George O. Waring, III, MD, a world-renowned cornea and refractive specialist, passed away on Jan. 27. He was professor emeritus at Emory Eye Center.

Dr. Waring served as professor of ophthalmology at Emory from 1997 to 2004, before moving into private practice. While at Emory, he spearheaded one of the first U.S. multicenter clinical trials in refractive surgery, the PERK study for Radial Keratotomy, and he received the first FDA approval for LASIK surgery in the mid-1990s. Dr. Waring also co-founded the independently owned Emory Vision Correction Center, where he practiced refractive surgery.

He completed medical school at Baylor College of Medicine, followed by an ophthalmology residency and cornea fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital. Prior to joining Emory, Dr. Waring taught at the University of California, Davis.

Editor of the Journal of Refractive Surgery from 1989 - 2010, he published more than 500 articles, two textbooks and received numerous awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the International Society of Refractive Surgery, including its Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Waring also was the recipient of the NIH Health Fogarty International Scholars Award, which facilitated his research of laser corneal surgery in Paris.