Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION 13 A friend and colleague Jack A. Singer, M.D., Ran- dolph, Vt., died suddenly and unexpectedly on Jan- uary 6, 2011. The son of Harold and Evelyn Singer, Dr. Singer was born in Brook- lyn, N.Y., on November 23, 1955. He leaves behind his wife, Sandy, from whom he had separated, and his current life partner, Margarete Viera. Other survivors include a daughter, Ruthie Singer, a son, Adam Singer, a sister, Ellen Singer, a stepmother, Helen Singer, and a stepsister, Karen Fleischer. He was predeceased by his parents. A brilliant mind, Dr. Singer graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York in Albany in 1977. Dr. Singer graduated medical school at the SUNY Down- state Medical Center in Brooklyn in 1981 and completed his ophthal- mology training at the Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore in 1985. He began the practice of oph- thalmology in Randolph, Vt., with the Dartmouth Hitchcock Associates in 1985 and later went on to found his own private practice in the same city in 2003. Dr. Singer's contributions to ophthalmology were many. In the landmark case Pallin vs. Singer, he successfully defended himself in a patent infringement suit that de- manded royalty payments for the use of a self-sealing cataract surgery incision. With the help of Dart- mouth University, the American So- ciety of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), the American Med- ical Association, the American Acad- emy of Ophthalmology, and many colleagues, including cataract sur- gery luminaries of the day, a defense verdict in Pallin vs. Singer ultimately resulted in congressional legisla- tion leading to the elimination of method patents in medicine. Oph- thalmology owes Dr. Singer a great debt for his efforts in this regard. Dr. Singer distinguished himself as a brilliant and creative educa- tional film producer, with innova- tions that improved every area of ophthalmic surgery in which he worked. For a number of years he produced films for the ASCRS Film Festival, for which he won awards. Later, he was reluctant to give that up as required when asked to be- come a Film Festival judge. As a judge, he contributed numerous ideas dealing with quality produc- tion, an area in which he was a mas- ter. His contributions improved the Film Festival and helped to make it the most anticipated event at the ASCRS Annual Meeting. His humor and pointed comments were a coun- terpoint to his quiet nature. In 2008, Dr. Singer was responsible for the initial organization of the Cataract and Anterior Segment video library of the American Academy of Oph- thalmology's Ophthalmic News and Educational Network. Dr. Singer's devotion to medical education also led him to teach in- ternationally. A favorite venue was his adopted country of Brazil where for the past 14 years he was a popu- lar speaker and live surgery partici- pant. He was even beginning to speak passible Brazilian Portuguese. In 2006, Dr. Singer was elected to the International Intraocular Im- plant Club in recognition of his many academic, educational, and surgical achievements. Dr. Singer will be greatly missed by all whose lives were touched by him. EW January 2011 by Warren E. Hill, M.D. In memory of Jack A. Singer, M.D.

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