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Prim. Univ. Prof. Dr. Oliver Findl, MBA, FEBO

About Prof. Findl

Prof. Findl is a highly qualified consultant eye surgeon delivering expert care. He gained extensive experience in ocular surgery at the Vienna General Hospital, as Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and currently holds the position of Chief of Department of Ophthalmology at the Vienna Hanusch Hospital. In addition to his clinical work, Prof. Findl is a worldwide renowned researcher in the field of ocular surgery.

From 1994 to 2006, Prof. Findl had a tenure as Assistant Professor at the Vienna University Hospital (AKH), Department of Ophthalmology. Thereafter, he was appointed Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, the largest eye hospital in the world.

2009 Prof. Findl was appointed Chief of the Departement of Ophthalmology at the Vienna Hanusch Hospital. Apart from his full time job at the Vienna Hanusch Hopsital, he continued to work as a part time Consultant Ophtalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital from 2009 until 2014.

“

I perform surgery using state-of-the-art equipment. My work is characterized by perfectionism and attention to detail.

Prof. Findl

About Prof. Findl

Medical Occupation

  • Assistenzarzt und Oberarzt, Univ. Klinik für Augenheilkunde und Optometrie, Medizinische Universität Wien, 1994 – 2006
  • Private Clinic, John Saunders Suite, Moorfields Eye Hospital, 2006 – 2009
  • Chief of Department of Ophthalmology, Hanusch-Hospital, Vienna, since 2009

Training

  • Medical school, University of Vienna, 1986 – 1993
  • Research fellow (one year) at der Harvard University, Boston, MA, U.S.A., Children’s Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, 1993 – 1994
  • Assistant Professor at the Vienna University Hospital, (AKH), Department of Ophthalmology, 1994 – 2006
  • Registered and specialized in Ophthalmology, Austrian Medical Chamber (ÖÄK), 1999
  • Associate Professor for Ophthalmology – Venia docendi for Ophthalmology, University of Vienna, 2000
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Health Care Management, Medical University of Vienna and Berlin School of Economics, 2005 – 2007

Advanced education

  • Neurobiology for MD/PHD Programme, Harvard University, Boston, MA , 1993
  • Course Clinical investigator, Medical Council of Vienna, 2002
  • Management course, Salzburg University, Salzburg, 2002
  • Postdoctoral course “The Art of Teaching”, University of Vienna, 2003 – 2004
  • Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology (FEBO), 2004

External clinical traineeship

  • Columbia University, Harlem Hospital Center, New York, U.S.A., 1989
  • Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway, 1990
  • Tel-Aviv University, Ichilov Hospital, Israel, 1992
  • Harvard University, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA, U.S.A., 1992

Personal

  • Married with 2 children
  • Former extra at the Vienna State Opera
  • Ski instructor and former ski coach of the Vienna International School Ski Racing Team

Eye Surgery

Cataract Surgery

Corneal Transplantation

Retinal Surgery

Positions in professional organisations

  • 2022–2023 President of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS)
  • 2004–2024 Board and Executive Board Member and Secretary of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS)
  • Treasurer and Executive Board Member of the Austrian Ophthalmological Society (ÖOG) since 2010
  • Founder and head of Vienna Institute of Research and Ocular Surgery (VIROS)
  • Member of the International Intraocular Implant Club (IIIC) — by invitation only; currently only three members from Austria
  • Former President of the Viennese Society of Ophthalmology (WOG)
  • Editorial board member of Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (JCRS)
  • Former member of the ethics committee of the Medical University of Vienna
  • Editorial board member of the international professional journal ‘Eurotimes’
  • 2018–2024 Former board member of Light for the World Austria

Memberships in scientific organisations

  • American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS)
  • Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
  • German Ophthalmological Society (DOG)
  • German-speaking Society for Intraocular Lens Implantation and Refractive Surgery (DGII)
  • European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS)
  • Austrian Ophthalmological Society (ÖOG)
  • Vienna Ophthalmological Society (WOG)
ESCRS Generalsekretär Prof. Findl

President of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS)

From 2022 to 2023, Prof. Findl served as the elected President of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS), the European professional society dedicated to cataract and refractive surgery. The ESCRS is the largest ophthalmological society in Europe, with more than 8,000 members, and organizes two international congresses each year.

With more than 16,000 participating ophthalmic surgeons as well as representatives from industry and the pharmaceutical sector, the ESCRS congresses in Milan in 2022 and Vienna in 2023, held during Prof. Findl’s presidency, were the largest and most widely attended ophthalmology meetings worldwide.

Prior to his presidency, Prof. Findl had actively contributed to the society for over 16 years as a board member and Secretary. He was the first Austrian to serve as President of this major international ophthalmological society.

Guest professorship at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London

Prof. Findl’s scientific expertise is esteemed abroad as well: London Moorfields Eye Hospital, one of the wolrd’s leading eye hospitals, providing expert clinical care, research and teaching, has appointed Prof. Findl for a guest professorship as Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon from Aug. 2009 until Jan. 2014. In monthly intervals, Prof. Findl commuted to London for a few days to lead research teams and perform surgery.

Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery

In May 2010, Prof. Findl founded the „Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery“ (VIROS), a Karl Landsteiner Institute for innovation in ocular surgery. Main fields of research are after-cataract (PCO) and functional vision after cataract surgery.

Lectures

Prof. Findl has delivered the annual keynote lectures of the three largest cataract surgery societies:

Ridley Lecture

The Ridley Lecture of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeon

The Ridley Lecture of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons is one of the most prestigious scientific distinctions in European ophthalmology. In 2026, Prof. Oliver Findl will deliver this renowned lecture during the opening ceremony of the ESCRS Congress. The honor is reserved for internationally distinguished experts who have significantly shaped the field of cataract and refractive surgery.

Haigis Lecture

The Haigis Lecture of the Intraocular Lens Power Club (IOLPC)

The Haigis Lecture of the Intraocular Lens Power Club (IOLPC) is a distinguished scientific honor within the field of intraocular lens calculation and biometry. In 2025, Prof. Oliver Findl delivered the Haigis Lecture at the annual IOLPC meeting. This recognition is reserved for internationally recognized experts who have made significant contributions to the advancement of IOL power calculation and cataract surgery outcomes.

ASCRS Binkhorst Lecturer in Washington DC

Every year the American Society of  Cataract and Refractive Surgery awards the Binkhorst Medal – rarely to Europeans, in 2018 for the first time to an Austrian. Prof. Findl delivered the prestigious Binkhorst Lecture at the opening session of the 2018 Annual Meeting in Washington DC. The Binkhorst Medal has been awarded since 1975 and, up to now, only to four Europeans.

LIM lecture APACRS

APACRS Gold Medal 2016

The Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS) annually awards the APACRS gold medal to outstanding ophthalmologists for their signification and excpetional contributions to the development of cataract and refractive surgery. In 2016, Prof. Findl was chosen to hold the prestigious LIM Lecture and was awarded the APACRS medal by Prof. Ronald Yeoh. Among only five Europeans who have received this honor so far, Prof. Findl is the first Austrian.

Research Focus

Prof. Findl’s strong commitment to scientific work is reflected in his publication record. He has published more than 400 original peer-reviewed articles in international ophthalmology journals. His h-index is 88 and he has been cited more than 25,000 times (as of 2026; source: Google Scholar). Prof. Findl is therefore among the most cited researchers worldwide.

Based on bibliometric analyses and known distributions in ophthalmology — particularly cataract surgery — an h-index of this magnitude corresponds approximately to the top 0.01% worldwide. In other words, about 1 in 10,000 cataract surgeons worldwide achieves comparable scientific visibility.

Among actively practising Austrian ophthalmologists, Prof. Oliver Findl has the highest known h-index.

What is the h-index?
The h-index is a simple metric describing how many scientific papers a researcher has published and how often these papers are cited, summarising scientific impact.

In large ophthalmology studies, the average h-index in the subfield of cataract surgery/intraocular lenses (IOL) is below 4.

Prof. Findl’s value of 88 is therefore orders of magnitude above the typical level and belongs to the international research elite.

Cataract
  • High precision biometry for accurate intraocular lens power calculation
  • Prevention of after-cataract , one of the most common “complications” of cataract surgery
  • First description of the pros and cons of the implantation of two intraocular lenses in one eye, called “piggyback technique”
Glaucoma
  • Impact of bloodflow in the optic nerve on the development of glaucoma
  • Influence of local anesthesia on ocular blood flow during eye surgery
Myopia

  • Changes of eye length during accommodation

Teaching

In addition to his key lecture series at the Medical University of Vienna on the causes of myopia, the supervision of dissertations and diploma theses and his annual lecture at the “Wiener Augentag”, one of Prof. Findl’s main field of interest is the development of computer learning programmes.

Prof. Findl’s learning tools are highly appreciated by medical students and are among the most frequently used electronic learning devices at medical universities. These cutting-edge learning projects have won several awards, such as the Austrian State Award for Multimedia.

Vienna Ophthalmic Case Studies

Interactive case simulation program for students and ophthalmogolgists.

Ophthalmic Operation Vienna

3D-animations of common eye operations.

Eye Exam

Computer learning program on common eye examinations.

e-i Electronic Eye

Interactive online learning tool designed for medical students.

“

Due to many years of experience in ocular surgery, I am happy to treat difficult surgical cases.

Prof. Findl
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