Gerd U. Auffarth

Prof. Gerd U. Auffarth graduated from Medical School at the RWTH Aachen, University of Technology, Germany and completed his ophthalmology residency in Aachen and at the University Eye Clinic Heidelberg, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg. He has been a Max-Kade Post-doctoral Stipendary and Research fellow at the Center for Research on Ocular Therapeutics and Biodevices at the Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA, also known as “David Apple Laboratory.”

He is chairman of the Dept. of Ophthalmology at the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg since 2011, Director of the David J. Apple International Laboratory for Ocular Pathology, and Director of the International Vision Correction Research Centre (IVCRC).

In 2014, 2016, 2018 #2 and 2020, Prof. Auffarth was ranked as one of the most influential people in ophthalmology in the world. He has received more than 200 awards for his scientific works. Worth particular mentions here include the Theodor-Axenfeld-Award of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG), the Prof. Dr. h. c. Löhn Technology Transfer Prize from the Steinbeis-Foundation, the Jan Worst Medal Lecture of the International Intraocular Lens Implant Club (IIIC), the Honorary Membership of the Hungarian Society for Intraocular Lenses (SHIOL) and of the Associacón Española de Tecnología y Cirugía de Implantes, Refractiva y Córnea” (ASETCIRC).

For the past 20 years, Prof. Auffarth has served on the board of German Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (GSCRS) as a board member, secretary, president and now currently as secretary general. He is currently a board member of both the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) and the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG).

He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, more than 370 book chapters, over 1300 lectures. Additionally, he has participated in over 800 invited speeches and produced numerous award-winning scientific videos.

His main research interests focus on the biomaterial and implant research in cataract and laser surgery of the eye. His surgical expertise includes cataract and refractive, as well as cornea and glaucoma surgery. He was the first surgeon worldwide to implant a toric, aspheric, multifocal IOL and pioneered in several new intraocular lens prototypes.

He was involved in charity programs in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe (especially Armenia) and was the first western surgeon, to perform eye surgery in North Korea.