Selig Percy Amoils , born 1933, is a South African

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

and biomedical engineering inventor."Presentation of National Orders - 27 September 2006: Selig Percy Amoils (1933 – )."
Accessed October 20, 2006. In 1965, Amoils refined the cryoextraction method of

cataract surgery Cataract surgery, also called lens replacement surgery, is the removal of the natural lens (anatomy), lens of the human eye, eye that has developed a cataract, an opaque or cloudy area. The eye's natural lens is usually replaced with an artific ...

by developing a cryoprobe that was cooled through the Joule-Thomson effect of gas expansion.Munton G
"A short history of cataract surgery."
''CE Optometry''. 2001 Vol.4 No.2: 45-88. His system is still widely used in the fields of

ophthalmology Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

and

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

.Cooper SM, Dawber RP
"The history of cryosurgery."
''J R Soc Med.'' 2001 Apr;94(4):196-201. . Amoils was also awarded a patent for his "rotary epithelial scrubber", an improvement on the brush first developed by Ioannis Pallikaris that removes corneal epithelial cells in preparation for

photorefractive keratectomy Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser-assisted sub-epithelial keratectomy (or laser epithelial keratomileusis) (LASEK) are laser eye surgery procedures intended to correct a person's vision, reducing dependency on glasses or contact lenses. ...

. Another development of his in 1970, was the diamond

vitrectomy Vitrectomy is a surgery to remove some or all of the vitreous humor from the Human eye, eye. Anterior vitrectomy entails removing small portions of the vitreous humor from the front structures of the eye—often because these are tangled in an i ...

cutter, various instruments enabling micro-control of blade depth in

radial keratotomy Radial keratotomy (RK) is a refractive surgery, refractive surgical procedure to correct myopia (nearsightedness). It was developed in 1974 by Svyatoslav Fyodorov, a Russian Ophthalmology, ophthalmologist. It has been largely supplanted by newer, ...

, as well as the oval comparator, or astigmometer, to control astigmatism after cataract surgery.

Career

Born, raised, and educated in

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, Amoils briefly studied

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

prior to attending

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

at the University of Witwatersrand where he earned his MB and BCh in 1956.Nalisha Kalideen
"The man who made Madiba weep."
Independent Online. September 28, 2006. Accessed October 27, 2006.
Accessed October 27, 2006. His specialist training was with Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary as a clinical fellow and research scientist specializing in retinal diseases and surgery and

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

. He advanced

cryosurgery Cryosurgery (with ''cryo'' from the Ancient Greek ) is the use of extreme cold in surgery to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue; thus, it is the surgical application of cryoablation. Cryosurgery has been historically used to treat a number o ...

for cataracts and retinal detachments during 1962 at Baragwanath hospital in Soweto. This led to the Joule-Thomson effect cryoprobe in 1965, using carbon dioxide or

nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or factitious air, among others, is a chemical compound, an Nitrogen oxide, oxide of nitrogen with the Chemical formula, formula . At room te ...

to cool the probe, which could then be reheated electrically, or by warm gas to release the probe if the resulting iceball also adhered to the iris; this dramatically changed cataract and retinal surgery. Amoils achieved wide recognition for his invention and in 1975 received a Queen's Award for Technological Innovation. His cryoprobe has since been on display in the Kensington Museum in London. In 1994, Amoils removed a cataract from South African President

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

's left eye."Mandela Has Surgery To Remove Cataract."
New York Times. July 14, 1994. Accessed October 20, 2006. In 2006, President

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...

awarded him the silver

Order of Mapungubwe The Order of Mapungubwe is a South African civilian honour awarded by the President of South Africa. It recognises South African citizens whose achievements have international impact and serve the interests of South Africa. It is South Africa' ...

for "excellence in the field of ophthalmology and for inspiring his colleagues in the field of science".

Publications

* ''Cryosurgery in ophthalmology'' (Textbook) Pitman Medical (1975)

References

* ''Sandton Chronicle'' report by Gillian Redmond 6 October 2006 * American Jewish Year Book, 1983, p. 271; online a

External links

Innovative Excimer Solutions Inc.

List of published papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amoils, Selig 1933 births Living people South African ophthalmologists South African Jews Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England South African inventors