Gerrit Melles

About Gerrit Melles

Gerrit Melles

Cornea Specialist/Director at Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery (NIIOS), Rotterdam

Melles is a legend of corneal surgery, pioneering and developing techniques for corneal tissue preparation and transplantation, such as DALK (Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty), DLEK (Deep Lamellar Endothelial Keratoplasty), DSEK/ DSAEK (Descemet Stripping (Automated) Endothelial Keratoplasty), DMEK (Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty), DMET (Descemet Membrane Endothelial Transfer) and Bowman layer transplantation. According to a nominator, “He is the father of lamellar keratoplasty, especially DMEK, which is a milestone in ophthalmology.” His objective is to treat corneal disorders with minimally invasive techniques. He has also developed several instruments and medical devices to facilitate these surgical procedures, as well as vital dyes (Vision Blue and Membrane Blue), and has invented a device, SurgiCube, that provides sterile air flow over a patient enabling certain procedures to be performed under sterile conditions, but outside of an operating theater. Melles has received several awards including the Barraquer Award in recognition of his contribution to ophthalmology.