ArtiLens Millennial Generation
Dr Roberto Fernández Buenaga Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Ramón y Cajal Hospital, Madrid and Private Clinic: Vissum Corporation, Madrid. Specialties: Refractive, cataract and cornea surgery.
When the Artiflex is implanted properly, the patient is perfect the day after Dr Roberto Fernández Buenaga is trainer during the official ArtiLens implantation course in Madrid in 2015. He has spoken about his ArtiLens experiences in the Ophtec booth during the ESCRS 2014 and will do so again in 2015. by: Mathijs Deen Dr Roberto Fernández Buenaga is the only child of an optometrist from Santander, Spain. From early childhood, he saw his father making people happy, and he thought: I want to do that too. But when he grew older, becoming an optometrist alone was not enough for Roberto. He was drawn to medicine in general and especially to surgery. So he aimed for medical studies and the specialization ophthalmology. Much to his father’s delight. ‘He was very happy,’ Roberto remembers.
‘I can guarantee the patient will be perfect the day after’ He started his medical studies in Pamplona, and after his graduation, he passed the general exam for specialization with top grades. Because of his excellent results, he could do his ophthalmology training at the most desired of all hospitals: Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid. Ramón y Cajal Hospital is widely considered one of Spain’s best institutes of ophthalmology for every aspect of the eye. So its graduates have been trained very well all-round.
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‘I liked the cornea,’ Roberto recalls, ‘so after my basic ophthalmology training I was very fortunate to move to Alicante and work with Professor Jorge Alió. His reputation in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery is one of the best. The work felt like a four year fellowship. It was great.’ At present, dr Roberto Fernández Buenaga is back in Madrid, at Ramón y Cajal Hospital, which is a public health institute, where he works during the morning. In the afternoons, he works in a private clinic: Vissum Corporation. ‘I like the private clinic because it gives me the opportunity to do refractive surgery,’ Roberto says. ‘Refractive surgery is not performed in the public health system because it is considered cosmetic. As far as IOLs go, dr Roberto Fernández Buenaga has adopted the preference of his teacher, Professor Jorge Alió. ‘He showed me the reasons why he prefers the ArtiLens family, and I consider these advantages so important that have to fully agree. To name one: of all the lenses I know, Artiflex has the lowest risk for developing cataract, which is always a risk with posterior chamber phakic lenses. If one implants the wrong size of lens and the vault (distance of the posterior chamber phakic IOL to the crystalline lens) is too small, cataract may develop. Or glaucoma, when the distance is too big. ‘This problem doesn’t exist with the Artiflex or Artisan,’ Roberto Fernandez points out. ‘I tell my colleagues that, when the Artiflex is implanted properly, I can guarantee the patient will be perfect the day after.’ Being an ophthalmologist has not disappointed Roberto over the years. For him, it all boils down to restoring the vision of the patient, and that remains very satisfying. Even though it can be a bit of a burden when you notice that the work never leaves your mind. ‘When you have a patient with a complicated condition and the stakes are very high, you can’t simply shrug it off when you leave the clinic. Even after working hours, or in the weekends, my thoughts tend to wander to this patient and his or her problem. That is how it works with me, anyway. It depends on what kind of person you are, I suppose.’