- TFOS global ambassadors and international chapter affiliate
Dominican Republic
Miguel Ángel Lopez Pimentel
Miguel Angel López Pimentel is an active clinical and ocular surgeon with 24 years of experience in the field of Cornea, Refractive, Cataract and External Diseases. He is the chief founder of the Cornea Department at Elias Santana in the Dominican Republic, where he started the first Cornea-Refractive and External Disease Fellowship program in 1996. He graduated Doctors in the cornea field from Ecuador, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela and Dominican Republic, who now are leaders in their countries. In 1992, Dr. López reintroduced Amniotic Membrane Transplantation (AMT), and was the first to use AMT in a chemical burn patient, which resulted in an award-winning Residents paper presented at a Dominican Society meeting. Dr. López completed his fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Institute in Boston, USA, where he learned Keratoprosthesis from one of his mentors, Dr. Claes Dolhman. Since 1995, he has performed approximately 200 Keratoprosthesis cases, knowing very well the evolution and development that have Kpro’s design, and how to manage complications. Dr. López presented his Kpro’s in chemical burn experience at different international meetings and published a paper in the Cornea Journal. He also presented many papers in the cornea field at the Dominican Society Meeting, had several poster presentations at the American Academy Ophthalmology, and videos at ASCRS Meeting. Miguel Angel lives in Baní, Dominican Republic with his wife Katy and two daughters, Edithza and Yalitza. Edithza is studying Ophthalmology, and soon will be a Retina Surgeon. Yalitza also wants to work in the field of Ophthalmology. His son Angel Miguel studies Business Administration. Dr. López enjoys sports, outdoors fitness, biking, camping, and spending time with family and friends.