In Loving Memory of Christine Heinrich
5th June 1970 – 13th September 2025
Christine always wanted to be a vet. One of her earliest drawings was of a dog, and while other children played with dolls, she collected stuffed animals — especially the ones with sad eyes.
Her passion for eyes truly began as a veterinary student, visiting the Animal Health Trust with her friend Connie Deeg. They had planned to only visit the equine team and they weren’t exactly having fun until the ophthalmology clinicians came to see a horse and encouraged Christine to visit the small animal unit instead. Keith Barnett and Jane Sansom lit the spark, and at Zurich University she persuaded Bernard Spiess and his team to let her sit in on their work. From then on, she devoured everything to do with eyes — even reading her ophthalmology atlas over breakfast.
After deciding this was her calling, Christine wrote to Jane and Keith offering to work at the Animal Health Trust for a year after graduation with no salary, just accommodation and on-call pay.
So in early 1995, fresh out of vet school, she packed up her purple Twingo and drove to Newmarket. Enthusiastic — perhaps even a little too much so at times — she impressed everyone, and before long she was offered a residency in ophthalmology. She completed her internship and residency there, passing her RCVS Certificate in 1997 and Diploma in 1999, all without ever finishing the legendary Gelatt. Alongside training, she began lecturing with Jane, Keith, and colleagues, and picked up locum shifts in local practices where her skills in consulting and surgery grew.
In January 2000, Christine joined Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service. She thrived there, despite the long hours and paperwork, and quickly became not only a trusted clinician but a friend to clients and colleagues alike.
She cared deeply about improving the health of certain breeds, especially Mini Schnauzers, Tibetan Terriers, Tibetan Spaniels, and Leonbergers. When the RCVS stopped offering the Diploma, she ‘bit the bullet’ and sat the European exam in 2004 — passing, of course. She was soon invited onto the examination committee, where she served until 2020.
In 2015, after Willows was sold, Christine and I bought the Eye Veterinary Clinic. It wasn’t a move we had planned, but it became one of the best decisions we ever made. Christine loved building the team there and was so proud of what they created together. Even after her diagnosis, she stayed involved as much as possible, stepping back from operating but continuing to answer advice emails and support colleagues and clients right up until three weeks before she died.
Christine trained both residents and interns and inspired general practitioners everywhere through her teaching and encouragement.
Over the years, she directly mentored 14 residents and guided many more through their early careers, helping them to develop the confidence and skills needed to thrive in such a demanding speciality. She was generous with her time, whether it was answering a quick clinical query, reviewing a case late in the evening, or providing a gentle nudge of reassurance when self-doubt crept in.
Her international lecturing meant her influence reached far beyond her own clinics, and colleagues across the globe have spoken of how her advice — sometimes just a single sentence of encouragement — changed the way they practised.
For many, she was the person who made ophthalmology accessible, who reminded them that behind every case was a patient and a family that deserved both compassion and clarity. Reading the tributes that have poured in has been humbling; so many say she helped them through a difficult day with a kind word, a smile, or the steady assurance that they could manage the challenge in front of them.
She would probably be embarrassed by all this attention, but she deserves it. Christine showed what passion and hard work can achieve. For her, being a vet was never just a job — it was a labour of love.
There is so much more I could say about Christine, but I can hear her in my head saying ‘keep it short’.
As an anaesthetist, I have worked with many clinicians, and I can say hand on heart that she was one of the best.
I will miss her every single day, but in some ways knowing that my grief is shared by so many people across the globe brings me comfort that she will never be forgotten.
Forever loved, never forgotten.
Willy Neumann was a founding member of the ECVO and a pioneer in veterinary ophthalmology in Germany. After studying psychology and medicine he studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of Giessen, Germany, and became a lecturer at the same University in 1992. He practiced advanced veterinary ophthalmology and demonstrated his inventive talent by developing the Neumann Silicone IOL. He was instrumental in the registration of the newly created ECVO in 1992 and served as secretary on the executive committee (1992-1999), headed the genetics committee (1995-2000) and was EBVS representative of the ECVO during its early years. In 1996-98 he co-authored the successful textbook “Ophthalmology for the Veterinary Practitioner” and translated it into German “Praktische Augenheilkunde für den Tierarzt”. Willy was the first Veterinary Specialist in Ophthalmology in Germany to establish a specialty clinic in 2000 and he remained in private practice until the end of his career. All through his career he was involved in teaching veterinary ophthalmology in and outside of Germany and was respected for his contribution to veterinary ophthalmology and well known for his excellent photography of the various ophthalmic conditions. He sadly passed away in 2023.
Gil Ben-Shlomo graduated with a DVM, followed by a PhD (mentored by Ron Ofri), from the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He went on to complete a residency in comparative ophthalmology at the University of Florida, and became a Diplomate of both the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. Gil worked all of his professional life in the USA, mostly in Iowa State University, and briefly in Cornell before his sudden death in 2020. Nonetheless, he was a very active member of the ECVO, and at the time of his death served as Chair of the Planning Committee. Gil will be remembered as a co-editor of the 6th edition of Gelatt's Veterinary Ophthalmology, a reflection of a dedicated teacher, an accomplished researcher and a talented clinician.
The Globe - Special Issue Dedicated to Gil Ben-Shlomo
Link for Gil's memorial service on Saturday 14 November 2020
Link for message from ECVO
Keith Barnett was one of the first Diplomates of ECVO when the College was founded in 1992 and was well known throughout Europe and the rest of the world. He started the Comparative Ophthalmology Unit at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, England, where he worked until the end of his career. His professional career spanned more than fifty years, earning him an outstanding reputation both at home and abroad. Keith became the first ECVO Honorary Diplomate in 2008 and was also made an Honorary Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) in the same year. Keith sadly passed away in 2009.
The Globe - Special Issue Dedicated to Keith C. Barnett
Bernard Clerc was a founding member of ECVO and served as ECVO President from 2001 to 2003. Bernard began the Ophthalmology Unit at the Veterinary College of Alfort and became the first professor in veterinary ophthalmology in France. Bernard was passionate about teaching throughout his career and started the first ECVO residency in France. His reputation was outstanding on a national and international level. Bernard sadly passed away in 2016.
Antonio Solarino was a founding member of ECVO and a leading veterinary ophthalmologist in Italy. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he was an external member of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Sassari, Italy. He was a regular speaker at many national and international meetings, the author of several scientific articles and a co-author of “Atlante di oftalmologia veterinaria” with Claudio Peruccio. Antonio sadly passed away in 2008