Dr. Colvard was nationally recognized as one of America’s leading cataract surgeons. He served as a Clinical Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology on the volunteer faculty of Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine. He was a consultant with Cedars Sinai Valley Health Services. Dr. Colvard had been active in clinical practice, had taught cataract surgery to resident surgeons at USC and UCLA affiliated hospitals for over thirty years, and was a frequent lecturer at courses for post-graduate eye surgeons both nationally and internationally.
In addition to being named to the “Southern California Super Doctor’s Hall of Fame,” he had been chosen as one of the nation’s “Best Doctors” and one of America’s “Top Ophthalmologists” by independent consumer groups. He had also been inducted into IIIC, a highly selective European-based medical honor society, whose membership is comprised of the world’s most highly regarded eye surgeons.
Dr. Colvard was the editor and a principal contributor of the new textbook “Achieving Excellence in Cataract Surgery”. Publication of the text was funded by an educational grant from Advanced Medical Optics. Through this grant, copies of the text have been placed in the libraries of every medical school in the country, and individual copies have been made available to every resident in training in ophthalmology in the United States and Canada. The text has also been selected by both the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons for inclusion on their teaching websites.
Dr. Colvard was also the new technology editor for “Review of Ophthalmology” and had served as the editor for the cataract section of “Focal Points”, a clinical modular teaching program for graduate physicians, published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Colvard had received the prestigious “Honor Award” and the “Senior Honor Award” for his commitment and dedication to teaching by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The “Senior Honor Award” recognizes individuals for their lifetime contributions to teaching and to scientific advancement of the field of ophthalmology.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest and most prestigious scientific society for eye surgery in the world. Its educational programs, both at the regional and the national level, are widely considered the most advanced and comprehensive in existence.
Dr. Michael Colvard passed away in September 2024. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy in the field of ophthalmology, where he was widely respected as a pioneering cataract surgeon, educator, humanitarian, and mentor to generations of physicians. His dedication to advancing eye surgery and improving patient care impacted countless lives around the world.
We are honored to share his biography and eulogy below in remembrance of his remarkable life, professional accomplishments, and enduring contributions to medicine.
Dr. Colvard developed many surgical techniques and designed a variety of instruments used in eye surgery all over the world. The focus of Dr. Colvard’s innovative work was always patient safety. For example, the “Colvard Pupilometer,” an instrument used in the preoperative evaluation of patients for laser vision correction and cataract surgery, was designed and developed by Dr. Colvard. This device, used by virtually every outstanding LASIK surgeon in the world today, has helped to improve the process of patient selection in laser vision correction. The use of Dr. Colvard´s device helps surgeons to identify which patients are likely to have problems with night vision following LASIK before any surgery is performed. This allows careful surgeons to properly counsel patients who are at high risk to have problems with night vision.
In addition, Dr. Colvard was the founder and medical director of the Friends of Vision, a non-profit organization supporting medical charities in third world countries, and he served on the Board of Directors of SEE International. He was an active volunteer cataract surgeon in underdeveloped countries for thirty years. Click “Friends of Vision” on the search bar of the introductory page of this website for a more detailed discussion of Dr. Colvard’s activities as a volunteer surgeon outside the US.
Dr. Colvard was a member of the American Medical Association. He was a Diplomat of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons and was a founding member of the American College of Eye Surgeons.
Colvard-Kandavel Eye Center offers personalized eye care services for patients with routine and complex eye conditions.
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