Team Members

TODD COOPER

President & CEO

Todd Cooper has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Presbia PLC and as a director of Presbia PLC since January 2015. From July 2011 to November 2014, Mr. Cooper served as the Chief Executive Officer of NVISION, which operates a network of ophthalmological surgical centers. From October 2008 to June 2010, Mr. Cooper served as the Vice President of Marketing and the General Manager of Henry Schein Medical, a division of Henry Schein, Inc., a global provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners. Prior to that, Mr. Cooper served as: the Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing of Discus, a global manufacturer of dental products (2003 to 2008); a Senior Vice President of IMG Holdings, a boutique management consulting firm (1997-2003); the Director of Marketing at The Franklin Mint, a consumer products company (1995 to 1997); and the Senior Marketing Manager at Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, a retailer which sells a wide range of automotive, sports, leisure, and home products (1993 to 1995).

Mr. Cooper received a B.A. from the University of Alberta in 1994.

Jarett Fenton

Chief Financial Officer

Jarett Fenton has served as Chief Financial Officer of Presbia PLC since June, 2016. Mr. Fenton brings 17 years of diversified financial experience in both public and private companies in the healthcare, technology, and manufacturing spaces. His specialties include investor relations, capital markets, strategic financial development, as well as corporate finance and reporting. Prior to joining us, Mr. Fenton served as Vice President of Finance and Senior Controller of Alphaeon, Inc., a privately held healthcare technology company with products and services in the ophthalmology and dermatology markets. He held this role from December 2013 to June 2016. From January 2011 to December 2013, Mr. Fenton served as a partner at Orchid Capital Partners, a consultancy providing SEC and capital markets consulting services to several client companies. During that time, form April 2012 to December 2012, Mr. Fenton also served as Chief Financial Officer of Ciralight Global, Inc., a publicly held company manufacturing daylighting systems for OEM partners including Firestone and Eaton. From February 2007 until December 2010, Mr. Fenton served as Chief Financial Officer of Enova Systems, Inc., a publicly-held company that manufactured proprietary vehicle drive systems for clean vehicle applications. He previously served from March 2003 through February 2007 as the Chief Executive of the Clarity Group, a company he founded to provide SEC reporting and corporate compliance consulting services. From September 1998 to March of 2003, Mr. Fenton worked as a Senior Associate in the Middle Market practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Orange County, CA office where he facilitated audit engagements, worked on SEC reporting issues, controls assessments, client reporting, financial guidance interpretation and staff development.

Mr. Fenton has a B.A. in Business Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California.

Nela Gonzales

Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance

D. Nela Gonzales has 20 years of experience in medical devices and pharmaceuticals related to Quality Assurance, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, Supplier Management, Operations/Manufacturing, Sterilization, Validation, New Product Development, Software Development, Software Systems Implementation and Environmental Health and Safety. Her diversified background along with her experience, leadership skills and innovation contribute tremendously to Presbia’s success.

Prior to joining Presbia Nela Gonzales was a Director QA and Compliance for Critical Care and Vascular at Edwards Lifesciences were she managed all aspects of Quality Assurance. She also worked at Abbott Medical Optics as the Director of Corporate QA Compliance where she managed QA Compliance at the Corporate level for the AMO Division of Abbott.

Nela Gonzales is a certified Lead Auditor by the British Standards Institute (BSI) in ISO 9001 with emphasis in ISO 13485 and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from University of Bucharest.

VIPUL SHAH

Vice President of Manufacturing & Operations

Vipul Shah brings to Presbia over fifteen years of experience in manufacturing, operations management, and manufacturing systems in the medical device field, with a specialty in the optical industry. As Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations, he is responsible for all manufacturing and development of long-range volume and yield plans; identification, training and startup of multiple manufacturing sites; development of company systems and organizational infrastructure; support and participation in Presbia’s program to obtain CE mark approval for the European Union; and validation of the company’s manufacturing process.

He was Director of U.S. Manufacturing for Visitome, which merged with PresbiBio to form Presbia in 2008, where he was responsible for the manufacturing process aimed at achieving high-quality yield and continued organizational growth.

Prior to joining Visitome in 2006, Mr. Shah was a senior manager of manufacturing and operations in the contact lens industry, skilled in round-the-clock, high-volume manufacturing. From 1998 to 2005, Mr. Shah supervised some 40 employees at Ocular Sciences/ CooperVision, and later moved into corporate supply chain management, responsible for developing a worldwide demand-driven planning strategy. Mr. Shah holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of New Mexico, with certifications in lean manufacturing, statistical process control, cost accounting, and modules in bill of materials, work in progress, material requirements planning, and quality assurance.

John Strobel

Vice President of Sales

John brings extensive international sales and ophthalmology experience to Presbia and leads the company’s international sales expansion efforts.

He most recent served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Western Enterprises. Before that, John served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for VOLK, a diagnostic and surgical device manufacturer in the ophthalmology and optical markets. During his tenure there he built a global selling team in over 100 countries. He opened offices and managed teams in India, China, Latin America, Europe, Middle East/Africa and Australia. Prior to that John served in sales management roles at Hu-Friedy a $100 million dental manufacturer and Depuy/Motech Spinal Systems. He has a Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University and his MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

GERD U. AUFFARTH, M.D., Ph.D., F.E.B.O.

MEMBER OF THE BOARD

Dr. Gerd U. Auffarth joined the Presbia Board of Directors in August 2015.  Dr. Auffarth is the Chairman and Director of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Germany.  Dr. Auffarth is also the Director of the International Vision Correction Research Centre (IVCRC) and The David J. Apple International Laboratory for Ophthalmic Pathology.  Additionally he is the CEO of the Steinbeis Technology Transfer Research Company IVCRS (Steinbeis SU, Inc.)

His core research focuses on cornea, corneal surgery, presbyopia, cataracts and intraocular lens implants.  Dr. Auffarth’s expertise includes IOL’s, multi-focal IOL’s, refractive laser technologies and presbyopia surgery.  He is considered a pioneer in Femtosecond laser surgery.  In an article published by The Ophthalmologist Dr. Auffarth was ranked among the top 20 ophthalmologists in the world.

Dr. Auffarth possesses a depth of experience in ophthalmic surgical procedures having performed more than 40,000 cataract, refractive or presbyopic lens exchange, Femtosecond laser procedures or related surgeries.  He was Principle Investigator in numerous Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE-Mark approval GCP studies.  Dr. Auffarth is widely-published in close to 200 peer reviewed papers and more than 300 articles in book chapters and trade journals as well as giving more than 150 Keynote lectures.

Dr. Auffarth received his M.D. degree from RWTH Aachen Medical School, Aachen University of Technology, Germany, and his Ph.D. in Ocular Pathology of the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg.   He was a Senior Research Fellow with a Stipend from the Max Kade Foundation, New York, at the Center for Ocular Therapeutic and Biodevices at the Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC, Charleston, SC under David J. Apple, M.D.

Dr. Auffarth is Emeritus Board Member of the European Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and is currently President of the German Society for IOL Implantation and Refractive Surgery and Board Member of the German Ophthalmology Society.

TODD COOPER

President & CEO

Todd Cooper has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Presbia PLC and as a director of Presbia PLC since January 2015. From July 2011 to November 2014, Mr. Cooper served as the Chief Executive Officer of NVISION, which operates a network of ophthalmological surgical centers. From October 2008 to June 2010, Mr. Cooper served as the Vice President of Marketing and the General Manager of Henry Schein Medical, a division of Henry Schein, Inc., a global provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners. Prior to that, Mr. Cooper served as: the Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing of Discus, a global manufacturer of dental products (2003 to 2008); a Senior Vice President of IMG Holdings, a boutique management consulting firm (1997-2003); the Director of Marketing at The Franklin Mint, a consumer products company (1995 to 1997); and the Senior Marketing Manager at Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, a retailer which sells a wide range of automotive, sports, leisure, and home products (1993 to 1995).

Mr. Cooper received a B.A. from the University of Alberta in 1994.

Robert J. Cresci

Member of the Board

Mr. Cresci has served as a director of Presbia PLC since March 2015. He has been a managing director of Pecks Management Partners Ltd., an investment management firm, since 1990. He currently serves on the boards of j2 Global, Inc., Luminex Corporation, OFS Capital Corporation, CIM Commercial Trust Corporation, and several private companies. Mr. Cresci previously served on the board of Continucare Corporation until 2011 and the board of Sepracor, Inc. until 2009. By virtue of his time with Pecks Management Partners and the other business entities mentioned, Mr. Cresci brings to our board of directors his broad expertise and experience in accounting issues, and public company matters.

Mr. Cresci holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a M.B.A. in Finance from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Gerald Farrell, Ph.D

Member of the Board

Dr. Gerald Farrell joined the Presbia Board of Directors in January 2016. Dr. Farrell has been involved the pharmaceutical industry for more than 25 years, and worked for Eli Lilly Company Limited in Ireland and the United Kingdom for the majority of his successful career. Dr. Farrell’s tenure at Eli Lilly included positions of Managing Director, leading the commercial sales and marketing in Ireland where he launched several major products in Europe; Director Strategy, Commercial and Business in the UK accountable for long-term strategic planning and business operations as well as other positions related to compliance, production, sales, and planning.

Dr. Farrell earned a Ph.D. Plant Biotechnology from University College, Cork, and a BSc Honours – Plant Science and Higher Diploma Education with Honours from University College, Galway. Dr. Farrell serves on the Board for UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, serves as a director, and previously served as president, for Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, and serves as a council member for the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Previously, from 2003 until 2014, Dr. Farrell served as a director of Eli Lilly and Company (Ireland) Ltd.

VLADIMIR FEINGOLD

Board of Directors Member

With more than 40 years of experience as an executive in the medical technology field and in R&D, Vladimir Feingold brings broad-based expertise to Presbia. Significant accomplishments include leading key projects, securing capital and holding over 50 patents for medical-related devices.

Mr. Feingold is currently a consultant for Presbia. As former CTO & Executive Vice President at the company, he was responsible for developing the Presbia Flexivue Microlens™, its delivery systems and obtained the CE mark, TGA and Korean FDA approvals for the Presbia Flexivue Microlens™, a intracorneal implant for presbyopia.

During the previous eight years, he was the CEO of Visitome, Inc. and Biovision AG until the operations of Visitome were merged into Presbia in 2008. During his tenure with the companies, he was responsible for raising capital, as well as the development of the microkeratomes and corneal lens system which served as the precursor of the Presbia Flexivue Microlens™.

From 1990 until 1999, he served as president and chairman of Staar Surgical AG, Switzerland and as executive vice president of its parent, Star Surgical Co., a U.S. public company. At Staar, Mr. Feingold was instrumental in growing the company’s international business while simultaneously developing new technologies including: the first in the world toric IOL, IOL insertion systems for small incision surgery; Staarvisc, a hyaluronic viscoelastic product used during cataract surgery. Mr. Feingold designed and developed the groundbreaking Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) used today in refractive surgery and was managing director of Bionica Pty Ltd., Australia, a company which produced and distributed an ambulatory medication delivery system, and marketed ophthalmic products. Earlier, Mr. Feingold held executive positions at Telectronics Pty. Ltd., Australia, and was responsible for research and manufacturing engineering. Telectronics, at the time was a world leader in miniature implantable advance cardiac pacemakers.

Mr. Feingold served on many corporate boards including Presbia Holding (Cayman Islands), Biovision AG (Switzerland), Visitome (USA), Canon-Staar (Japan) and Bionica Pty Ltd (Australia).

Mr. Feingold received his B.E. (Mechanical) with first class honors and B.Sc. (Computer Science and Mathematics) from the University of Sydney, Australia. He received his Dip. Eng. from Technikum School of Engineering in Israel, and a Business Management diploma from the Australian Institute of Management.

ZOHAR LOSHITZER

Member of the Board

Zohar Loshitzer has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of Presbia Holdings since May 2007, served as the Chief Executive Officer of Presbia PLC from February 2014 to October 2014, served as the President of Presbia PLC from February 2014 to January 2015 and has served as a director of Presbia PLC since February 2014. Mr. Loshitzer assumed the position of Chief Business Development Officer of Presbia PLC upon Mr. Cooper’s election as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Presbia PLC in January 2015.

Since January 2005, Mr. Loshitzer has served as a principal at Orchard Capital, where he supports the portfolio companies of Orchard Capital by designing operational efficiencies and cost reductions, and he has served since August 2000 as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Telecom Services, Inc., a provider of telecommunications services and solutions to emerging markets. He has served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy of j2 Global since June 2001 and from July 1997 through June 2001 he served as the Chief Information Officer at j2 Global. Mr. Loshitzer was the founder and President of MTP Consulting, Inc., a business consulting firm, from January 2011 to August 2013, and he was the founder and President of Imali, Inc., another business consulting firm, from January 2007 to December 2010. Since 1995, he has been a Managing Director at Orchard Telecom, a provider of telecommunications products. He previously served as a consultant to MAI Systems Corporation, a provider of information technology solutions, and as a General Manager and Managing Director at Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc., a provider of security services for the elderly, which Mr. Loshitzer co-founded.

He has been a director of the publicly-traded Advanced Cell Technology Inc. since December 2011 and publicly-traded Environmental Solutions Worldwide, Inc. since January 2011. He graduated from Tel Aviv University with a degree in Electronics Engineering.

RICHARD RESSLER

Member of the Board

Mr. Ressler is the founder and President of Orchard Capital Corp. (“Orchard Capital”), a firm that provides consulting and advisory services to companies in which Orchard Capital or its affiliates invest. Through his affiliation with Orchard Capital, Mr. Ressler serves in various senior capacities with, among others, CIM Group, L.P., (together with its controlled affiliates, “CIM”), a real estate and infrastructure investment and management company, Orchard First Source Asset Management (together with its controlled affiliates, “OFSAM”), an investment adviser focusing on middle market debt investments, and OCV Management, LLC (“OCV”), an investment adviser focusing on controlled investments in technology companies.  Mr. Ressler also serves as a board member for various public and private companies in which Orchard Capital or its affiliates invest, including as chairman of j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQ “JCOM”), director of Presbia PLC (NASDAQ “LENS”), and chairman of CIM Commercial Trust Corporation (NASDAQ “CMCT”).

Mr. Ressler co-founded CIM in 1994 and, through an agreement with Orchard Capital, chairs its executive, investment, allocation and asset management committees and serves on its credit committee.  CIM is a full service urban real estate and infrastructure fund manager with in-house research, acquisition, investment, development, finance, leasing and management capabilities.  CIM Investment Advisors, LLC, an affiliate of CIM, is registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission as a registered investment adviser.

Mr. Ressler co-founded the predecessor of OFSAM in 2001 and, through an agreement with Orchard Capital, chairs its executive committee.  OFS Capital Management, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of OFSAM, is registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission as a registered investment adviser.

Mr. Ressler co-founded OCV in 2016 and, through an agreement with Orchard Capital, chairs its executive committee.  OCV is registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission as a registered investment adviser.

Mr. Ressler served as Chairman and CEO of JCOM from 1997 to 2000 and, through an agreement with Orchard Capital, currently serves as its non-executive Chairman. Mr. Ressler has served as a director of LENS since January 2015 and as chairman of CMCT since 2014.

Prior to founding Orchard Capital, from 1988 until 1994, Mr. Ressler served as Vice Chairman of Brooke Group Limited, the predecessor of Vector Group, Ltd. (NYSE “VGR”) and served in various executive capacities at VGR and its subsidiaries.  Prior to VGR, Mr. Ressler was with Drexel Burnham Lambert, Inc., where he focused on merger and acquisition transactions and the financing needs of middle-market companies.  Mr. Ressler began his career in 1983 with Cravath, Swaine and Moore, working on public offerings, private placements, and merger and acquisition transactions. Mr. Ressler holds a B.A. from Brown University, and J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Columbia University.

RANDY THURMAN

Executive Chairman

Ralph “Randy” Thurman has served as a director of Presbia Holdings since October 2013 and has served as its Executive Chairman since January 2014. From October 2014 through January 2015, Mr. Thurman served as the Chief Executive Officer of Presbia PLC. He commenced serving as the Executive Chairman of Presbia PLC in January 2015.

Mr. Thurman has served as a consulting advisor in private equity since 2008. Mr. Thurman served as an Operating Executive and Partner at AEA Investments LP (“AEA Investments”), a private equity firm, from October 2012 through March 2014, and during that period, was the Executive Chairman of Cogent HMG, a portfolio company of AEA Investments engaged in healthcare technology. Before joining AEA Investments, Mr. Thurman was a Senior Advisor at New Mountain Capital, LLC, a private and public equity investment firm, since May 2008. From July 2008 to October 2011, Mr. Thurman served as a director of CardioNet, Inc., a publicly-traded global medical technology company focused on diagnosing and monitoring cardiac arrhythmias, where he also served as Executive Chairman from July 2008 to January 2009, as President and Chief Executive Officer from February 2009 to June 2010, and as Chairman from June 2009 until his resignation from the board of directors in October 2011. From 2001 to 2007, he was a Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VIASYS Healthcare Inc., a privately-held healthcare technology company. Mr. Thurman served as a director of Enzon, Inc., a biotechnology company, from 1993 to 2001 and served as Chairman from 1996 to 2001. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Thurman served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Reserves LLC, a privately-held company providing funding and strategic direction to healthcare technology companies. Prior to that, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Corning Life Sciences, Inc., a manufacturer of laboratory products for life sciences research (1993 to 1997), and held various positions at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a global pharmaceutical company (1984 to 1993).

Mr. Thurman currently serves on the board of directors of each of the following publicly-traded companies: Arno Therapeutics, Inc. and Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. From November 2013 to February 2014, Mr. Thurman served as a director of Orthofix International N.V.

Mr. Thurman received a B.S. in economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and an M.A. in management from Webster University.

PROF. IOANNIS PALLIKARIS, M.D.

Chair, Medical Advisory Board

Presbia Medical Advisory Board Chair Prof. Ioannis Pallikaris, M.D. enjoys a long and distinguished career in ophthalmology as a procedural innovator, surgery pioneer and educator. Prof. Pallikaris is probably best known as the refractive surgeon who performed the first Lasik procedure on a human eye in 1989.

In his role with Presbia, Prof. Pallikaris is overseeing the post-market surveillance trials of the Presbia Flexivue Microlens™ and conducting training sessions for surgeons at the institute he founded and directs, the Vardinoyannion Eye Institute of Crete. Dr. Pallikaris is a professor and rector at the University of Crete, and serves as the Head of the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital, Heraklion, Crete.

His professional career is notable for multiple innovations, including the description and naming of a new surface ablation technique, epiLasik, in 2003. Prof. Pallikaris also holds multiple patents, including anti-rigidity devices and techniques such as the PALM technique (photoablative lenticular modulation) for corneal resurfacing.

A past president of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS), he also coordinates the organization’s fellowships in refractive surgery, as well as interdisciplinary postgraduate program conferences with top American and European doctors and institutions. The author of several books and countless journal articles on refractive surgery, Prof. Pallikaris has also received numerous awards for his contributions to the science and practice of ophthalmology. His honors and recognition include the Barraquer Award (1997); the Innovator’s Award of the German Opthamological Surgeon’s Society and the Casebeer Award from the International Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (2002); the Charles D. Kelman Innovator’s award (2003). In 2007, he was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and in 2009 was the recipient of the Binkhorst Medal by the European Society of Cataract and refractive Surgeons.

KERRY K. ASSIL, M.D.

Medical Advisory Board Member

Dr. Kerry K. Assil, founder and medical director of the Assil Eye Institute in Southern California, is one of the world’s foremost experts in refractive surgery. He has made significant advances in the field with numerous refractive inventions and has trained thousands of eye surgeons in the latest refractive surgical techniques.

Dr. Assil has authored more than 100 textbooks, textbook chapters and articles on refractive surgery. He has served as editor and reviewer of multiple scientific journals, and appears regularly on television news programs as an authority on refractive surgery. Since 1990, Dr. Assil has invented or pioneered numerous refractive procedures.

In addition, he has lead educational forums for eye care professionals, including featured lectureships at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Tokyo Universities.

In 1992, the International Society of Refractive Surgery honored Dr. Assil by naming him the youngest member to its board of directors. He holds a medical degree from the University of California at San Diego.

MARK S. BLUMENKRANZ, M.D., MMS

MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Mark S. Blumenkranz has served as a director of Presbia Holdings since October 2013 and is a director of Presbia PLC. He is the H.J. Smead Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford University, where he has served since January 1998. He is the founding director of the Byers Eye Institute, a nationally-recognized eye care center dedicated to combating blindness and preserving sight.

Dr. Blumenkranz is a founder and director of several privately-held early stage companies in the ophthalmic field. He was a founder and director of Peak Surgical, Inc., an innovator in pulsed plasma mediated electrosurgery that was acquired by Medtronic, Inc. in 2011. In 2004, he co-founded Optimedica Corporation, which was acquired by Abbott Medical Optics, Inc. in 2013. Dr. Blumenkranz co-founded, and has served as a director since July 2006 of, Avalanche Biotechnologies, Inc., which company has been publicly traded since August 2014.

He received his Baccalaureate, Master of Medical Science, and M.D. degrees at Brown University, followed by a Residency in Ophthalmology at Stanford University and a fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami, where he served on the faculty for five years.

Dr. Blumenkranz is a past-President of the American University Professors of Ophthalmology, Retina Society and Macula Society, and a Fellow of the Corporation of Brown University, where he serves as chairman of the Medical School Committee.

WAYNE CREWE-BROWN, M.D.

MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

A very highly experienced Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Dr. Crewe-Brown has been in the laser eye surgery industry for 23 years and has carried out more than 40,000 procedures. This includes LASIK, PRK/LASEK, WaveFront-guided treatments and Refractive Lens surgery.

Dr. Crewe-Brown was one of the earlier users of the femtosecond laser (IntraLase) within the United Kingdom and Ireland and has to date, carried out close to 20,000 femtosecond procedures.

His dedication to his profession and patients is evident from his clinical experience and continued attendance at national and international seminars and conferences as both speaker and delegate.

Dr. Crewe-Brown is fully registered on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council of Great Britain (GMC), Irish Medical Council, and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

DR. MARCO FANTOZZI, M.D.

Medical Advisory Board Member

Dr. Marco Fantozzi, of Pescia, Italy, is an experienced, Presbia-certified ophthalmologic surgeon who has performed more than 10,000 refractive operations throughout his distinguished career. He is best known for performing the first refractive procedures using the femtosecond laser as well as the first procedures for keratoconus in Tuscany. He was also a member of the surgical team at the Ophthalmological Department of Prato Hospital that performed the world’s first corneal transplant using only a laser and no suturing.

In addition to his groundbreaking work in cataract and refractive surgery, Dr. Fantozzi has a cadre of other accomplishments in the field. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a published author with articles appearing in international ophthalmology and medical trade publications, and has worked with non-profit humanitarian organizations, such as Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International.

He began his career in ophthalmology as an intern at the Ophthalmology Clinic at the University of California-San Diego. From 1992 to 1999, Dr. Fantozzi served as an assistant in the Department of Ophthalmology at A.Segni in Orzieri Sassari, Italy. Dr. Fantozzi has also served as a Medical Director of the Ophthalmology Department at Camaiore Hospital in Lucca, Italy and as a Professor of Refractive Surgery and Corneal Transplant at the Rome campus of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. He is currently the Director of Clinica Oculistica Barbantini in Lucca.

Dr. Fantozzi received his medical degree, followed by a specialization in ophthalmology, from the University of Pisa.

MICHAEL GORDON, M.D.

Medical Advisory Board Member

Dr. Michael Gordon, founder of the Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute, San Diego, is recognized as a preeminent authority in the field of refractive surgery. Over the last two decades, he has been involved in every aspect of the discipline, performing thousands of LASIK procedures, making him one of the most experienced laser refractive surgeons in the world.

Dr. Gordon was the first surgeon to perform an all-laser High Definition Wavefront-guided laser procedure in 2003, and in 1989 pioneered the use of the Summit excimer laser to correct nearsightedness. He lectured and taught Summit laser techniques worldwide and was the only surgeon involved in all phases of clinical investigation for the Summit laser in the United States, prior and up to its approval.

A founding board member of the International LASIK Institute, Dr. Gordon has taught laser vision correction to ophthalmologists internationally, and has published and presented multiple papers at medical conferences worldwide. He is a recipient of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Achievement Award for his years of distinguishing service.

Dr. Gordon holds a medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, and pursued undergraduate studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York.

RONALD KRUEGER, M.D.

Medical Advisory Board Member

Dr. Ronald R. Krueger, Medical Director of Refractive Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute in Ohio, is a renowned ophthalmologic surgeon with more than 26 years of experience in the field of refractive surgery, specifically in excimer laser research.

Dr. Krueger has performed over 18,000 refractive surgery procedures and has published more than 114 peer-reviewed manuscripts, as well as numerous abstracts, book chapters and trade journal articles. He is also credited with documenting the first physical descriptions of the effects of the excimer lasers on corneal tissue.

Dr. Krueger currently serves as Professor of Ophthalmology at the Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. He was a former Secretary of Education and board member of the International Society of Refractive Surgery prior to its merger with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and now serves in both the executive committee and as the program committee chair of the new ISRS/AAO. In addition, Dr. Krueger has served as the Associate Editor of the Journal of Refractive Surgery for over 15 years, and has lectured on refractive surgery in more than 40 countries.

Dr. Krueger was named one of the Top Fifty Opinion Leaders by the readers of Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today in 2005 and 2006, and he has also been appointed to the U.S. Physician’s Advisory Board. In addition, he has received numerous awards, including the National Leadership Award, Castle Connolly America’s Top Doctors award in 2005 and 2010, the 2007 Kritzinger Memorial Award of the ISRS/AAO and the 2008 Lans Distinguished Award of the ISRS/AAO.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Rutgers University in New Jersey, his Master of Science in Bioengineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, and his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.