Gordon Norrie
Danish surgeon and opohthalmologist
About Gordon Norrie
Lived 1855 – 1941 (aged 86). Gordon Norrie was a Danish ophthalmologist, surgeon, medical historian and non-fiction writer.
Gordon Norrie (May 6, 1855 in Helsingør – October 11, 1941 in Copenhagen) was a Danish surgeon and ophthalmologist of Scottish parentage who was born in Helsingør (Elsinore). He was married to Charlotte Norrie, née Harbou (1855–1940), who was a pioneer of modern nursing.
He studied medicine at the University of Copenhagen. Originally trained as a surgeon, his interest later turned to ophthalmology, where he specialized in treatment of the blind. From 1903 to 1938 he worked as an ophthalmologist at the ophthalmology clinic of the Royal Danish Institute for the Blind, later the Statens Øjenklinik (the National Eye Clinic).
He is associated with the eponymous "Norrie disease", a rare form of hereditary blindness that he described in 1927, and referred to as atrophia oculi congenita. This disorder is characterized by severe retinal malformations, cataracts, leukocoria and atrophy of the iris.
The Gordon Norrie Centre for Genetic Eye Diseases at the National Eye Clinic in Hellerup, Copenhagen was named in his honor. The National Eye Clinic is now part of the Kennedy Center in Glostrup, another Copenhagen suburb.
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Important facts
People in Gordon Norrie's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Gordon Norrie's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Gordon Norrie?
Danish surgeon and opohthalmologist (1855–1941)
When was Gordon Norrie born?
Gordon Norrie was born on 6 May 1855 in Helsingør.
When did Gordon Norrie die?
Gordon Norrie died on 11 October 1941 in Copenhagen.
What was Gordon Norrie's occupation?
Gordon Norrie was an ophthalmologist, surgeon, medical historian and non-fiction writer.
What nationality was Gordon Norrie?
Gordon Norrie was Danish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gordon Norrie. https://biography.guide/gordon-norrie/
MLA: "Gordon Norrie." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gordon-norrie/.
Chicago: "Gordon Norrie." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gordon-norrie/.
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