Professor Barraquer was born in Barcelona, Spain, on January 24th, 1916 and died in Bogotá, Colombia on February 13th, 1998.

He obtained his degree in Medicine and Surgery from Madrid University in 1952 and went on to specialize in ophthalmology under the guidance of his father, Professor Ignacio Barraquer y Barraquer.

He was Founder and President of the Barraquer Institute of America; Founder and Director of the Barraquer Clinic in Bogotá; Vice-President of the Barraquer Institute in Barcelona; Director of the Ophthalmology Departments at the Marly Clinic and the Lleras Acosta Institute in Bogotá; author of several national and international scientific publications; Correspondent and Honorary Member of outstanding scientific societies in the world.

He was awarded 16 decorations by governments of various countries, including the Order of Alphonse X the Wise with Plaque under the title of Knight Commander (Spain, 1968); and the Cross of Boyacá under the Titles of Commander and Chief Officer (Colombia, 1980 and 1984, respectively).

He received 17 Honorary designations as Doctor Honoris Causa, Honorary Citizen and Distinguished Guest or Guest of Honor from different cities and universities.

He developed nineteen original surgical techniques.

He was the creator of Refractive Surgery used to correct refractive defects, including myopia, hyperopia and aphakia. As these techniques were developed, they became important landmarks in the history of surgery.

He performed the first surgical procedure where an organ was removed for function correction and then replaced into the human body.

He performed the first surgical procedure where a computer was used as an aid in determining the amount of surgery required.

He performed the first surgical procedure with the aid of a robot (computerized automatic lathe) to perform a one-stage surgery.

He developed forty (40) original instruments, including the microkeratome for the removal of a corneal disc and the automated cryolathe for shaping the donor cornea or the patient’s own cornea according to the required specifications.

Author of 18 special lectures and papers.

197 presentations as Guest Speaker at various congresses.

270 scientific publications.

2 compilation volumes on Refractive Surgery.

1 Textbook in Keratomileusis

1 Textbook on Refractive Surgery (2 volumes).

Director of 18 Refractive Surgery Courses in Bogotá and several others in the Unites States and France.