ASRS's History of Retina

History of Retina Co-director Kirk H. Packo, MD, FASRS, hosts an all-star panel of retina giants, who recount the coming of age of vitrectomy surgery. Listen in as Drs. Thomas Aaberg, Sr., Gary Abrams, Steve Charles, Gene de Juan, and Wayne Fung share their compelling first-hand accounts of vitrectomy from the early days of open sky and the Vail Vitrectomy Course through the monumental advances of...

Since vision issues and blindness were first diagnosed and documented, scientists have sought a cure. In this video, ASRS Foundation President Timothy G. Murray, MD, MBA, FASRS, talks with Mark S. Humayun, MD, PhD, an internationally recognized pioneer in vision restoration who assembled a multidisciplinary team of experts to develop the first FDA-approved artificial retina, Argus II, for sight re...

Audina Berrocal, MD, FASRS, is one of the world’s leading experts in the surgical management of retinopathy of prematurity and pediatric vitreoretinal disorders. She is also the youngest daughter of Jose Berrocal, MD, who was the first retina fellow at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in 1963 and went on to be the first retina surgeon in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In this Leaders & Legends...

An extraordinary look back with George Williams, MD, FASRS, who discusses his experience during the Aaberg-Abrams era at the Medical College of Wisconsin, his groundbreaking exploration of pharmacological ways to manipulate the vitreous and the birth of retinal pharmacology. A staunch crusader on behalf of retina, Dr. Williams is a recognized health policy expert who shares interesting insights on...

A fascinating conversation with Dr. Harry Flynn who recounts his stellar career. A visionary surgeon who has introduced numerous innovations and new technologies to the operating room, he discusses the evolution of small-gauge surgery, his collaborations with the legendary Jean-Marie Parel, Ing. ETS-G, PhD, his love of research, working with residents and fellows and the coming of age of the ASRS....

In 1971, Dr. Robert Machemer, Anton Banko and Jean-Marie Parel designed the vitreous infusion cutter (VISC), one of the first commercially available instruments to remove vitreous during a vitrectomy. Shortly thereafter, Mark Mandelcorn, MD, FRCSC, arrived at Bascom Palmer from Toronto and became Dr. Machemer’s first fellow, working directly alongside him and Bascom’s trailblazing faculty. In this...

Retina pioneer and innovator Gary W. Abrams, MD, FASRS, discusses his inspiring professional journey spanning numerous groundbreaking advancements in the field, from the advent of the air pump and endolaser, to gas, silicone oil, perfluorocarbon liquid, vitrectomy and wide-angle viewing. Listen as he recalls his memorable job interview with Robert Machemer, MD, and the ‘Aaberg-Abrams’ years that b...

In this compelling panel discussion, host Timothy G. Murray, MD, MBA, FASRS, explores the history of scleral buckling through the first-hand accounts of renowned vitreoretinal surgeons Allan (Buzz) Kreiger, MD; Charles (Pat) Wilkinson, MD, MA; Gary W. Abrams, MD; and Michael Lambert, MD. The experts share their professional experiences with scleral buckling and discuss developments in technology a...

A truly fascinating discussion with Kirk H. Packo, MD, FACS, FASRS, an internationally renowned vitreoretinal surgeon whose unique creativity, intellect and story-telling abilities have made him a legendary teacher of retina. Listen as Dr. Packo reflects on his mentors, and his experience coming of age in retina during the ‘heyday’ of instrument development. He discusses his inventions and his piv...

Julia Haller, MD, FASRS is a world-renowned retina surgeon and scientist who has innovated significant translational advances against blindness. She discusses her remarkable journey in academic and organized medicine, including being among the first to administer gene therapy and to inject anti-VEGF in a human eye. A trailblazer for women in retina, she reflects on her experiences in practice and...

It would be hard to imagine retina surgery today without the contributions of Steve Charles, MD, FACS, FICS, FASRS . Over the course of his amazing career, he has amassed over 100 patents, introducing among other things, scissor segmentation, the linear vacuum, disposable cutters, retinectomy, the Ocutome 8000, and ‘medium term PFO.’ Listen as he discusses his love of engineering and medicine, his...

Few stories in our field are as unique as that of the Berrocal’s, a multigenerational retina tour de force. In this Leaders & Legends segment, Maria Berrocal, MD, FASRS, daughter of the late Jose Berrocal, MD, an internationally renowned retina pioneer who was the first retina surgeon in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, shares stories about her extraordinary upbringing during which she and her s...

Invention of the vitreous infusion suction cutter (VISC) for vitrectomy surgery revolutionized the field of retina in the 1970s. Now, more than 50 years later, the VISC remains central to every retinal surgeons armamentarium and no one is more surprised than the man behind its development -- Jean-Marie Parel, Ing. ETS-G, PhD, FARVO. In this extraordinary conversation, Dr. Parel traces his journey...

An extraordinary conversation with Thomas Aaberg Sr., MD, FASRS, and son Thomas Aaberg Jr., MD, who share a rare look inside the early years in retina. Tom Aaberg Sr., discusses his remarkable career, early innovations that moved the needle, and his friendship and collaborations with Robert Machemer, MD. Tom Aaberg Jr., MD, adds his recollections from growing up with a ring-side seat during the ea...

In this interview with one of retina’s true giants, Mike Trese, MD, details his remarkable 45-year career spearheading revolutionary developments in both pediatric and adult retina. He shares the challenges of navigating blinding diseases with the youngest and most vulnerable patients and the amazing advances that have increased the success rate for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) from 50% to 90%...