In the heart of Berlin, on the Spree river, close to the city centres of former East and West Berlin, is the ‘Augentagesklinik Spreebogen’ eye clinic. This is the domain of Prof. Manfred Tetz. From this clinic and two annexes, together with three other ophthalmologists, he offers a large number of treatments that include Artisan and Artiflex lens implantations. For years now his preference has gone to these lenses, in both the phakic and the aphakic variant, over other models in the market. This preference is solidly based on research and studies. Training courses are regularly organised at the ‘Augentagesklinik Sprebogen’, as Prof. Tetz not only implants the lenses but also enthusiastically shares his immense knowledge and experience with Artisan and Artiflex. An interview:
Vinícius Amin Ghanem
Close-knit
Working together as a family - what good can come from that? Ghanem: ‘Working together as a family is truly fantastic! We are a very close-knit family that obviously gets on very well together. I am very dedicated to my family, and to the hospital. We always discuss the difficult cases together, and with our ophthalmologists at the hospital. It is wonderful to have this kind of support and dedication but it would have been almost impossible not living the life I live now. I grew up hearing my parents talk about their patients and treatments and about how wonderful it is to help people see again or see better. Actually, I haven’t ever thought of doing anything besides ophthalmology. That was actually good, because when I went to medical school I was already focusing on being an ophthalmologist. That focus put me some steps ahead of many others.’
Like father, like son
Seen in the light of previous revelations, Ghanem’s specialty is not very special, but brims with passion nonetheless: ‘My specialty lies in refractive surgery including phakic lenses, cataract and cornea. We have the Schwind Amaris 1050 Hertz equipped with the best technology available. We have implanted hundreds of multifocal IOLs each year ever since they first arrived in Brazil in 2005. I chose this specialty because my father does the same thing, and right from the beginning I loved it. We really can help people to see better in a question of minutes.’
The stuff legends are made of
The ultimate proof of trust must be to have a family member meddle with your eyes. Legends could be written about that fact. Actually, they probably were but for now, let’s stick to the facts with a first-hand story. Ghanem: ‘About 2 and half years ago, I decided to have Artisan lenses implanted in my own eyes. I’d been using contact lenses for 25 years, and I was ready for a permanent alternative. As an ophthalmologist, the importance of vision is something occupying most of your professional life. So before I decided to have the Artisan lenses implanted in my eyes, I studied all literature I could lay my hands on – not because of lack of trust but because I wanted to be absolutely certain about my choice. I had 9 degrees of myopia, and I knew that the Artisan lens would give me a better quality of vision than laser refractive surgery. But maybe there were innovations that I had failed to notice somehow. There weren’t. And besides: how much proof do you need when your own father has learned how to perform the surgery from Jan Worst in 1997? Exactly. Moreover, it would have been strange to neglect the fact that I myself had been implanting the lenses with confidence since 2002 (with no explants to date). And of course, the design had already stood the test of time. This classic has been used for the last thirty years with hardly any design changes. How much proof does one need!’
'The next day I was able to see without thick glasses or contact lenses: a truly amazing experience’
The ripples
‘The procedure itself was not worth mentioning – I was very calm and everything went by without the slightest ripple or discomfort. What is worth mentioning though, are the results. The following day already proved wonderful because I was able to see without thick glasses or contact lenses: a truly amazing experience. Moreover, my vision improved in the days that followed as the astigmatism improved. My corrected vision was 20/25 before surgery and now is 20/15 without correction. Fantastic! I did experience some glare for about a month, but that slight discomfort subsided. (Just to make it clear: I have no financial interest in this technology.)’
Confident
‘Of course, the fact that my father would perform the procedure was truly unique. I knew that his responsibility would be immense, but I trusted him. I am sure that it is not easy to operate on your own son. Today, having experienced the patient position makes me feel even more confident about using Artisan lenses. And I notice that my experience helps my patients as well – I can describe everything vividly, from the procedure itself to the initial glare, to the amazing feeling of having (re)gained your vision, especially if you suffer from high myopia. My message has become more relevant and genuine, and probably adds to the experience we offer to our patients as a whole.’
