Presbyopia Surgery

J. Kevin Belville, MD is very interested in the surgical correction of presbyopia and is at the forefront with his surgical experience. He is among the earliest to successfully implant multifocal lenses in the 1990s in Southern California, and is one of the first surgeons to perform conductive keratoplasty in Colorado. He has performed over 20,000 LASIK and PRK procedures; many of these treated presbyopia utilizing monovision techniques. In addition, Dr. Belville lectures and gives courses at international meetings on this subject. This textbook represents a career-long interest in teaching, particularly in advancing ophthalmic surgical skills. During his term as chief resident at the prestigious Cornell Medical Center/New York Hospital, Dr. Belville was inspired to teach his fellow residents by his professors, especially D.J. Coleman, MD--Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Cornell Medical Center and Stanley Chang, MD--Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia-Presbyterian. During his year as a fellow and field director aboard the ORBIS DC-8 jet, an international flying, teaching eye hospital, Dr. Belville had the unique opportunity and honor to teach surgical skills to hundreds of surgeons in over a dozen countries worldwide. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Belville has actively and continually volunteered his time to teach residents as an assistant clinical professor, previously at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, and currently at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Belville has produced ophthalmic surgical instructional videotapes. He has written ophthalmology textbook chapters and scientific journal articles; edited and written textbooks; and lectured worldwide. Ronald J. Smith, MD, MPH is an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA/Jules Stein Eye Institute. As an author, his writings are comprehensive and motivating. Dr. Smith's level of enthusiasm and love of ophthalmology is evident in his publications as he shares his skills and knowledge. His goal is to teach and provide extraordinary eye care that consistently exceeds patient's expectations. This book, and the ongoing series of expert panel discussion courses entitled Presbyopia Surgery Pearls and Pitfalls, represent Dr. Smith's career mission to advance the field of refractive surgery. Since 2001, Dr. Smith has directed a series of expert panel discussion courses on LASIK technique with Dr. Belville at international conferences including the American Society of Cataract Refractive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and cowrote the textbook LASIK Techniques: Pearls and Pitfalls. Dr. Smith completed a 2-year fellowship in cornea external ocular disease and refractive surgery at the UCLA/Jules Stein Eye Institute. His work on physiologic optics following refractive surgery earned him the Jules Stein Eye Institute Clinical Research Award. Working with Robert Maloney, Dr. Smith wrote the first published report on diffuse lamellar keratitis. His other publications include management of dry eye in the LASIK setting, customizing cataract surgery, penetrating keratoplasty technique, LASIK and PRK post-phakic IOL, predictability of PRK, glaucoma with falsely low tonometry due to interface fluid after LASIK, and the treatment of topographic central islands. Following fellowship, Dr. Smith subsequently became the chief refractive surgeon in a prominent practice in Beverly Hills where he continues to practice. He completed an executive Masters of Public Health at UCLA in 2002 to further develop his academic skills. He teaches residents and fellows at UCLA and its affiliated hospitals and volunteers with the Lions Club, Flying Samaritans, and Surgical Eye Expeditions.