Pierre Hein was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Northampton General Hospital from 1979 to 2000. He was born on 8 April 1937 in Mauritius, the son of Marcelle Hein née Piat and Sir Raymond Hein, a senior barrister and former mayor of the capital, Port Louis. Pierre grew up in Mauritius, with French as the family tongue and frequent use of Creole and English. The rich intellectual and cosmopolitan family environment imbued him with a deep affinity with French language, literature and culture. He was educated at the Royal College on the island, before moving to Balliol College, Oxford, supported by an Anderson scholarship. Qualifying in 1965 with the Brian Johnson prize for pathology, he remained in Oxford for house jobs at the Radcliffe Infirmary and Churchill Hospital. In 1966 he moved to Paris, to work for three years at the American Hospital and the l’Hôpital Lariboisière. It was after returning to Oxford that he met his future wife Nicolette Oppenheimer, daughter of David Oppenheimer, senior lecturer in neuropathology, who became an anaesthetist. Intent on a career in ophthalmology, Pierre began specialty training at the Oxford Eye Hospital and then at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. He completed the four-year rotation training programme, passing the FRCS in 1974, before returning to experience clinical practice in his home country, Mauritius, in 1975 as a consultant ophthalmologist at the Clinique Darné. In 1979, he decided to return and settle with his family in England, and was subsequently appointed as a consultant to the Northampton eye department. Pierre Hein was above all a practical clinician with finely tuned and perceptive clinical judgement. He was intrigued by the surgical minutiae of ophthalmic microsurgery, and by the selection of specific instruments required to achieve success in particular cases. He was a good teacher. The registrars on the Oxford rotation valued learning skills from him, their experience enhancing the close connection Northampton enjoyed with Oxford ophthalmologists. Despite his lively intelligence and natural curiosity, he was not drawn to undertake research, but concentrated on developing lasting mutual relationships with his patients. Whilst having well thought through and definite opinions, his non-confrontational personality led him to eschew involvement in hospital politics, preferring instead to contribute ably to the fostering of good relationships within the department. He was always open to new ideas and developments and regularly attended the annual Oxford Ophthalmological Congress, meetings of the Midland Ophthalmological Society and Moorfields alumni meetings. In his youth, Pierre had been an international athlete, representing Mauritius as a sprinter at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, becoming one of the first to represent the then colony of Mauritius in any international sporting event. He had a lifelong love of French and English poetry and literature. In 1988, his fluency in Latin brought him success in the competition to find a motto for the new College of Ophthalmologists – ‘ut omnes videant’ (‘so that all may see’). On retirement, he requested and was presented by the Medical Society with a bicycle, but never saw the need to cycle when a car was available. He became a strong bridge player, and indulged his passion for classical music and films, his keen appreciation of fine wine, and his armchair enthusiasm for and expertise in horse racing. He also made frequent visits to friends and relatives across the globe in France, Australia and Mauritius. Pierre’s health started to decline ten years into his retirement, and he died on 9 March 2018 at the age of 80. He was survived by his wife Niki, sons, Dominic and Olivier, daughter, Sophie, and their families.