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AAO hosts the world premiere of Charles Kelman television documentary
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SAN FRANCISCO — The organization that once ostracized Charles D. Kelman, MD, more than 30 years ago honored him by screening the world premiere of the PBS documentary "Through My Eyes: The Dr. Charles D. Kelman Story."
A multifaceted man torn between his desire to please his family and fulfill his father's wishes for him to become a doctor and his love of music and entertainment is the topic of this television documentary.
While Dr. Kelman "reached the pinnacle of success in the wrong profession," as noted by the narrator of the documentary shown here at the joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, ophthalmic professionals young and old now have the opportunity to see how phacoemulsification was invented and moved from being designated as experimental and highly criticized to the most widely used procedure for cataract removal in the world.
The story of the father of phacoemulsification and microincisional surgery is told through video clips, photography and interviews with family, friends and many ophthalmic luminaries, including Jack Dodick, MD; Steven Shearing, MD; Kenneth Hoffer, MD; Manus Kraff, MD; Spencer Thornton, MD; Richard Packard, MD; Yale Fisher, MD; Guy Knolle, MD; Robert Sinskey, MD; and others.
A preview can be found at www.wliw.org/kelman. PBS television stations will begin airing it January 2010. An educational version with the goal of inspiring children to look beyond sports and entertainment as the only means of gaining distinction in a career is being developed through the support of the Dr. Charles and Ann Kelman Family Foundation.
Produced by WLIW21 for WNET.org, the documentary was made possible by the International Retinal Research Foundation; Alcon; the American Academy of Ophthalmology; Bausch & Lomb; Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island: Wills Eye Institute; Astoria Federal Savings: James B. Carty Jr., MD; Aker Kasten Eye Center; Jerre Minor Freeman, MD, of Memphis Eye and Cataract Associates; and the BWD Group LLC.