Gerd U. Auffarth, MD, FEBO, graduated from Medical School at the RWTH Aachen, University of Technology, Germany, and completed his Ophthalmology residency in Aachen and at the University Eye Clinic Heidelberg, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg.

He has been a Max-Kade Post-doctoral Stipendary and Research fellow at the Centre for Research on Ocular Therapeutics and Biodevices at the Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA, also known as “David Apple Laboratory”.

He is chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Director of the David J. Apple International Laboratory for Ocular Pathology, and Director of the International Vision Correction Research Centre (IVCRC).

In 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, Prof. Auffarth was ranked as one of the most influential people in Ophthalmology in the world. He has received more than 200 awards for his scientific works, including the Theodor-Axenfeld-Award of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG), the Prof. Dr. h. c. Löhn Technology Transfer Prize from the Steinbeis-Foundation, the Jan Worst Medal Lecture of the International Intraocular Lens Implant Club (IIIC), the Honorary Membership of the Hungarian Society for Intraocular Lenses (SHIOL) and of the Associacón Española de Tecnología y Cirugía de Implantes, Refractiva y Córnea” (ASETCIRC).

He has served on the board of the German Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (GSCRS) for 20 years in the capacity of board member, secretary, president, and now secretary general. He is currently board member of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) and the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG).

He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, more than 370 book chapters, over 1500 lectures, and over 1000 invited speeches and produced numerous award-winning scientific videos.

His main research interests focus on biomaterial and implant research in cataract and laser surgery of the eye. His surgical expertise includes cataract and refractive, as well as cornea and glaucoma surgery. He was the first surgeon worldwide to implant a toric, aspheric, multifocal IOL and pioneered several new intraocular lens prototypes.

He was involved in charity programs in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe (especially Armenia), and was the first western surgeon to perform eye surgery in North Korea.