“He will always be the teacher whose example we sought to emulate, the friend whose
advice we treasured, and the giant among his peers who shared his gifts so
freely.” —Miles Friedlander, MD
José Barraquer, who came from a family that boasts four generations of prominent
ophthalmologists, is widely acknowledged to be the father of refractive surgery. He was born
in Spain, but moved in 1953 to Bogota, Colombia. There, he founded the Barraquer Institute
of America, where he trained many of the refractive surgeons practicing around the world
today. Barraquer promoted the improvement of suture material and technique in cataract and
corneal surgery, and designed numerous surgical instruments, many of which still carry his
name. But his life’s work was dedicated to the idea of reshaping the cornea to change the
eye’s refractive power. Toward this end, he designed the cryolathe and the microkeratome
and developed keratomileusis and keratophakia, laying the groundwork for LASIK and other
modern lamellar procedures. Barraquer continued to practice, invent and teach until his
death last year. |
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José I. Barraquer, MD |
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