Dr. Leonard Apt, former director of the division of pediatric ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute and one of the five founders of the Jules Stein Eye Institute, died Feb. 1 at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, of a brief illness. He was 90.
Apt’s colleagues and friends knew him as an intelligent physician who enjoyed the arts and was passionate about treating blindness in children.
He was instrumental in developing the field of ophthalmology, which is a branch of medicine that has to do with the anatomy and diseases of the eye.
Dr. Joseph Demer, a professor of neurology at UCLA and chief of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, said Apt was the first physician to be certified in both pediatrics and ophthalmology and was the first person to receive a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at the National Institutes of Health. In 2010, he was selected as National Physician of the Year by a vote among all physicians in the U.S.
“He was a brilliant physician, greatly advanced eye care for children and made the world a better place,” said Dr. Bradley Straatsma, professor emeritus of ophthalmology and founding chairman of the department.
He established the first full-time foundation at a U.S. medical school for pediatric ophthalmology when he came to UCLA in 1961 as a professor.
Though he focused primarily on eye care, Apt also made discoveries in prenatal care.
He created the Apt test, which has been used for more than 50 years to distinguish vaginal blood of a pregnant woman from the blood of her child. This way, physicians can determine if the mother or fetus is bleeding to identify whether there will be complications in the delivery, Demer said.
Straatsma said one of Apt’s greatest accomplishments in the medical field was collaborating with Dr. Sherwin Isenberg, the vice-chairman of the department of ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, to create a safe, effective, and inexpensive solution of povidone iodine, which is used to sterilize the eye and cure infections that resulted after surgery.
Apt also developed surgical instruments. For example, he created a wax to lace synthetic thread used in stitches still used today, said Demer.
To honor Apt’s discoveries in the field of pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics established the annual Leonard Apt Lectureship 13 years ago, where researchers gather and present their discoveries in the pediatric field, said Dr. Bartly Mondino, chair of the department of ophthalmology and director of the Jules Stein Eye Institute.
Besides working well into retirement, Apt worked primarily to benefit people, Straatsma said.
“Nearly every person now living has benefited from the discoveries and generosity of Leonard Apt as well as nearly every person to be born,” Straatsma said. “But we at UCLA have been especially blessed by Leonard’s work and generosity to our university and our university family.”
Beyond his interest in medicine, Apt was also interested in the arts and was an avid supporter of UCLA athletics.
He had season basketball seats at Pauley Pavilion just in front of the Pauley family seats. Apt was also friends with John Wooden. He endowed many UCLA live music and dance concerts as a member of the Royce Center Circle Endowment Fund. He also served on the committee to select UCLA cheerleaders, Demer said.
One of Demer’s fondest memories with Apt was getting to see him receive the UCLA Dickson Emeritus Professorship Award four years ago, which is awarded to a faculty member for fulfilling the university’s mission, Demer said.
“Leonard was one of those people who continued to work in retirement. I felt so proud of him that he continued to contribute to UCLA and the humanities long after he received a salary,” Demer said.
He enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate studies when he was 14 years old. He attended Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1945 and later trained in pediatrics at Harvard University.
Apt never married. His three sisters preceded him in death. He is survived by his two nephews, Kenneth Rappaport and Robert Hersh.
His funeral was Feb. 5 at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Culver City.
Email Crane at jcrane@media.ucla.edu.