EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
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EW NEWS & OPINION 22 January 2016 by Liz Hillman EyeWorld Staff Writer Ophthalmic field mourns the loss of an "innovative" and award-winning researcher H enry (Hank) F. Edelhauser, PhD, Atlanta, a scientist who contributed decades of work to ophthalmic medical research and who was recognized by some of the field's most prestigious awards, died on Dec. 2, 2015, at 78 years old. "Hank was a gentle, kind, giving man who loved teaching. He was a hardcore research scientist who could also live in the world of clinicians, making him the ultimate translational investigator," said Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD, director, Stulting Research Center, Woolfson Eye Institute, Atlanta. "He was hon- ored by his basic science and clinical peers for his lifelong work on the physiology of the corneal endothe- lium. Those he trained and those of us who had the pleasure of working with Hank will never forget what he gave to us and to the profession." According to a news release from Emory Eye Center, Emory University, Atlanta, where Dr. Edelhauser worked for 24 to estab- lish a laboratory in translational visual research, his health had been failing for several months before his death. "Dr. Edelhauser was a dear friend, colleague, and mentor to many of us," Timothy W. Olsen, MD, director, Emory Eye Center, said in a statement. "He had many unique talents. Not only was he a brilliant physiologist, he also understood clinical ophthalmology, especially ophthalmic surgery. His role in the development of irrigating solutions for ophthalmic surgery combined with his landmark work on the corneal endothelium has helped millions of people see better and avoid blindness. His academic accomplishments are too numerous to list. Hank was so well known in clinical ophthalmology that people confused his PhD for an MD. "Most importantly, Dr. Edelhauser's character was impec- cable. He was knowledgeable, also wise, yet always humble," Dr. Olsen continued. "His spirit was kind, gen- tle, and approachable. Combined with an eternal optimism and (intrastructural rings), and phakic IOLs in patients." Dr. Edelhauser's lab at Emory Eye Center conducted studies that showed how "steroids, methotrex- ate carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, carboplatin, and cisplatin can easily diffuse across the sclera, and thera- peutic drug levels can be achieved in the retina and vitreous," Dr. Aaberg wrote, adding that his work "truly bridged the domains of basic science and clinical ophthalmology." "Hank was an accomplished scientist and researcher. In addition, he was a teacher and an innovator," Dr. Mamalis said. "Various dictionar- ies have defined a true gentleman as one who is civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered—a man who treats other people in a proper and polite way. A true gentleman is respected by everyone in his orbit, but my definition of a true gentle- man is much more succinct: Hank Edelhauser. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him and all whose lives he touched." Dr. Edelhauser is survived by his wife Barbara, his children Scott Edelhauser and Jill (Edelhauser) Harshman, and their families. EW Reference Aaberg, T. Introducing Henry F. Edelhauser, the 2005 Proctor Medal Awardee. Inves- tigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 2006;47:1754. genuine curiosity, these characteris- tics attracted us to Hank as a friend, colleague, and mentor. Hank was very proud of his family: Barbara, Scott, and Jill. He will be dearly missed." Dr. Edelhauser was named the Charles D. Kelman Innovator's Lecturer at the 2010 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress. During his lecture, he spoke about the evolu- tion of surgical pharmacology. Dr. Edelhauser served as co-chair of the ASCRS Toxic Anterior Seg- ment Syndrome (TASS) Task Force, which helped establish guidelines for the cleaning and sterilization of surgical instruments. As a fellow co-chair on the TASS Task Force, Nick Mamalis, MD, editor of the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, said he found him to be "an innovative researcher" with laboratory work that "defined the toxic effects of enzymatic ster- ilization detergents on the corneal endothelium." "This work has been instru- mental in helping to guide ongoing efforts in the prevention of TASS, secondary to cleaning and steriliza- tion of intraocular surgical instru- ments," Dr. Mamalis said. Dr. Edelhauser was born in Dover, N.J., on Sept. 9, 1937, and went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science from William Paterson University after serving in the U.S. Navy on the USS Laffey DD-724. He then received his master's and PhD from Michigan State University. From there, Dr. Edelhauser joined the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1966 where he spent more than 2 decades and rose to full professorship. In 1989, he joined Emory Eye Center where he was named the Sylvia Montag Ferst and Frank W. Ferst professor of ophthalmology and the director of ophthalmic research. According to his brief cur- riculum vitae, his research interests included "corneal endothelial physi- ology, surgical pharmacology, ocular drug delivery, and toxicology." Dr. Edelhauser was awarded the American Academy of Oph- thalmology (AAO) Honor Award in 1988 and AAO's Senior Achievement Award in 2000. He received the Castroviejo Medal and the Alcon Research Award in 1999. In 2005, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (AVRO) presented Dr. Edelhauser with the Proctor Medal, and in 2007, he was honored with the R. Townley Paton MD award from the Eye Bank Associ- ation of America. Dr. Edelhauser also served as ARVO president in 1991. According to a lecture by Thomas Aaberg Sr., MD, Emory Eye Center, which introduced Dr. Edelhauser as the Proctor Medal recipient, some of his important research included "corneal cryo- protective agents and a method for cryopreservation of corneal tissue for keratoplasty." In 1983, he pub- lished a seminal paper with the late Tom Maren, MD, on research that demonstrated how "topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors could diffuse across the cornea and lower intraoc- ular pressure," the lecture published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science in 2006 stated. He was also involved with developing intraocular irrigating solutions to be used in phacoemulsi- fication and vitrectomy. Much of his research focused on the corneal endothelial barrier and pump function, Dr. Aaberg wrote. As such, Dr. Edelhauser was integral in helping develop corneal endotheli- al specular microscopy. Dr. Aaberg also cited Dr. Edelhauser and his colleagues as being key to creating U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) protocols for "corneal endo- thelial evaluation in LASIK, INTACs Noted ophthalmic researcher Henry F. Edelhauser, PhD, dies Dr. Edelhauser presents the Charles D. Kelman Innovator's Lecture at the 2010 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress. Source: ASCRS