In August 2025, Argentine medicine positioned itself at the forefront of the world thanks to a historic achievement. The Charles Ophthalmology Center, under the direction of Dr. Martín Charles, received the prestigious Best of Show – Rhett Buckler Award at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) congress, considered the “Oscar of the retina”.
The distinction recognized a surgical procedure that documented the extreme reconstruction of a severely damaged eye due to trauma, a scenario that in most cases leads to irreversible vision loss.
The technique that opened a new horizon
The intervention combined multiple high-complexity maneuvers in a single surgery:
Repositioning and fixation of the lens.
Implantation of an intraocular lens in the physiological location.
Reconstruction of the iris using multiple sutures, which allowed restoring the shape and functionality of the pupil.
Thanks to this comprehensive approach, the patient regained visual function in an eye that was considered lost. An outcome that exceeds the clinical and transforms into a scientific advancement of international scope.
From a unique case to an educational model
What made this surgery significant was not only its medical success but also its replicable potential. The procedure was filmed with a pedagogical focus, explaining each step so that specialists from different countries could learn, adapt, and apply the technique. Thus, a surgery that changed a patient's life also became a global educational resource.
Argentina at the forefront of ophthalmology
This international recognition demonstrates that innovation in health does not always depend on large laboratories or expensive clinical trials, but also on the creativity and capability of medical teams. Argentine ophthalmology, with this contribution, not only achieves the highest technical standards but also consolidates itself as a reference in training and knowledge transfer.
The future of the challenge
The big question now is how to turn this achievement into a protocol accessible to other hospitals and surgical training centers. The next step will be to create multicenter registries, standardize the technique, and evaluate its long-term results.
If this path is realized, this award will be remembered not only as international recognition but also as the beginning of a new era in ocular reconstruction.
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