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EW NEWS & OPINION 20 August 2017 "It's really a very storied career in terms of the depth and the range of his contributions. How many have been so brilliant in so many areas?" Dr. Koch said. As a person, Dr. Koch said, "Everybody who knew Roger loved being with Roger." "Either alone or with his family, he loved to be with people," Dr. Koch continued, saying that with a Steinert martini in one hand and often a cigar in the other, Dr. Stein- ert could be found discussing things going on in ophthalmology as much as in the world. Dr. Steinert was a passionate New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox fan. Dr. Koch recalled being at a meeting with Dr. Steinert when the Sox were battling the Yankees for the pennant, which they hadn't won for decades. "I was sitting with him when they knocked off the Yankees as one of their four victories, and boy, you talk about a guy who was enthused. "He faced everything he did— his work and personal life—with remarkable enthusiasm, dedication, a generous spirit, and an infectious positive attitude," Dr. Koch said. "Ophthalmology has lost a true giant and a dear friend," said David Karcher, ASCRS executive director. "Rest in peace, Roger. Your contribu- tions both on and off the 'playing field' will never be forgotten." EW Contact information Donnenfeld: ericdonnenfeld@gmail.com Garg: gargs@uci.edu Karcher: dkarcher@ascrs.org Koch: dkoch@bcm.edu Lane: sslane@AssociatedEyeCare.com on the status quo. As much as Roger was a great leader, he was an even better clinician. Having worked with him for nearly a decade, I have had the opportunity to watch, assist, and emulate a fantastically skilled and delicate surgeon. You would never be able to tell this by the size of his hands!" Dr. Garg said. "The ease with which he was able to tackle even the most difficult cases amazed his fellow surgeons. He never backed down from a challenge, often inventing innovative solutions to surgical dilemmas that we all face. The great thing about Roger is that he openly shared his challenges (and triumphs) for all to learn from." Dr. Garg recalled once being particularly proud of getting himself out of a difficult teaching case early in his career. When he saw Dr. Stein- ert afterward, he described the "new technique" he had used. "He patiently listened to me and rhetorically asked if I had read his cataract book he had recently gifted me. I hadn't had a chance to get to it yet. That night, I skimmed through it and realized what I thought was new really wasn't," Dr. Garg said. Dr. Steinert's legacy will contin- ue with the countless students, resi- dents, and fellows that he taught. "His favorite quote was 'To be fully alive is to work for the com- mon good,'" Dr. Garg recalled. "Rog- er was incredibly supportive of me. I thank him for everything he was to me and what he continues to be for me. I will miss him dearly." "It's really a very storied career" Dr. Steinert and Douglas Koch, MD, professor and Allen, Mosbacher, and Law Chair in Ophthalmology, Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, met in their first year at Harvard Medical School together. Both going on to pursue anterior segment ophthalmology, their friendship fell right in line. "We began to work more heavi- ly together when I helped to recruit him to the ASCRS Executive Com- mittee," Dr. Koch said. "I thought he would be a fantastic leader for ASCRS, which of course he turned out to be." In addition to his leadership at ASCRS, Dr. Steinert was a thought leader in the field. Dr. Koch said what makes Dr. Steinert's career "remarkable" was his range. He did early work with the Nd:YAG laser and techniques of scleral sutured IOLs, researched the effect of corneal incision size on astigmatism during cataract surgery, pioneered exci- mer laser-tissue interactions and indications for refractive surgery, researched multifocal IOLs and cor- neal inlays, and more. "You look at this list and realize that the topics of his innovative research range all the way from cat- aract to refractive to corneal trans- plantation. It's a remarkable series of contributions that were often the initial if not path-finding ones in the field," Dr. Koch said. Dr. Steinert had a large, refer- ral-based practice in Boston when he decided to move from his New England roots to California. Once there, Dr. Koch said Dr. Steinert suc- cessfully built a new practice again, performed major work in research, became chairman of the depart- ment at the University of California, Irvine, and later associate dean, and, "perhaps his most culminating achievement," built the Gavin Her- bert Eye Institute. "He was in charge of the initial studies that led to the approval of the excimer laser, and there's a whole list of other contributions he made, but to me that was the most notable," Dr. Donnenfeld said. Dr. Donnenfeld praised Dr. Steinert for the success and direction of his career overall. "I don't know of anyone else who was extraordi- narily successful in private practice, was a leading ophthalmologist at one of the busiest practices in Bos- ton, was head of the medical staff at Mass Eye and Ear, and decided that he wanted to give up private practice and become a full-time academician and very quickly became chairman of the Department of Ophthalmol- ogy at the University of California, Irvine," Dr. Donnenfeld said. Even though Dr. Steinert was only about 6 years older, Dr. Don- nenfeld said he always considered him a mentor. "In my early career, he was one of the few people who took the time and effort to make certain that I was given every opportunity to succeed," he said, noting that he often ob- served, especially early on, how Dr. Steinert interacted with people and nurtured innovation and individuals starting their careers. "My teacher, my mentor, and one of my best friends" Sumit "Sam" Garg, MD, now acting medical director of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute founded by Dr. Steinert, knew Dr. Steinert for nearly a decade. "Roger was my teacher, mentor, and one of my best friends," Dr. Garg said. As for his contributions to the field, Dr. Garg said there are too many to list. "He was a constant in- novator, always looking to improve Ophthalmic continued from page 19 Dr. Steinert contributed much to ophthalmic education and EyeWorld. Here are just a few of his interviews from the EyeWorld video archives. You can also download our new app, EyeWorldAR, and scan this page to view videos. From EWrePlay.org

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