Roberto Zaldivar

Roberto Zaldivar was born in New Haven Connecticut in 1957 during Prof. Dr. Roger Zaldivar’s (father) post graduate training at Yale University. He afterwards moved to Argentina where he grew up. He began medical school at the age of 16 and was the first to graduate obtaining his medical degree in 1981 at the age of 22.

In 1982 he he wins the Research to Prevent Blindness Scholarship undertakes fellowship training in, In 1983 -1984 he undertakes fellowship training Cataract and Glaucoma with Harvard Assistant professor Dr. Richard Simmons at the New England Glaucoma Foundation in Boston

In 1985, after returning to Argentina, Dr. Zaldivar began his private practice along with his father in Anterior Segment Surgery, mainly Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Since then he has been an invited lecturer in worldwide meetings with over 150 trips to the United States of America and other countries including Europe, Asia and Africa.

He also has given over 1000 presentations and moderated in more than 350 panels of his specialty.

Submitted for publishing and already published in peer-reviewed journals are numerous original scientific papers and textbook chapters, mainly dealing with refractive surgery, as well as interviews and articles in monthly ophthalmic magazines.

Dr. Zaldivar has also designed more than 60 original instruments uses for surgical ophthalmic practice and has been currently a principal consulter or contributed with numerous companies in the development of technology such as: STAAR Surgical from Switzerland, Nidek CO. in Japan and ASICO in the United States, Technolas, ASICO, Intralase, AMO, Carl Zeiss, Rumex, and others.

One of his major accomplishments was the introduction of the Excimer Laser technology in Latin America contributing with the development of different Laser technologies such as the Laser Summit and Technolas 116 as well as the Scanning Laser System Nidek EC 5000, Navex and Bausch & Lomb Zyoptix 100.

Another remarkable contribution have been all the innovations in surgical techniques for Intraocular Lenses in phakic patients since 1988 with the Baikoff lens up to the current Staar ICL’s and TORIC ICL’s as Multifocal lens as well.

Bioptics, created by Dr. Roberto Zaldivar, is a combined refractive procedure in which ICL (Intraocular Contact Lens) implants are combined with LASIK procedure.

Nowadays we are developing Sequential Bioptics.
In cataract surgery, he was the first surgeon to implant foldable collamer negative lenses for myopes. Dr. Zaldivar has helped create and improved IOL power calculations formulas for the correction of extreme myopia.

He has also collaborated in the development of the surgical technique for the implant of the first Intraocular telescope (IOTL) for severe maculopathy treatment.

From the very beginning and under Dr. Dan Durrie’s (Kansas City) as initial guidance, Dr. Zaldivar formed a Research and Biostatistics Department training fellow colleagues and technicians. This department is fully equipped with the latest technology and is the one in charge of processing all the information concerning the patients diagnosis, treatment, followup, etc….

Its constant interaction with other departments or institutes of its kind in the world. This is also applied to all the branches of the Instituto Zaldivar nationwide.

The great inflow of patients, the microspecializations and the constant developments of new technologies in communications has conferred a high grade of excellence not only in service but in the number of surgical procedures performed weekly.

A great number of foreign specialists visit the Institute yearly being the U.S. ophthalmologists the major group (over 200 ). Dr. Zaldivar has been actively involved in teaching refractive and cataract techniques to other surgeons around the world. The Instituto Zaldivar offers Observerships and Fellowships for ophthalmologists who wish to specialize in refractive and cataract surgery.

Video conferences and live transmissions with all our branches inside and outside the country helps us to connect with all our patients and future ones in order to provide guidance, diagnosis and continuous follow ups.