Renato Ambrósio Jr

About Renato Ambrósio Jr

Renato Ambrósio Jr

Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery, Instituto De Olhos Renato Ambrósio/ Visarerio Refracta Personal Laser in Rio De Janeiro, and Professor of Ophthalmology, Federal University of the State of Rio De Janeiro (UNIRIO) and Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil

A major contributor to advances in corneal imaging, Renato Ambrósio holds multiple academic appointments. His work has helped from basic science, into the diagnosis and treatments for different corneal conditions, including keratoconus and post-LASIK dry eye. He is a strong proponent of pre-surgical Scheimpflug corneal tomography and biomechanical assessments, along with OCT for custom planning therapeutic and refractive procedures.

What have been your career highlights?

“I was fortunate to have great mentors and collaborators. If I may cite some highlights: the concept of corneal tomography be distinct from front surface Placido’s topography; the description of tomographic corneal thickness spatial profile and the relational thickness indices; the integration of corneal tomography and biomechanical assessments for the diagnosis of very mild forms of ectasia and the introduction of the concept of the inherent susceptibility for ectasia progression, and the consideration of keratoconus and ectatic corneal diseases as a novel subspecialty in ophthalmology, with either broken paradigms and challenging paradigms to be understood.

What are your goals for the future?

“I want to enjoy with my family, spending as much time as I can with my wife, Renata, and my two daughters, Giovanna and Rafaella. I also want to keep on my clinical work to help as best as possible my patients, along with continuing the research and teaching activities I routinely have. My main and continued goal is to find balance for all of this in my life.

What were your most successful collaborations?

“In 2007, I established the Rio de Janeiro Corneal Tomography and Biomechanics Study group. This was when I started my collaborations with Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, so that I developed with Michael Belin – the BAD (Belin/Ambrósio Display) on the Pentacam. In 2009, together with João Marcelo Lyra and Aydano Machado, we founded the BrAIN (Brazilian Study Group of Artificial Intelligence and Corneal Analysis). In 2013, I started a collaboration with Paolo Vinciguerra and Cynthia Roberts that lead to the development of the ARV (Ambrósio, Roberts, and Vinciguerra) display that integrates the Pentacam and Corvis ST.”

What drives you day-to-day?

“I work on what I really like doing, and do my best to do it the way I like it to be done.”

Who have been your mentors?

“I consider my late father, Renato Ambrósio as my first mentor, even though I had little chance to learn Ophthalmology from him because he passed away in 1994 when I was still in Medical School. I did my residency in São Paulo with Tadeu Cvintal, who taught me Cornea and Ophthalmology. Also, Steve E. Wilson who taught me beyond Refractive Surgery, but also how to become a clinician-scientist. I recognize I was very fortunate!”

Don't Rub Your Eyes

Kerarings in the Clinic