Ignipuncture (Latin: Ignis (fire) + puncture) is the procedure of closing a retinal separation by transfixation of the break via cauterization. The procedure was pioneered and named by Jules Gonin in the early 1900s. [1] Due to the risk of severe complications and the advent of lasers for the controlled delivery of energy, ignipuncture became an obsolete procedure; since the 1980s, ignipuncture has been performed using safer techniques like endophotocoagulation.[ citation needed ]
Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine and surgery that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a physician who specializes in ophthalmology. The credentials include a degree in medicine, followed by additional four to five years of residency training in ophthalmology. Residency training programs for ophthalmology may require a one-year internship with training in internal medicine, pediatrics, or general surgery. Additional specialty training may be sought in a particular aspect of eye pathology. Ophthalmologists are allowed to prescribe medications to treat eye diseases and perform laser therapy or surgery when needed. Ophthalmologists may participate in academic research on the diagnosis and treatment for eye disorders.
Vitrectomy is a surgery to remove some or all of the vitreous humor from the eye.
Eye surgery, also known as ocular surgery, is surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa, typically by an ophthalmologist. The eye is a very fragile organ, and requires extreme care before, during, and after a surgical procedure to minimise or prevent further damage. An expert eye surgeon is responsible for selecting the appropriate surgical procedure for the patient, and for taking the necessary safety precautions. Mentions of eye surgery can be found in several ancient texts dating back as early as 1800 BC, with cataract treatment starting in the fifth century BC. Today it continues to be a widely practiced type of surgery, with various techniques having been developed for treating eye problems.
Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blindness. It is a surgical emergency.
Sir Nicholas Harold Lloyd Ridley was an English ophthalmologist who invented the intraocular lens and pioneered intraocular lens surgery for cataract patients.
A scleral buckle is one of several ophthalmologic procedures that can be used to repair a retinal detachment. Retinal detachments are usually caused by retinal tears, and a scleral buckle can be used to close the retinal break, both for acute and chronic retinal detachments.
Jules Gonin was a Professor of ophthalmology in Lausanne who pioneered the procedure of ignipuncture, the first successful surgery for the treatment of retinal detachments.
Steve Charles is a vitreoretinal surgeon who has developed many of the techniques and devices used by vitreoretinal surgeons worldwide. He is a board certified ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon, a mechanical/electrical engineer who has 48 patents or patents applied for, and has developed many of the techniques and devices used by vitreoretinal surgeons worldwide. He has performed over 38,000 vitreoretinal surgeries, lectured in 50 countries and operated in 25, delivered 17 named lectures, and over 1000 speaking trips. He authored a leading textbook in the field which is now in the 5th edition and in 6 languages and authored over 174 articles in the medical literature and over 50 book chapters.
Peter Wiedemann is a German ophthalmologist, specialist in medical and surgical retina and was head at the Department of Ophthalmology at the Leipzig University, Germany, from 1993 to 2021.
José-Alain Sahel is a French ophthalmologist and scientist. He is currently the chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, director of the UPMC Eye Center, and the Eye and Ear Foundation Chair of Ophthalmology. Dr. Sahel previously led the Vision Institute in Paris, a research center associated with the one of the oldest eye hospitals of Europe - Quinze-Vingts National Eye Hospital in Paris, founded in 1260. He is a pioneer in the field of artificial retina and eye regenerative therapies. He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences.
Yog Raj Sharma is an Indian ophthalmologist and ex-Chief of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, the apex body of the National Programme for the Control of Blindness, a Government of India initiative to reduce the prevalence of blindness in India. He is the Chairman of the Task Force on Prevention and Control of Diabetic Retinopathy Group and the Co-Chairman of the National Task Force on Prevention of Blindness from Retinopathy of Prematurity under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India. An advisor to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India, Sharma was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Joan Whitten Miller is a Canadian-American ophthalmologist and scientist who has made notable contributions to the treatment and understanding of eye disorders. She is credited for developing photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin (Visudyne), the first pharmacologic therapy for retinal disease. She also co-discovered the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in eye disease and demonstrated the therapeutic potential of VEGF inhibitors, forming the scientific basis of anti-VEGF therapy for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and related conditions.
Hermenegildo Arruga i Liró was a Spanish ophthalmologist known for refining several eye surgeries. He devised one of the early procedures to address retinal detachment, and he received the Gonin Medal from the International Council of Ophthalmology in 1950.
The Gonin Medal is an international award given to one ophthalmologist every four years by the International Council of Ophthalmology. The award is named in honor of Swiss ophthalmologist Jules Gonin. It has been said to represent "the highest achievement in ophthalmology."
Paul Anton Cibis was a clinical ophthalmologist, surgeon and pioneer of modern vitreoretinal surgery. As part of Operation Paperclip Cibis came to the United States and performed research for the U.S. Air Force and studied the effects of atomic weapons testing on the eye. He was an internationally recognized expert in retinal detachment surgery and pioneered the use of liquid silicon for this procedure.
Robert Machemer was a German-American ophthalmologist, ophthalmic surgeon, and inventor. He is sometimes called the "father of modern retinal surgery."
Alan Charles Bird is an English ophthalmologist, famous for his work on degenerative and hereditary diseases of the retina.
Émile Jules Marie Joseph François was a Belgian ophthalmologist.
The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), a professional society for surgeons specializing in eye surgery, based in Fairfax, VA, was founded in 1974. It is distinct from its sister organization, the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA), which concerns itself with the business management, including insurance reimbursement and marketing, of ophthalmic practices in the United States. Both associations hold annual meetings or conventions as well as publishing proceedings.