Lucio Buratto, MD is a leading international expert in cataract and myopia surgery, and a pioneer in the ocular techniques of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, in the phacoemulsification procedure for the cataract, in the laser techniques for myopia, astigmatism and hyperopia. In 1978, Dr. Buratto began using the Kelman phacoemulsification technique, and in 1979 he started using posterior chamber intraocular lenses. Since 1980, he has organized and presided over 48 updating congresses on the surgery of cataract and glaucoma and on laser therapy, organized 54 practical courses for the teaching of eye surgery, and taken part as spokesman and teacher in more than 400 courses and congresses. In 1989, Dr. Buratto became the world's first surgeon to use excimer laser intrastromal keratomileusis, and concurrently began to treat low myopia using PRK techniques. In 1995, he was appointed as Monitor of the United States Food and Drug Administration. In 1996, Dr. Buratto became the world's first surgeon to use a new technique called Down-Up LASIK, which improved the LASIK procedure for the correction of myopia; he holds a United States patent for this technique. For teaching purposes, Dr. Buratto has performed surgical operations during live surgery sessions for more than 200 international and Italian congresses, performed surgery during satellite broadcasts to 54 countries on 4 different continents, and designed and produced 143 instruments for ocular surgery. In 2004, he was a speaker at the Binkhorst Medal Lecture during the XXII Annual Meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Paris, and was the first European surgeon to use the new intralase laser for refractive surgery. In 2011, Dr. Buratto was the first West European surgeon to use the femtosecond laser for cataract surgery. Dr. Buratto has published over 125 scientific publications and 59 monographs (of which 24 are on cataract surgery, 5 are on glaucoma surgery, and 11 are on myopia). His recent works include, Phakic IOLs: State of the Art, LASIK: The Evolution of Refractive Surgery, and PRK: The Past, Present, and Future of Surface Ablation. Stephen F. Brint, MD, FACS was the first physician in the United States to perform the LASIK procedure in June 1991, after working with Dr. Lucio Buratto in Milan to perfect the technique. He was the medical monitor of the first US FDA LASIK study and has been a lead investigator for both the Alcon Custom Cornea LASIK procedure as well as the Medical Monitor for all of the US FDA Wavelight Allegretto Wavefront Optimized and Custom Studies. He graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, and completed his residency there as well in 1977, continuing to serve as Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology. In addition to his vast LASIK experience of over 30,000 LASIK procedures, many with the Intralase All Laser LASIK technique, he is a renowned cataract/lens surgeon, having participated in the FDA clinical trials of the new intraocular lenses including ReSTOR and ReZOOM, and toric IOLs. He is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has been recognized as "The Best Doctor in New Orleans" by New Orleans Magazine for the past 10 years and has been selected by his peers for the 2000-2012 editions of The Best Doctors in America. Dr. Brint is a leading cataract surgeon and instructor, and the author of the 3 definitive textbooks on LASIK and cataract surgery, including the most recent Custom LASIK. Dr. Brint performs surgery and lectures around the world, including Europe, Russia, China, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Africa, and South America. Dr. Brint has a passion for education and research, and has been involved most recently with the refinement of the intraoperative aberrometer for selecting IOL power and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. Rosalia Sorce, MD graduated in medicine (summa cum laude) in 1992 from the University of Palermo, Sicily, and subsequently specialized in ophthalmology. Between 1997 and 2008, she was a consultant clinician in ocular diagnostics and surgery of the anterior segment at the most important private health care clinics in Rome and Sicily. In 2008, she was appointed senior consultant with the Healthcare Trust in the province of Siracusa, Sicily. Since 2012, she has held the position of Senior Consultant for the operative unit in the Department of Ophthalmology in the hospital of Lentini (SR). She has published several books and is a member of numerous scientific associations.
