Professor Dame Helen Danesh-Meyer, of Auckland, DNZM for services to ophthalmology
Dame Helen Danesh-Meyer is New Zealand’s pre-eminent authority, and an internationally recognised leader, in the clinical science of interactions between the brain and the eye, and was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2023.
Since 2023, Dame Helen has made further contributions on the international stage as President of the Neuro-ophthalmology Society of Australia, the first New Zealander to hold this post. She received the College Medal in 2023, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists’ highest award for outstanding service. She was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2024, New Zealand’s highest honour for scholarly achievement. She was elected as a member of Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis in 2024, limited to 100 scientists internationally based on research contributions. She was ranked among the top ten glaucoma leaders globally in 2025. She leads major charitable and community efforts, including Glaucoma New Zealand, a 15,000-member charity she co-founded that influences public policy on vision through education and advocacy. Dame Helen founded and leads the Vision Research Foundation to support early and mid-career New Zealanders in vision research, and leads Women in Vision, a national forum empowering female ophthalmologists, optometrists and students.