Professor Michael C. Knorz

Download profile

MD
IMAB Member

Professor Knorz earned his medical degree from the University of Heidelberg and completed his residency in ophthalmology at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Karlsruhe, Germany. Since 2001, he has served as Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Germany.

Professor Knorz is a member of the Optical Express International Medical Advisory Board (IMAB). He introduced LASIK in Germany in 1993, performing the first LASIK procedure there, and founded the FreeVis LASIK Center at the University Medical Center Mannheim in 1999. He is currently its CEO and Medical Director. He also introduced LASIK to India and performed the first LASIK there in Mumbai in 1994.

Professor Knorz is actively involved in the creation of standards of care in the field of refractive surgery. In 1995, Professor Knorz became Chairman of the German Committee of Refractive Surgery (KRC), a joint committee of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) and the Professional Association of German Ophthalmologists (BVA), which is responsible for education and quality control in refractive surgery in Germany. He still serves as the secretary of the KRC today.

Professor Knorz is Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Refractive Surgery and immediate-past chairman of the Editorial Board of Ocular Surgery News, Europe / Asia-Pacific Edition. He also serves as the treasurer of the International Intraocular Implant Club (IIIC).

Professor Knorz’s main research areas are in cataract and refractive surgery, intraocular lenses and femtosecond laser technology. He has published over 50 original articles in peer reviewed journals, 50 book chapters, and a comprehensive textbook on phacoemulsification, recently printed in its second edition. He has presented more than 400 papers and participated in over 200 courses on phacoemulsification and refractive surgery all over the world.

 Medical training

• University of Saarbruecken, medical school Homburg, 1977-1979
• University of Heidelberg, medical school Mannheim, 1979-1983

Residency

• Department of Ophthalmology, St. Vincentius Hospital, Karlsruhe, 1984-1987 (Chairman: Prof. Dr. F. Rentsch)
• University Eye Hospital, Klinikum Mannheim, 1988 (Chairman: Prof. Dr. H. Liesenhoff)

Professional certification

• Medical degree (approbation as medical doctor / general practitioner) on 26.October 1983
• Board-certified in ophthalmology on 14. September 1988
• Certified for intraocular surgery of higher degree of difficulty (Fachkunde okuläre Eingriffe höheren Schwierigkeitsgrades) on 9.4.1997
• Certified for laser surgery (Fachkunde Laserchirurgie) on 9.4.1997
• Certified for laser surgery of higher degree of difficulty (Fachkunde Laserchirurgie höheren Schwierigkeitsgrades) on 9.4.1997
• Certified for ocular muscle surgery of higher degree of difficulty (Fachkunde Augenmuskelchirurgie höheren Schwierigkeitsgrades) on 9.4.1997
• Certified for laboratory tests (Fachkunde Laboruntersuchungen) on 9.4.1997

Appointments beyond residency

• Vice Chairman, University Eye Hospital, Universitätsklinikum Mannheim, Germany, 1989 - 1998
• Private practive as an ophthalmologist in Ludwigshafen, Germany, from 1998 - 2003
• CEO and Medical director, FreeVis LASIK Zentrum, Universitätsklinikum Mannheim, since 2002

Academic qualifications and appointments

• Doctoral thesis "animal study on the nephrotoxicity of lead", accepted with "magna cum laude", 18.10.1983
• Habilitation in ophthalmology, 27.10.1993
• Venia legendi in ophthalmology, 15.2.2000
• Visiting associate clinical professor of ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA, from 1997 - 2000
• Professor of ophthalmology, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany, since February 2000

Teaching activities

• Regular teaching activities at the University Medical Center Mannheim since 1988
• Regular teaching activities at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, from 1997 - 2000
• Conducting phaco courses in Europe and Asia since 1990
• Conducting courses on refractive surgery (excimer laser, intraocular) in Europe and Asia since 1993

Research activities

• Regular participation in controlled clinical trials since 1988
• Particpation in Phase I, II and III FDA multicenter trials by several sponsors (e.g., Alcon Inc.)

Examples of recent studies

• Alcon Inc., Ft. Worth, TX: Prospective, non-randomized trial on the AcrySof Phakic angle-supported intraocular lens for the correction of moderate to high Myopia. Participation in Phase I, II, and III; Study start: 1998, Study end: 2012
• Acufocus Inc.: Prospective, multicentric study to evaluate the efficacy and safety oft he AcuFocus " ACI 700 in presbyopic patients (PROTOKOLL ACU-P-003). Study start: 2005, Study end: 2010

Scientific societies

• Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
• Member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS)
• Member of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG)
• Member of the Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS)
• Member of the International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS)
• Member and President-Elect of the International Intra-Ocular Implant Club (IIIC)
• Honorary member of the South African Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (SASCRS)

Awards

• Honor Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), 2000
• Kritzinger Memorial Award of the South African Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (SASCRS), 2001
• Kritzinger Award of the International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS), 2001
• Epstein Lecture of the South African Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (SASCRS), 2003
• Honorary Membership Award of the South African Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (SASCRS), Durban, 2005
• Casebeer Award of the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Las Vegas,2006
• Gold Medal Lecture, Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (AUSCRS), Coolum, Australia, 2008
• Senior Achievment Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Atlanta, 2008
• Secretariat Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), San Francisco, 2009