Dr. Baerveldt received his
medical degree from the University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South
Africa in 1967 followed by an internship, also at the University of
Pretoria.
Between 1972 and 1976 Dr.
Baerveldt completed a residency in Ophthalmology at the University
of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1975 he was a
fellow in Anterior Segment Surgery and Neuro-Ophthalmology at the
State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn,
New York.
In
1980, Dr. Baerveldt was recruited as a full-time faculty member at
the Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California where he
progressed to the rank of Associate Professor. In 1994 he accepted a
faculty position as the Director of Glaucoma at the Cleveland Clinic
Foundation where he remained until joining our department on
September 1, 1999.
Dr. Baerveldt’s international reputation is based on his glaucoma
research and surgical innovations. Dr. Baerveldt developed the
“Baerveldt Glaucoma Implant” and presently holds four patents
related to this invention. He is the inventor of the Trabectome®, a
minimally-invasive glaucoma surgical instrument for the treatment of
adult and infantile open-angle glaucoma. This surgery is now being
performed throughout America.
He has participated in 44 clinical trials involving glaucoma drugs
and laser surgery. He has published 67 peer-reviewed papers and 10
chapters in books. Dr. Baerveldt is a founding member of the
American Glaucoma Society, the Glaucoma Society of Southern
California and the Glaucoma Society of Orange County.
Dr. Baerveldt received the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s
Senior Achievement Award in 2002, honored in Woodward and Whites
“Best Doctors in America“ and “Top Docs” by the Cleveland Magazine.
His humanitarian endeavors have been recognized by the National
Society to Prevent Blindness and he received the “Teacher of the
Year” award in 1981 from the University of Southern California, and
“Staff of the Year” award from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation,
1997/1998 and 1998/1999.
