Refractive Surface Ablation

Paolo Vinciguerra, MD began his studies on refractive surgery in 1986. Since that time, he has been constantly involved with projecting and developing excimer laser applications to refractive surgery, first with Aesculap Meditech (1989 to 1990), then with NIDEK (1991 to present). He has authored several patents: cross-cylinder ablation method for the correction of astigmatism, recentering mask technique ablation profiles for custom ablation, artificial eye for testing excimer ablation, custom ablation transition zone for custom ablation, computerized system for the analysis of corneal stroma with confocal microscopy and fractal analysis, development-integrated topographer/aberrometer/autorefractometer/pupillometer, as well as a variety of surgical instruments. Dr. Vinciguerra has developed several original refractive surgery techniques: cross cylinders in hyperopic-myopic and high astigmatism, recentering mask technique, presbyopia technique, phototherapeutic keratotomy (PTK), smoothing after refractive surgery, a specific masking fluid for smoothing after PTK and PRK, Butterfly LASEK, variable aspheric transition zone, retreatment technique for hyperopic eyes, custom ablation transition zone, definition of new topographic indexes for automated evaluation of corneal optical quality, use of Scheimpflug camera in refractive surgery, and a new system for the preoperative evaluation of cataractous eyes that underwent previous refractive surgery with index of complexity and identification of the most appropriate IOL to be implanted. He has also developed several original surgical instruments. Dr. Vinciguerra is Chairman of the Ophthalmology Department of the Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Rozzano, Milano, Italy. He is Consultant for the Italian High Council for Health since 2003, is member of the Italian Committee for Continuing Medical Education, has been Visiting Professor with the Ohio State University, and is actively involved with several Italian and International Ophthalmological Societies. He has received five ASCRS and two ISRS-AAO Best Paper Prizes, the International Society of Refractive Surgery Award for scientific contribution in 1988, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award Certificate in 2003, and the Lans Lecture Award of the International Society of Refractive Surgery in 2005. Since 2000, he promotes and chairs the international refractive surgery meeting Refr@ctive.online. Dr. Vinciguerra has held and participated in manifold courses worldwide on refractive surgery and published numerous scientific papers and books on refractive surgery. Fabrizio Ivo Camesasca, MD was Fellow to Research with the Helen Keller Eye Research Foundation, Birmingham, Alabama, in 1988 to 1990, and achieved the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates Licensure in 1989. Besides his ophthalmological career, he was involved with the planning and start-up of the Istituto Clinico Humanitas, one of the largest general hospitals in Milan, Italy, from 1993 to 1998. He is Vice-Chairman of the Ophthalmology Department of Istituto Clinico Humanitas, has worked with Dr. Paolo Vinciguerra since 1999, and has been involved with refractive surgery since 2000. In 2000, he received the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award Certificate. He is a member of the Italian Committee for Continuing Medical Education, and of the Scientific Committee for the Italian Ophthalmological Society. Dr. Camesasca has been the scientific secretary of the international refractive surgery meeting Refr@ctive.online since 2000. Dr. Camesasca has held several courses worldwide and has published numerous scientific articles and book chapters on refractive, cataract, and retinal surgery.