Steven J. Fliesler, Meyer H. Riwchun Endowed Chair and professor of ophthalmology, has been chosen as an Association for Research in Vision Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2014 gold fellow.

The title of ARVO fellow is an honor established to recognize current ARVO members for their individual accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the association, the world’s leading eye and vision research organization.

Eligibility for the fellow designation is determined by a point system established by the ARVO board; members are awarded points based on such things as committee service, editorial board service and elected office.

There are two levels of ARVO fellows: silver fellows, who have earned a minimum of 50 points, and gold fellows, who have earned at least 60 points.

Gold fellows represent the top 1 percent of ARVO’s nearly 13,000 members from more than 80 countries.

Fliesler, who currently serves as president of the International Society for Eye Research and chairs ARVO’s retinal cell biology section and publications committee, was named a silver fellow of ARVO’s inaugural 2009 class of fellows.

He will be inducted as a gold fellow during the 2014 ARVO annual meeting being held in May in Orlando.