Roberto Zaldivar

Roberto Zaldivar (born May 27, 1957) is an Argentine doctor of ophthalmology and a refractive surgeon. He is credited with several breakthroughs in the use of laser to correct visual impairments. Zaldivar is credited for a technique called bioptics, a term he introduced. He is the president of the Instituto Zaldivar in Argentina, and the founder and first president of the Argentine Society of Cataract and Refractive and Corneal Surgery. He also introduced excimer laser technology to Latin America, and was the first in the world to implant the first collamer implantable lens in a patient, for which he has been considered a pioneer of phakic intraocular lenses (ICL). He was the first to bring and operate with a ruby laser in South America in 1961 Roberto was born in New Haven, Connecticut, while his father was pursuing a master's degree at Yale.

Roger Eleazar Zaldivar was the dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the National University of Cuyo based in Mendoza, where Roberto studied Medicine between the ages of 16 and 22. There, he attended to the Kennedy family, Arab sheikhs, and the presidents of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, and his opponent, Corazon Aquino.

In 1985, he returned to Mendoza to work with his father at the Instituto Zaldivar in the anterior segment, including refractive surgery and cataract surgery.

On September 22, 1993, he was the first ophthalmologist in the world to perform surgery with phakic intraocular lenses (ICL), which correct refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Bioptics was considered by the International Society of Refractive Surgery, the German Ophthalmological Society, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology as one of the 17 innovations that marked a milestone in ophthalmology worldwide.

Roberto Zaldivar was the first president of the Argentine Association of Refractive and Corneal Surgeons the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the International Society of Keratorefractive Surgery, and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Throughout his career, Zaldivar has attended to renowned figures, such as the actresses Susana Giménez and Graciela Borges; the former president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri; the journalist Bernardo Neustadt; the film director Juan José Campanella; the soccer players Diego Maradona, Enzo Francescoli, and Enzo Fernández; and the actors Ricardo Darín, Guillermo Francella, and Brad Pitt.

In 1996, he opened a branch of the Instituto Zaldivar in Buenos Aires and in 2002 in Asunción, Paraguay. In 1990, he formed the Zaldivar Foundation, which provides support to patients without resources.

In 1999, he was distinguished by the Ophthalmological Society of South Africa with the Epstein Lecture Award.

In 2002, he was recognized for his contributions to refractive surgery with the Robert Coles Memorial Lecture from the New York Academy of Medicine,

In 2005, the Argentine Senate awarded him the Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Honorary Mention, which distinguishes entrepreneurs who stand out for their work for the good of the community.

In 2010, he received the Jan Worst Medal Lecture from the International Intra-Ocular Implant Club (IIIC) of the United States. Between 2016 and 2018, Zaldivar was president of that institution.

In 2012, he obtained the Rayner Medal Lecture from the United Kingdom and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. In 2014, he won a Gold Medal from the Spanish Society of Implant-Refractive Ocular Surgery. and the Gold Medal from the Indian Intra-ocular Implant and Refractive Surgery. The following year, he was the first foreigner to be recognized by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery with the Steinert Refractive Lecture. Also, the Italian Ophthalmological Society awarded him the Innovator Medal Lecture.

In 2024, he was recognized for the third time as one of the 100 most influential ophthalmologists in the world by the English magazine The Ophthalmologist.

Personal life Roberto Zaldivar is married to Stella Gaibazzi. His daughter, Mercedes Zaldivar, is a lawyer, while his son Roger Zaldivar is also an ophthalmologist and is the medical director of the Instituto Zaldivar.