FAIRFAX, Va.—Robert M. Sinskey, MD, a renowned ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon, passed away on Sunday, June 21, 2015. Funeral services for him were held on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 in California.

Born August 10, 1924, Sinskey served as a medical director emeritus of the Southern California Lion’s Eye Institute, clinical professor of ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA and was on staff at the St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. He was also a guest faculty and surgeon in more than 100 symposia and took part in more than 200 speaking engagements worldwide. Sinskey also published more than 30 journal articles and textbook chapters, as well as a revised monograph on phacoemulsification.

Along with this, he was an ophthalmic pioneer who played an important role in the development and acceptance of phacoemulsification. Beginning in the 1970s, Sinskey along with Richard Katz, MD, personally trained over 3,500 phacoemulsification adopters.

Sinskey patented his modified J-loop intraocular lens (IOL), invented many surgical instruments and was a pioneer in the use of low-power IOLs and IOLs in children suffering from cataract.

Sinskey received his medical degree and performed his ophthalmology residency at Duke School of Medicine. From 1951 to 1953 he was assigned to the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan where he studied the eyes of bombing victims. Two years later, he became the first full-time instructor and opened the eye service at UCLA.

In 1999 he served as the ASCRS president and was inducted into the ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also an ASCRS Foundation board member since it was started in 2002. Through his involvement with the foundation, Sinskey realized the need to bring top-grade charitable eyecare to Ethiopia.

Now, the ASCRS Foundation’s Robert Sinskey Eye Institute is the largest charitable hospital in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa. The hospital treats over 16,000 patients annually and is helping to train the next generation of Ethiopian surgeons.

Donations to the Sinskey Eye Institute are being accepted in memory of Dr. Sinskey.