Cataract Surgery: Introduction and Preparation

Lucio Buratto, MD is a cataract surgeon by choice. Throughout his professional career, he has been recognized with countless international awards and commendations for the important and highly innovative contributions he has made in the field of ophthalmology. He was the first surgeon in the world to use the bimanual irrigation/aspiration system.
He began using phacoemulsification in 1978 and started implanting the artificial crystalline lens in the posterior chamber in 1979. In Milan, in 1980, he organized a conference called "New methods of cataract extraction and the intraocular insertion of corrective lenses"; this event included live surgery sessions and set the foundation for the series of videocataract conferences.

In 1982, he presented the YAG laser to his Italian colleagues, and in 1992, he introduced the new technique of sutureless cataract surgery. In 1987, he published his first book on modern cataract surgery in Italian. For many years, this book was considered to be the "Italian Bible" of cataract surgery. In 1995, he published an English version of the book Phacoemulsification: Principles and Techniques. He has published a total of 24 books on cataract surgery in many different languages. In the period between December 1997 and December 2005, he was President of AICCER (the Italian Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgery).

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 delivers 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 most recently, he has been involved with the refinement of the intraoperative aberrometer for selecting IOL power and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery.

Laura Sacchi, MD graduated in medicine and specialized in ophthalmology at the University of Milan. She was Chief Consultant at Milan's San Giuseppe Hospital and at Crema's Ospedale Maggiore. She has lectured at a number of national and international conferences. She has worked with Dr. Buratto for approximately 10 years, and at present, she is a private consultant at his clinic, Centro Ambrosiano Oftalmico. Her areas of expertise include refractive surgery, cataract surgery, the diagnosis and treatment of keratoconus, retinal pathologies, and pediatric ophthalmology.