The Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) is proud to announce Dr. Yvonne Buys as the recipient of the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award

This award is given annually to honour a COS member who has made significant contributions to eye and vision care, a sustained impact nationally and internationally on the growth of the profession, and maintained the highest standard of patient care in their practice.

Dr. Yvonne Buys, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, recently retired from a 28-year academic career. In addition to a clinical practice specializing in glaucoma, she trained many ophthalmology residents and over 40 glaucoma fellows. Her efforts in research have resulted in over 195 peer-reviewed publications, 16 invited editorials, 10 book chapters and over 500 presentations at meetings and symposiums. Dr. Buys has been involved in several national glaucoma guidelines and ophthalmology specific national guidance documents related to COVID. In 2020, she developed, obtained financing and organized the distribution of 1,200 slit-lamp breath shields for ophthalmologists across Canada.

Dr. Buys has been involved in numerous professional organizations including President (2018-20) and Board Member (2010-21) of the COS, President of the Canadian Glaucoma Society (2007-09), President of the Toronto Area Glaucoma Society (2001-02) and developed and organized Women in Ophthalmology under the COS (2012-18).

Dr Buys has received several awards including the Toronto Hospital Anderson Award (1998), the University of Toronto Clive Mortimer Postgraduate Teaching Award (1999), AAO Achievement Award (2015), Women in Ophthalmology Champion for Change Award at the World Ophthalmology Congress (2018), University of Toronto Colin Woolf Award for Long Term Contributions to CPD (2020), Glaucoma Research Society of Canada Mitzel Award (2021) and the American Glaucoma Society International Scholar Award (2022).

Currently, in addition to hobby farming and looking forward to her first hole-in-one, she has also become an avid birder, writing a weekly column entitled ‘Look What Flew through the County’ for the Wellington Times. She will soon be publishing her first book on the birds of Prince Edward County.