Howard Gimbel
Encyclopedia
Howard V. Gimbel, MD, MPH, FRCSC, AOE, FACS, CABES, (January 17, 1934– ) is a Canadian ophthalmologist, university professor
, senior editor
, and amateur musician. He is better known for his invention, along with Thomas Neuhann, of the continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis
(CCC), a technique employed in modern cataract surgery
.
). The son of Jacob and Ruth Gimbel, he grew up along with five siblings on a grain and dairy farm east of Calgary near the small town of Beiseker
. In 1952, he graduated from High School at Canadian University College
near Lacombe
(Alberta
, Canada). He attended Walla Walla University
in Washington, and graduated with a degree in physics. It was here where he met his wife and lifetime companion, Judy Carl, whom he married on the evening of his graduation day.
), and graduated in 1960. Given his physics background and interest in optics, the choice of specialization in Ophthalmology came naturally to him. After completing his residency training at White Memorial Medical Center
(Los Angeles, California
) in 1964, Gimbel returned to Calgary where he set up his Ophthalmology practice. Always an early adaptor of new technologies, he soon became known as “Gadget Gimbel”.
On January 1974, Gimbel took a course with Charles Kelman
in phacoemulsification
, a surgical technique for the removal of cataracts through a suture-less, 3 mm incision. Prior to phacoemulsification, cataract surgery required a 10 to 12 mm incision, which was closed with sutures and caused significant astigmatism
. Later that same year, he attended the first International Intraocular Lens Implantation Course by Binkhorst and Worst in the Netherlands. Despite being considered standard care today, the concept of intraocular lens
implantation during cataract surgery was a topic of much controversy at the time. These two novel techniques had a profound influence on Gimbel, who was among the first ophthalmologists in North America
to successfully implement them into his practice.
to Canada, a refractive surgery
technique in which peripheral corneal incisions are carefully placed to correct refractive errors. That same year he founded an eye surgery
centre dedicated to the treatment of cataracts and refractive surgery, the Gimbel Eye Centre. It was around this time that he perfected the continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC), and the divide and conquer nucleofractis techniques, two techniques currently employed in small incision cataract surgery. His excellent surgical outcomes compelled him to share these techniques and others with his colleagues at universities and societies around the world through presentations, videotape distribution, and over 25 live satellite broadcasts at international conferences.
As the first surgeon in Canada to acquire the excimer laser
for refractive surgery, Gimbel has remained at the forefront of refractive vision correction. In 1990, the first photorefractive keratectomy
(PRK) procedure in Canada was performed at the Gimbel Eye Centre by John A. van Westenbrugge. PRK is a laser treatment of the corneal surface for the correction of refractive errors. Similarly, Gimbel was the first surgeon in North America to offer the Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) to his patients in 1997. The ICL is a posterior chamber, phakic intraocular lens used for the correction of moderate to high refractive errors.
On February 2000, Gimbel accepted an appointment to the Department of Ophthalmology at Loma Linda University
, where he remains chairman and professor. He is also an associate professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Calgary
, and director of the Anterior Segment and Refractive Surgery fellowship at the Gimbel Eye Centre. In 2009, he was presented with the Canadian Ophthalmological Society Lifetime Achievement Award, and is considered one of the most influential and accomplished ophthalmologists in the world.
, followed by mechanical fracturing of the cataract with the phacoemulsification probe and second instrument. This effectively divides the cataract into four quadrants that are more easily removed by phacoemulsification. Gimbel initially proposed this technique in 1991.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, senior editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
, and amateur musician. He is better known for his invention, along with Thomas Neuhann, of the continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis
Capsulorhexis
Capsulorhexis is a technique used to remove the lens capsule during cataract surgery. The spelling has varied between having one or two 'r's. It generally refers to removal of a part of the anterior lens capsule, but in situations like a developmental cataract a part of the posterior capsule is...
(CCC), a technique employed in modern cataract surgery
Cataract surgery
Cataract surgery is the removal of the natural lens of the eye that has developed an opacification, which is referred to as a cataract. Metabolic changes of the crystalline lens fibers over time lead to the development of the cataract and loss of transparency, causing impairment or loss of vision...
.
Early life
Gimbel was born in Calgary, Alberta (CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
). The son of Jacob and Ruth Gimbel, he grew up along with five siblings on a grain and dairy farm east of Calgary near the small town of Beiseker
Beiseker, Alberta
Beiseker is a village in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Calgary. It is considered to be an outermost part of the Calgary Region and is included within Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area...
. In 1952, he graduated from High School at Canadian University College
Canadian University College
Canadian University College is an independent publicly funded university located in Lacombe. It is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada and is affiliated with the Association of Theological Schools...
near Lacombe
Lacombe, Alberta
Lacombe is a city in Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Red Deer, the nearest major city, and south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area...
(Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada). He attended Walla Walla University
Walla Walla University
Walla Walla University is a University offering liberal arts, professional, and technical programs located in College Place, Washington, just a few miles from Walla Walla. The current President is John McVay. It was founded in 1892 and is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.The...
in Washington, and graduated with a degree in physics. It was here where he met his wife and lifetime companion, Judy Carl, whom he married on the evening of his graduation day.
Education
Gimbel attended medical school at Loma Linda University School of Medicine (CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), and graduated in 1960. Given his physics background and interest in optics, the choice of specialization in Ophthalmology came naturally to him. After completing his residency training at White Memorial Medical Center
White Memorial Medical Center
White Memorial Medical Center is a hospital in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by Adventist Health...
(Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
) in 1964, Gimbel returned to Calgary where he set up his Ophthalmology practice. Always an early adaptor of new technologies, he soon became known as “Gadget Gimbel”.
On January 1974, Gimbel took a course with Charles Kelman
Charles Kelman
Charles D. Kelman was an ophthalmologist and a pioneer in cataract surgery.Kelman was born in Brooklyn, New York to David and Eva Kelman. He grew up in Queens where he attended Forest Hills High School. After graduation, he attended Boston's Tufts University, where he earned a B.S...
in phacoemulsification
Phacoemulsification
Phacoemulsification refers to modern cataract surgery in which the eye's internal lens is emulsified with an ultrasonic handpiece and aspirated from the eye...
, a surgical technique for the removal of cataracts through a suture-less, 3 mm incision. Prior to phacoemulsification, cataract surgery required a 10 to 12 mm incision, which was closed with sutures and caused significant astigmatism
Astigmatism
An optical system with astigmatism is one where rays that propagate in two perpendicular planes have different foci. If an optical system with astigmatism is used to form an image of a cross, the vertical and horizontal lines will be in sharp focus at two different distances...
. Later that same year, he attended the first International Intraocular Lens Implantation Course by Binkhorst and Worst in the Netherlands. Despite being considered standard care today, the concept of intraocular lens
Intraocular lens
An intraocular lens is an implanted lens in the eye, usually replacing the existing crystalline lens because it has been clouded over by a cataract, or as a form of refractive surgery to change the eye's optical power. It usually consists of a small plastic lens with plastic side struts, called...
implantation during cataract surgery was a topic of much controversy at the time. These two novel techniques had a profound influence on Gimbel, who was among the first ophthalmologists in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to successfully implement them into his practice.
Career
In 1984, Gimbel introduced radial keratotomyRadial keratotomy
Radial keratotomy is a refractive surgical procedure to correct myopia.- Discovery :The procedure was discovered by Svyatoslav Fyodorov who removed glass from the eye of one of his patients who had been in an accident. A boy, who wore eyeglasses, fell off his bicycle and his glasses shattered on...
to Canada, a refractive surgery
Refractive surgery
Refractive eye surgery is any eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea or cataract surgery. The most common methods today use excimer lasers to...
technique in which peripheral corneal incisions are carefully placed to correct refractive errors. That same year he founded an eye surgery
Eye surgery
Eye surgery, also known as orogolomistician surgery or ocular surgery, is surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa, typically by an ophthalmologist.-Preparation and precautions:...
centre dedicated to the treatment of cataracts and refractive surgery, the Gimbel Eye Centre. It was around this time that he perfected the continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC), and the divide and conquer nucleofractis techniques, two techniques currently employed in small incision cataract surgery. His excellent surgical outcomes compelled him to share these techniques and others with his colleagues at universities and societies around the world through presentations, videotape distribution, and over 25 live satellite broadcasts at international conferences.
As the first surgeon in Canada to acquire the excimer laser
Excimer laser
An excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices , eye surgery, and micromachining....
for refractive surgery, Gimbel has remained at the forefront of refractive vision correction. In 1990, the first photorefractive keratectomy
Photorefractive keratectomy
Photorefractive keratectomy and Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy are laser eye surgery procedures intended to correct a person's vision, reducing dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The first PRK procedure was performed in 1987 by Dr. Theo Seiler, then at the Free University...
(PRK) procedure in Canada was performed at the Gimbel Eye Centre by John A. van Westenbrugge. PRK is a laser treatment of the corneal surface for the correction of refractive errors. Similarly, Gimbel was the first surgeon in North America to offer the Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) to his patients in 1997. The ICL is a posterior chamber, phakic intraocular lens used for the correction of moderate to high refractive errors.
On February 2000, Gimbel accepted an appointment to the Department of Ophthalmology at Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
, where he remains chairman and professor. He is also an associate professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
, and director of the Anterior Segment and Refractive Surgery fellowship at the Gimbel Eye Centre. In 2009, he was presented with the Canadian Ophthalmological Society Lifetime Achievement Award, and is considered one of the most influential and accomplished ophthalmologists in the world.
Continuous Curvilinear Capsulorhexis (CCC)
The continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) has been crucial to modern cataract surgery. It consists of making a small circular opening on the anterior surface of the crystalline lens to facilitate subsequent phacoemulsification and cataract removal. This technique constitutes a marked improvement from the previous can-opener capsulorhexis, where multiple small anterior capsular tears were connected. By providing a smooth, continuous surface that resists radial extension, the CCC significantly improved the safety and ease of phacoemulsification, effectively popularizing it. Gimbel employed this technique as early as 1983, and published his landmark description of it in 1991, along with Thomas Neuhann.Divide and Conquer Nucleofractis (CCC)
One of the basic techniques of cataract nucleofractis (fragmentation and removal), divide and conquer is among the safest approaches to phacoemulsification and cataract removal. Its safety is reflected in being among the first techniques of phacoemulsification taught to ophthalmology residents and beginner surgeons around the world. It consists of fashioning two orthogonal and deep central grooves in the crystalline lens nucleusNucleus
Nucleus may refer to:*Atomic nucleus, the very dense region at the center of an atom*Cell nucleus, the control center of a cell, which contains the cell's chromosomal DNA*Nucleus , a cluster of neurons in the central nervous system...
, followed by mechanical fracturing of the cataract with the phacoemulsification probe and second instrument. This effectively divides the cataract into four quadrants that are more easily removed by phacoemulsification. Gimbel initially proposed this technique in 1991.
Other Innovations and Techniques
| Year | Innovations & Techniques |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Capsule membrane suturing |
| 2008 | Conjunctival advancing scleral tunnel (CAST) incision |
| 2005 | Five variations of intraocular lens optic capture |
| 1987 | Posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (PCCC) |
| 1985 | First Canadian ophthalmologist to implement telemedicine Telemedicine Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities... for teaching |
| 1980 | First Canadian ophthalmologist to perform surgery in non-hospital setting |
Family Life and Interests
Gimbel currently lives in Calgary, Alberta. He commutes every two weeks between his private practice at the Gimbel Eye Centre in Calgary and his chairman position at Loma Linda University. A committed Christian, he is the father of five children, and has 12 grandchildren. He has a 1,750 acre farm, which he visits on his free time. Besides farming, he enjoys family reunions, hiking, singing in choral groups, and playing musical saw and trombone. He is able to accomplish all of these activities with the support of his son Glenn, who administers his Calgary practice, and his wife Judy, who provides organizational support for his travel plans, conferences, and other commitments.Awards and Recognitions
| Year | Awards & Recognitions |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Calgary Medical Society Physician of the Year Award |
| 2010 | Premier Surgeon PS250 |
| 2009 | STAAR Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 2009 | International Intraocular Implant Club’s IIIC Award |
| 2009 | Canadian Ophthalmological Society Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 2009 | Loma Linda Alumnus of the Year Award |
| 2006 | Charles Kelman Award |
| 2005 | Canadian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 2005 | One of Alberta’s Physicians of the Century Award |
| 1994 | Top 50 Opinion Leaders of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today (2005) Binkhorst Medal |
| 1992 | Alberta Order of Excellence Award |