Gerd U. Auffarth
Gerd Uwe Auffarth (MD, FEBO) (born 28 July 1964) is a German eye surgeon and is Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Heidelberg University Eye Hospital and Head of the David J. Apple Center for Vision Research which includes the David J. Apple International Laboratory for Ocular Pathology.[4] Returning to Germany, Auffarth continued his research with a project in “Genetic degenerative retinal diseases“ funded by the German Research Council (DFG) at the Heidelberg University Eye Clinic; he completed his Residency and board certification in Ophthalmology in Heidelberg in December 1996; and was awarded the title of Privatdozent and Venia Legendi for Ophthalmology in 1999.Before he arrived in Pyongyang, he was authorized to do just five surgeries but once he reached the University Hospital he found that he could do seventeen: one perforating keratoplasty using donor tissue he had brought from Germany, three scleral-fixated secondary IOL implantations, and thirteen phacoemulsification procedures with IOL implants.He reported on his experiences, saying that the economic conditions have led to improvisations - especially because of the absence of consumable medical devices - but he commented that once a visiting surgeon adapts to these unique surroundings, he found that teaching and clinical work could be very effective and satisfying for both surgeon and patient.The list includes surgeons, scientists, engineers and CEOs in the ophthalmic device and pharmaceutical industries.