German Ophthalmological Society awards Theodor Leber Medal and honorary society memberships

From left: Prof Frank Holz, Christoph Schoess, and Prof Gerd Auffarth. Photo courtesy of Heidelberg Engineering.

During the opening ceremonies of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) meeting, the organization awarded honorary memberships to 2 clinicians, as well as the Theodor Leber Medal.

The Theodor Leber Medal was awarded to Christoph Schoess, the co-founder and managing director of Heidelberg Engineering. The award recognizes those who have made a special contribution to the world of ophthalmology, but are not clinicians themselves, according to the DOG website.¹ The DOG characterized Schoess as a champion of information, technology, and innovation, noting the immense impact Heidelberg Engineering’s tools have had on clinicians’ understanding of the full eye.

“Worth highlighting is the ever-intensive cooperation with scientists and doctors around the world with the aim of maximizing the clinical benefit of the diverse innovative products,” the announcement on the DOG website reads. The high-resolution imaging developed by Heidelberg Engineering “[plays] a fundamental role in diagnostics, therapy, monitoring and answering scientific questions.”

In a press release, Heidelberg Engineering shared comments from Schoess as well as from Frank Holz, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Bonn, Germany, who presented the award.²

Speaking about the company’s founding in 1990, Schoess said that neither he nor Zinser approached the endeavor with a long-term plan. “We really started with the understanding that 3D analysis of the optic nerve head would help eyecare professionals take better care of their patients,” Schoess stated. “We reinvested everything in the company, always with the goal to discover innovative technology that was useful to the eye doctor.“ At the award ceremony, Schoess expressed gratitude for Dr Zinser, who passed away in November 2017, and the team of nearly 700 employees who support the Heidelberg Engineering mission today.

Prof Holz praised Schoess for his outspoken support of innovation and his contributions to entrepreneurship in eye care. “He firmly believes that the future of our country and Europe depends to a large extent on the extent to which societies are willing to invest in education, progress and hard work,” Prof Holz said.

Two clinicians were also recognized as honorary members of the DOG. Honorary membership was extended to Professor Herbert Kaufmann, MD, and Ioannis G. Pallikaris, MD, PhD. Prof Kaufmann spent much of his career practicing in Giessen, Germany.

Prof Herbert Kaufmann (left) and Prof Ioannis G. Pallikaris (right). Images courtesy of German Ophthalmological Society.

Prof Kaufmann retired in March 2007, but his work lives on through a bibliography of over 300 publications and significant contributions to our understanding of ocular conditions, perhaps most notably strabismus. This longevity of influence is what earned Prof Kaufmann the honorary membership, according to Gerd Auffarth, MD, FEBO, President of the DOG.¹

Prof Pallikaris is a champion of refractive surgery: he was the first clinician to perform LASIK surgery on a human eye, and he developed the Epi-LASIK procedure as well as ray-tracing technology. He began his career in his native Thessaloniki, Greece, but studied and practiced in cities throughout Germany and Austria before completing his doctorate at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

He served as President of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and received awards from more than 15 international ophthalmological societies. “Prof Pallikaris' contributions to ophthalmology are unparalleled,” Prof Auffarth wrote in a statement.¹ “We thank you, Prof Pallikaris, for your extraordinary contributions to ophthalmology. Your innovations and your relentless pursuit of excellence have changed the world of ophthalmology forever.”

References

1. Galerie der Preisträger 2024 – Ehrungen [Tr: Gallery of the 2024 Award Winners – Honors]. German Ophthalmological Society. Web page. Accessed 14 October, 2024. https://dog.org/die-dog/galerie-der-preistraeger/galerie-der-preistraeger-2024-ehrungen

2. Christoph Schoess Awarded Prestigious Theodor Leber Medal by the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG). Heidelberg Engineering. Press release. Published 10 October, 2024. Accessed 14 October, 2024. https://www.heidelbergengineering.com/us/press-releases/christoph-schoess-awarded-prestigious-theodor-leber-medal-by-the-german-ophthalmological-society-dog/