Robert Gale Martin, MD, renowned ophthalmic surgeon and researcher, dies at age 65

Robert Gale Martin, MD, a world-renowned cataract and refractive surgeon and a member of the Ocular Surgery News Editorial Board from its inception in 1982 until 1996, died Tuesday, March 18, at his home in Southern Pines, N.C. He was 65 years old.

Robert Gale Martin

Known as one of the earliest proponents of IOLs and non-lens-based refractive surgery, Dr. Martin wrote or edited more than 175 books and articles. In addition, he helped to establish a number of organizations, including the American Board of Eye Surgeons, the American Board of Eye Surgery and was one of the founders of the Society for Excellence in Eyecare.

In 1977, Dr. Martin helped to found Carolina Eye Associates in Pinehurst, N.C., which became the first unaffiliated outpatient ophthalmic surgery facility east of the Mississippi River and one of the first in the nation to be Medicare certified.

Among his many achievements, Dr. Martin served as medical director of the China Eye Joint Venture, a project spearheaded by Carolina Eyes Associates that established an ophthalmic clinic and surgery facility at the University of Hangzhou in China's Zhejiang province.

In January, he received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine — the highest honor awarded to civilians in North Carolina — for his services to the state. Also, Medical Ministry International recently established an endowment in his honor, which will award scholarships to ophthalmology residents in developing countries who agree to return to their native countries to provide eye care.

The memory of Dr. Martin will be honored at the upcoming American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting in Chicago during a reception to be held Sunday, April 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Chicago's Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum. For more information, or to RSVP, send an e-mail to agatz@traceytech.com.