 1970. After passing his Canadian and American boards in ophthalmology, he began a private practice in Sarnia, Ontario in 1971. Initially, he practised a range of corneal, retinal, plastic and lacrimal surgery. Due to patient demand and personal interest, he specialised in cataract surgery for the final 17 years of his career. He was a pioneer of outpatient cataract surgery, operating while the patient reclined in a lounger. He authored papers on microsurgery, intraocular lens implants, ultrasonic biometry of the eye and total ambulatory cataract surgery. He served as chief of the eye and ENT department and was director of the outpatient cataract unit at Sarnia General Hospital. Bryan retired in 1997, after 26 years as an ophthalmic surgeon in Sarnia. Bryan was known for his determination, kindness, quick wit and his variegated interests. He could often be found sorting his extensive photography slide collection or perfecting his latest fly for his next fly-fishing adventure. His love of music inspired him to daringly attempt mastery of the cello. His passion for reading found him at the library daily and he would spend several years learning Spanish with local high school students. He cultivated a fantastic garden at his lakeside home in a style that he described as ‘Japanese Algonquin’. He was dedicated to daily exercise and in his later years was recognised as an enthusiastic walker at the local superstore. After a struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, Bryan Cruickshanks died peacefully on 17 December 2016, aged 81 and was survived by his wife Mary, two children, Lindsey and Giles, and two grandchildren, Nicholas and Maxwell.