Erwin Voss was above all, a hard worker and he referred to himself as a “work-aholic”.
A curious, insatiable professional, from very young he was involved in the contact lens field. He interacted with many colleagues all over the world all his life, he attended several meetings, submitted papers, did presentations and was involved in researching.
Erwin was an entrepreneur. He founded and ran one of the most important contact lens manufacturing plants in Argentina, Plastic Contact Lens, as well as the optical shop chain, Pupilent, which survives him. This is a great legacy to a huge number of opticians and contact lens fitters.
Over the past two decades he was particularly involved in the low vision field and founded the Voss Low Vision Center, a multidisciplinary practice aiming to provide for the needs of a growing elderly population, mostly affected by low vision diseases.
Erwin became a member of the ISCLS in the 1950s, shortly after the society was founded. His contribution to the ISCLS was immense and he made many friends within our incredible family. Erwin was Congress Chair of our wonderful 39th ISCLS Congress, which he organised in Buenos Aires in 2008. He revived the ISCLS’s Herschel Medal in 1988.
Alongside his fulfilling professional life, Erwin’s personal life was also interesting. An opera lover, he had a permanent seat at every season at the Teatro Colón. He was fond of classical music and he loved to listen it even during working hours. He was a voracious reader and a faithful friend to many.
Erwin loved vacationing every summer season in Punta del Este, Uruguay where he had an apartment and he dreamed of retiring there. The Covid-19 pandemic prevented him from doing so.
He was a true gentleman.