Gerd U. Auffarth
Back in 2022, Gerd U. Auffarth, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Heidelberg, shared with us insights into his career, motivations, and the beauty of optics.
On his career:
“There seem to have been a few very fortunate coincidences in the course of my career, but perhaps I was subconsciously working to make them happen? One thing is certain – when those opportunities arose, I didn’t even have to think about them, I was able to say “yes” immediately, grab them, and be on my way. I could’ve made different decisions – such as staying in the US after the two years I spent in Charleston – but my gut feeling was to come back to Germany, and it has worked out well for me. My wife actually says that whatever I did, I would’ve ended up in the same position!
When I talk about how my career unfolded, it seems like one opportunity led to another, but behind all that, there was a huge amount of hard work.”
On motivation:
“I find my motivation in family, my academic environment, and seeing how my mentoring and support helps other people develop their potential. I have also found motivation in industry partners understanding how vital it is that they keep finding new ways to develop their optics to reduce side effects such as photic phenomena, and optimize materials. It’s heartening to be working in a field where everyone really tries to improve things, and being part of this process.”
On optics:
“The late 1980s and early 1990s was a time when so many new optical applications came about. I took part in implanting the very first multifocal lenses at the time, I did a lot of research around new IOLs and their applications – it was a very new and exciting area. My team was the first in Germany to use AcrySof materials in a multicenter trial, and I looked at glistenings. So then, at the Apple lab, it was quite natural for me to focus completely on IOLs. We did a lot of FDA studies on new materials, and a lot of that work was unpublished and confidential, but I learned a lot about IOL pathologies, and I was around innovative ideas in optics. I am quite passionate about finding the perfect material, design and type of optics for an IOL, so that side effects are minimized. It is this pursuit of perfection that has kept me interested in the field!”
