Welcome in the Department for Retina- and Vitreous Surgery.

Since 1996, professor Dr. med. Frank Koch  is running the department of vitreoretinal diagnostics and surgery of the university eye clinic, Johann Wolfgang Goethe university, Frankfurt a.M. (C3-lifetime professorship position). Before Prof. Koch took over his position in Frankfurt, he was already more than 8 years in charge of the retina department at the university eye clinic in Bonn. Today, his department in Frankfurt is considered to be one of the leading centers in Europe.

Expert in ophthalmic surgery: Prof. Koch is considered to be one of the top specialists for vitreoretinal diseases and surgical intervention. Until today, he did perform more than 16.000 surgical interventions mainly on the retina, in the vitreous cavity and on the lens.

Worldwide highly respected Researcher and Inventor: Professor Frank Koch is well known for his engagement in actively taking part in clinical relevant research. More than 100 articles so far were printed in peer reviewed international journals. Over 10 prestigeous awards were given to Prof. Koch, e.g. the „Achievement Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the „American Vitreous Society Honor Award“.

His innovative talents have resulted in many substantial products improving the bimanual working options for microscopic vitreoretinal surgery, endoscopic minimal vitreoretinal surgery, techniques for drug application combined with other treatment modalities as well as the setup of a unique vitreoretinal simulator for a safer more efficient education in ophthalmic surgery.

The „networker“ Koch invests into synergistic strategies: As the former  „International representative of the largest American society for retina and vitreous diseases and surgery (VS/ASRS - 1998 - 2001) Prof. Koch co-founded in 2001  the European VitreoRetinal Society (EVRS) bridgings the retina and vitreous subspecialty of the USA and Europe.  As president (2001-2004) and board member (since 2004) of the EVRS, Koch´s activities have a significant impact on the scientific and clinical progress of the diagnostics, the therpeutical options and the training of ophthalmic surgery in this young ophthalmic discipline.

Modern teacher: From Professor Koch´s point of view,  innovative scientific and clinical working as well as progressive information and education have to be linked to each other tightly. One of his personally designed platforms for presenting and updating this concepts can be accessed by participating in the VitreoRetinal Symposium (VRS), a high-volume international meeting based on the cooperation of the university eye clinics in Marburg/L. and Frankfurt /M.

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Professor Frank Koch wins Hertie Foundation Award

15.06.2011

The group of Professor Frank Koch of Frankfurt University eyehospital was awarded for excellence in teaching related to the project "Diagnosis at the posterior eye segment and microsurgery in the eye (DAMA)". In cooperation with different partners Koch developed a diagnostic simulator. This instrument and the recently developed eye-surgery trainig system will improve the training of medical students at the Department of Ophthalmology of the Goethe-University Frankfurt a.M..

Pharmaco Surgery offers New Ways of Treatment in Patients with Diabetes and Macula Degeneration

In Pharmaco Surgery drugs or a drug-combination (combination therapy, three-fold therapy, four-fold therapy) is injected into the eye , e.g. into the vitreous body of the eye. This opens new ways of the treatment of many eye diseases, as diabetic retinopathy or age related macula degeneration. The injections into the vitreous body can be combined with other procedures as Photo-Dynamic Therapy or Pars Plana Vitrektomy).
The intervention takes few minutes and requires only local anethesia under "out patient conditions". A major goal is to stop the progression of the disease and to improve visiul acuity, visual disturbances like blurred vision (so called "metamorphopsia") and aims to improve the prognosis of the condition.

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Rheopheresis: Early Treatment of "Drusen"-Maculopathie

Age related macula degeneration is understood to be caused by reduced perfusion of the smallest retina vessels. The Rheopheresis is a a procedure for "blood-cleaning", which was developed particularly for the treatment of blood circulation disturbances within the range of the smallest vessels. It can be used thus also to treat certain forms of the age related macula degeneration. First studies showed that 8-10 single procedures can lead across one period of 10-21 weeks to a continuous improvement of the natural progression of this conditon.

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