Arnold Pearlstone, a Westport medical professional who created a philanthropy to provide ophthalmology care in Fairfield County and the Caribbean, passed away at the age of 90.
A graduate of SUNY Syracuse School of Medicine, Pearlstone trained in ophthalmology at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and served as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy during the early 1960s.
He established a successful medical practice in Westport, and in the 1980s he teamed with his wife, Marion, to create Eye Care for the Underprivileged, a foundation that provided resources for free ophthalmology treatment in Jamaica and at Americares Free Clinics in Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk and Stamford.
In 1992, the couple set up a clinic in Jamaica and Pearlstone estimated he treated more than 3,000 patients and performed 850 operations.
In 2018, Pearlstone was honored at Westfair Communications”™ Doctors of Distinction event with the All in the Family Award for his volunteer work on behalf of Americares. Pearlstone, who shared the award with his daughter Leslie Pearlstone Shain and daughter-in-law Melissa Pearlstone, expressed gratitude for being involved with the nonprofit.
“They tell me I”™ve put in 1,000 hours” on behalf of Americares, he said. “That”™s okay!”
