Dr. Marta Figueroa, retina specialist and medical director of the Vissum Santa Hortensia center in Madrid, has received the 2017 Ramón Castroviejo Award for her outstanding work in the field of medical and surgical retina. This prestigious award is given annually by the Spanish Society of Ophthalmology at its annual congress to professionals, whose contribution to the development of ophthalmology is outstanding.
The renowned doctor is a specialist in this ocular area and has numerous national and international scientific publications. She is noted for her surgical management of edema, macular holes, epiretinal membranes, diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment, as well as in the application of pharmacological treatments for diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Figueroa is an active participant in the development of new vitreoretinal surgery techniques and in multiple international studies for the improvement of clinical treatments for retinal degenerative diseases. As current president of the Retina Plus Foundation, she has actively promoted the celebration this year of the Year of the Retina in Spain, declared by the Government as an act of special public interest. This has the objective of contributing to the reduction of the prevalence of avoidable blindness in our country. Figueroa is also associate professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Alcalá de Henares, head of the Retina Unit at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, principal investigator at the Ramon y Cajal Institute for Health Research and former president of the Spanish Retina and Vitreous Society. Dr. Figueroa says that receiving the Ramón Castroviejo Award has been a great honor for her. The Ramón Castroviejo Award has recognized for six decades the trajectory of national ophthalmologists over forty years of age.
Dr. Ramón Castroviejo was a key figure in 20th century Spanish ophthalmology, standing out in the field of corneal transplants, and being the first to apply them to patients with keratoconus.