Dr. Robert Gale Martin, respected ophthalmologist, dies of mesothelioma
Dr. Robert Gale Martin, founder of Carolina Eye Associates in Pinehurst, North Carolina, died last month of mesothelioma at the age of 65. Carolina Eye Associates opened in 1982, the first ophthalmic ambulatory surgery center east of the Mississippi. He was one of the first doctors to perform small-incision cataract surgery and lens replacement and one of the first, if not the very first, to perform corneal relaxing incisions, a precursor to Lasik. Before opening his practice, Dr. Martin was a member of the 5th Special Forces Group during the Vietnam War and remained an army surgeon until 1971. Dr. Martin lived 5 years from the time of his diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma, and he continued operating and seeing patients for as long as he could.
For the full story, go to the Fayetteville Observer.
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