  In this contribution, the eikonal approximation developed by Roy Glauber to
describe high-energy quantum collisions is presented. This approximation has
been-and still is-extensively used to analyse reaction measurements performed
to study the structure of nuclei far from stability. This presentation focuses
more particularly on the application of the eikonal approximation to the study
of halo nuclei in modern nuclear physics. To emphasise Roy Glauber's legacy in
today's nuclear physics, recent extensions of this model are reviewed.
