George O. Waring IV
The Power List 2018
George O. Waring IV
Founder and Medical Director of The Waring Vision Institute in Mount Pleasant, SC, USA
George is in the fortunate position of being described by one nominator as “A wonderful speaker, and an excellent clinician and researcher. He is quite involved in numerous projects and initiatives. Despite all of his accomplishments, he is very humble.” A lesser man might not be. While at the State University of New York, George was the first resident to win “Physician of the Year” twice in a row (and the awards haven’t stopped coming since); his publication record is long, he’s in great demand as a lecturer and instructor, and he was recently selected to be the Program Chair for the ISRS Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day for 2019 and 2020. George has led the dysfunctional lens syndrome classification efforts and is a leading figure in the surgical correction of presbyopia.
What achievements are you most proud of?
“My family. I would our first son, George O. Waring V, my greatest achievement to date. My wife is my partner at work, and one of my most respected colleagues. So, we have a very unique work-life balance and integration that brings us a tremendous amount of joy and satisfaction. From a work perspective, I am fortunate to be able to aid in the research and development of a wide range of technologies, to help advance my field and my subspecialty in some way.”
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“I’d like to be doing what I’m doing now, but on a broader scale. I’d like to have brought growth and innovation to my practice through both new technology and innovative practice patterns, and to be contributing to my field in a meaningful way.”
Who were your mentors, and how did they influence you?
“I’ve been very fortunate to have many mentors and friends – more than I could list here. If I could mention three, the first would be my father. To this day, he is my role model for scientific excellence, by remaining objective and making good use of the scientific method and critical thinking. I am blessed to have Daniel Durrie as my mentor. It was just last night that I spent time with him and his family around a fire talking about my future – which is priceless.
Finally, Howard Fine was one of my first mentors, based on my father’s recommendation. I’ll always remember the conversations I had with him early on in my career. He would pull out crumpled pieces of paper with hand-sketched technologies, like the capsule refilling technology, and the first sketches of “the smart lens” over a decade and a half ago.
Being fortunate enough to have exposure to people like this, who are thinking decades in advance, and who cared enough to invest in my career, has greatly shaped my journey. I hope to be able to honor them by investing in the next generation in the same way.”
