Graham Barrett
In a recent article written by Kane et al. from Australia, there is a comparison of intraocular lens power calculation formulae. When cataract surgery is performed, the natural lens of the eye is replaced by an artificial lens that usually sits in the position in the eye that the natural lens had previously been. In order to choose the artificial lens that is used, cataract surgeons like me use formulae to predict how the patient will see once we implant different artificial lenses. One of the conclusions that the study reached was that the Barrett Universal II formula has the lowest mean absolute prediction error, meaning that the Barrett Universal II formula is the best overall formula for the data that they used. The Barrett Universal II formula is a formula owned by Graham Barrett, an Australian cataract surgeon. I find it amazing that Dr. Barrett has this wonderful formula and makes it available to everyone for free on the website for the Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS). People like Dr. Barrett are wonderful examples of how some people in our field work hard to develop advances in the science and practice of ophthalmology and then are gracious enough to share them with the world. Thank you Dr. Barrett.