{"id":91,"date":"2026-05-27T10:56:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T09:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/?p=91"},"modified":"2026-06-02T11:58:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:58:05","slug":"notable-figures-eye-care-jose-ignacio-barraquer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/notable-figures-eye-care-jose-ignacio-barraquer","title":{"rendered":"Notable Figures in Eye Care: Jos\u00e9 Ignacio Barraquer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jos\u00e9 Ignacio Barraquer Moner \u2013 (1916 \u2011 1998)<\/h2>\n

Dr Jos\u00e9 Ignacio Barraquer Moner was a distinguished ophthalmologist from a long and prominent lineage of eye care professionals. Born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1916, Jos\u00e9 was the first son of Ignacio Barraquer, an eminent ophthalmologist who invented a surgical procedure to remove cataracts using a suction cup device. From an early age, Jos\u00e9’s father instilled in his children his knowledge of science and ophthalmology, with the aim of continuing the family tradition. To further his education, Jos\u00e9 Ignacio Barraquer enrolled in medicine at the University of Barcelona to become a surgeon, graduating in 1940.<\/p>\n

With his father as mentor, he continued his work in ophthalmology at what is now the Barraquer Ophthalmology Centre in Barcelona. In 1952, he completed his doctorate with distinction, graduating as a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Madrid. While completing his doctorate, Jos\u00e9 Ignacio regularly travelled to teach and meet other leading eye care professionals around the world.<\/p>\n

Following a visit to South Africa in 1953, Barraquer decided it was time to open his own independent clinic and moved with his family to Bogot\u00e1, Colombia. The Barraquer Institute of America was founded in 1964, followed by the Barraquer Clinic of Bogot\u00e1 in 1968. In Colombia, Dr Barraquer carried out the bulk of his research and developed techniques for refractive surgery. Like his father and grandfather before him, Barraquer was a gifted teacher who mentored many young colleagues at the institute in his later years. Dr Jos\u00e9 Barraquer remained actively involved in teaching and practising optical research until his death in Bogot\u00e1 in 1998.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Barraquer’s contributions to eye care<\/h2>\n

Dr Jos\u00e9 Barraquer’s most significant contribution to eye care was the invention of keratomileusis in 1948. This procedure is achieved by surgically adjusting the curvature of a corneal disc \u2014 removing it, reshaping its tissue using specialised tools (many of which were invented by Barraquer himself), and then repositioning it in the patient’s eye. The procedure can correct myopia and hyperopia and allows the patient to become free from dependence on glasses or contact lenses.<\/p>\n

Among the other notable contributions of Jos\u00e9 Ignacio Barraquer to ophthalmology:<\/p>\n