Annie Catherine Brewster was born in 1858 on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent. Her father, a wealthy merchant from Barbados, brought his family to England in the 1860s where they settled in South London.

In 1881 Annie started at the London Hospital as a trainee nurse and was appointed to the hospital's nursing staff in 1884. She was promoted to nurse in charge of the Ophthalmic Wards in 1888. Brewster worked with elderly patients who were losing their sight and became known as 'Nurse Ophthalmic'.

Annie died aged 43 after an emergency operation in the London Hospital in 1902. She was buried the City of London Cemetery in Newham, London. The matron of the London Hospital, Eva Luckes, wrote that: “She had spent the best and happiest years of her life at the London Hospital. She was with us for just over 20 years, nearly 14 of which had been spent as the nurse in charge of the Ophthalmic Wards. With her quick intelligence she became very skilful in the treatment of eyes and her kindness to the poor old people who passed through her hands during this period was unwearied. Hospital friends mourn her loss and keep her in affectionate remembrance.”

Annie was one of the figures whose photographs were projected onto the facade of the former Royal London Hospital building in Whitechapel to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS in November 2018.