Ivan Gabrić, MD

Ivan Gabrić, MD, graduated from the University of Zagreb School of Medicine.

He defended his thesis on the impact of refractive surgery on amblyopia in adult patients.

He completed his specialist training in ophthalmology and optometry at the Special Hospital for Ophthalmology Svjetlost.

He underwent advanced training in laser eye surgery at prestigious centers in the USA and Germany.

In the 2026/2027 academic year he enrolled in the doctoral program in Biomedicine and Health at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine. Proposed research: optimization of laser-tissue interaction parameters for outcomes, visual quality, and procedure efficacy in KLEx procedures.

Dr. Ivan Gabrić performs: laser vision correction, keratoconus treatments, and personalized laser corneal treatments, including femtosecond LASIK, TransPRK (TPRK), TLR (Trans-epithelial Lenticule Removal), and wavefront- and topography-guided procedures. He also specializes in refractive lens surgery, aberrometry, and objective assessment of visual quality, including contrast sensitivity measurement.

Dr. Ivan Gabrić had a significantly different path from most of his colleagues; he first encountered laser vision correction as a child, at the age of nine, when his father, Prof. Nikica Gabrić, MD, PhD, brought the technology to Croatia from Japan in 1998.

Since then he has been fascinated by a technology that gives patients a new view of the world in a few minutes – and that is why he became a refractive surgeon himself.

Since 2012, he has actively participated in the work of refractive surgeons and the planning of laser vision corrections.

He spent several years collaborating with American physicians who worked on developing methods for advanced surface procedures.

He is one of the few physicians with personal experience using the three most common diopter correction platforms: VISX S4 IR, Wavelight Allegretto, and Schwind Amaris.

He performs crosslinking procedures on MLase CCL-365 and Avedro KXL devices.

He completed special training at Schwind Eye Tech Solutions for planning personalized laser correction procedures.

In his work, he also uses advanced methods for personalizing laser procedures, optimizing femtosecond laser energy and laser-tissue interaction parameters.

Dr. Ivan Gabrić’s team participated in the development of two lenticular surgery lasers, Schwind ATOS and Johnson & Johnson ELITA.

Dr. Ivan Gabrić became the first surgeon in the world to perform a low-energy SILK procedure on the “ELITA” system.

Dr. Ivan Gabrić performed the first CAIRS procedure in Croatia.

He is a strong advocate for early crosslinking in keratoconus and refractive methods combined with crosslinking according to standard and new treatment protocols such as the Tel-Aviv protocol.

2026

London, UK 

ESCRS Annual Meeting

1. “Corneal Topography after Refractive Surgery,”
2. SCHWIND Signature Line launch event
3. “Pyramidal Aberrometry: A New Perspective on Vision Quality”
4. Case presentation: “Aberration-Driven Excimer Treatment in Severe Keratoconus Using Presbymax Reversal to Achieve Usable Vision Pre-Transplant”
5. Free Paper: “Reversing the Geometry: Contralateral-Eye Comparison of Reverse-Asymmetric versus Asymmetric KLEx with a Low-Energy Femtosecond Laser”
6. “How to Fix Intraoperative Keratorefractive Lenticule Extraction Complications
   “Reading the Cornea’s Story: Understanding Post-Refractive Cornea”
7. “Epithelial All-Femto Surface Excision (EASE): A Femto-Laser Approach to Surface Refractive Correction”,
8. “KLExposed: Our Worst Mistakes (and What They Taught Us
9. Presented poster: “Effect of Total Laser Fluence on Early and Mid-Term Visual and Optical Quality Outcomes after Lenticule Extraction with the SCHWIND ATOS: A Single-Centre Study”
   “Aberrometry Pre and Post Refractive Surgery”

E-posters:

1. “En Bloc Transepithelial Anterior Lenticule Excision Using a Femtosecond Laser vs Excimer PTK for Corneal Dystrophy”
2. “Cameo: Democratizing Customized Cross-Linking – One-Year Outcomes in 50 Eyes”
3. “Total Visual Rehabilitation in Advanced Keratoconus: Sequential Topography-Guided PRK, CXL, Phakic IOL, and Add-on IOL Implantation”
4. “Active Early Management of Central Toxic Keratopathy: A 20-Eye Imaging-Confirmed Case Series Demonstrating Accelerated Recovery”
5. “A Data-Integrated Strategy (Dilated Wavefront + MS-39 + SCC + Foresight) to Restore Vision in a Post-CTK Irregular Cornea 6 Years After PRK”

Washington, D.C.

ASCRS Annual Meeting

1. MASI: A Rapid, Objective Metric for Evaluating Klex Outcomes and Visual Quality Compared to VSX

2. Dialing Down the Dose: Exploring Femtosecond Laser-Induced Optical Breakdown Levels and Their Impact on Visual Outcomes
Ivan Gabric, MD; Samuel Arba Mosquera, PhD

3. Wavefront Results of First in Human Klex Case Series for Simple Myopic Astigmatism
Ivan Gabric, MD

4. Foresight: A Novel Software for Personalized Ablations Using Schwind Amaris and MS-39 Imaging
Ivan Gabric, MD

5. Beyond SmartSight: A Comparative Evaluation of PRK, LASIK, and KLEx  Enhancements in 59 Post-SmartSight Eyes
Ivan Gabric, MD

London, United Kingdom

Crafting the Next Decade

Evolution of KLEX – Energy & Scatter

Madrid

AECOS Europe

“Ray Tracing in Ophthalmology” – educational lecture on the application of the ray-tracing concept in ophthalmology and aberrometry.

2025

Prague, Czech Republic

33rd Annual Congress of the Czech Ophthalmological Society

1. The Role of Aberrometry in Simulating and Understanding Vision

2. The Role of Anterior OCT in Refractive Surgery Decisions

2024

Chicago, United States
AAO Annual meeting
1. From Surface to Surgery: A Case-Based, Interactive and Hands-on Guide to Corneal Tomography and Topography in
Anterior Segment Surgery

2. Comparative Analysis of Ease of Lenticule Removal and Visual Outcomes Across Different Optical Zones After a
Lenticule Procedure With the ELITA System

3. Ocular Wavefront Analysis Of A Novel Intrastromal Lenticular Procedure – SILK

Seoul, South Korea
Schwind Atos Symposium
Lecturer

Barcelona, Spain
42nd ESCRS Congress
1. Intricacies related to Low Dose and excellent visual outcomes using the ATOS Femtosecond laser

2. POSTER ID PO787 Use Of Presbymax Reversal For Advanced Keratoconus Management In Patients Using The Schwind
Amaris

3. POSTER ID PO796 Zagreb Protocol – A Combined Guided T-PRK And CXL Protocol For Treatment Of Low Visual Acuity
Keratoconus

4. POSTER ID PO1158 World Record In Low Dose Laser Induced Optical Breakdown For Keratorefractive Lenticule
Extraction (KLEx) Procedure On Schwind Atos Femto Second Device – 354 mJ/cm2

5. POSTER ID PO1166 Ocular Wavefront Analysis Of A Novel Intrastromal Lenticular Procedure – Silk – Interim Report

6. POSTER ID PO213 Off-Label Use Of Edge Cut Only Function On Schwind Atos To Convert Caps Flaps For Enhancement
After Klex

7. PRESENTATION ID ESCRS24-VID-4265 Comparison Of Klex Dissection At 4 Dose Levels – 750, 600, 450 And 350 Mj/Cm2

8. Comparative Analysis Of Ease Of Lenticule Removal And Visual Outcomes Across Different Optic Zones After A
Lenticule Procedure With The Elita System

9. Micro-Aberrations Scattering Index (Masi) A Novel Parameter On Cso Osiris-T As A Predictor Of Visual Acuity And
Contrast Sensitivity After Keratorefractive Laser Procedures

10. The new SmartSight Platform and Its Characteristics

Prague, Czech Republic
AECOS Europe
1. Micro Aberration Scatter Index. A Novel Way to Objectively Measure Quality of Vision After Keratorefractive Surgery

2. Extreme Low-Dose Lenticular Extraction – Exploring the Limits of Laser Induced Optical Breakdown using Schwind ATOS

Ljubljana, Slovenia
LJRM 15
1. Outlook of Two New Lenticule Platforms: Johnson & Johnson ELITA and Schwind ATOS

Zagreb, Croatia
15th CSCRS Congress
Organizer, Lecturer, Moderator

2023

Istanbul, Turkey
FLCS
1. First European Experiences with a New LE Laser (ELITA™)

Zagreb, Croatia
CSCRS
14th Congress “New Trends in Ophthalmology”
Lecturer, Moderator, Operator

2022

Ljubljana, Slovenia
Refractive congress on topic of Presbyopia
Lecturer and Moderator

Milan, Italy
ESCRS
European Results of a Novel Lenticular Procedure
1. The Cataract Surgery With Implantation Of The Add-On Intraocular Lenses On A Pseudophakic Eye For Refractive
Correction And MFIOL On The Other Eye With A Presenile Cataract Can Result With Visual Acuity 100%

2. Corneal Refractive Surgery Effects On Adults With Amblyopia – A Case Series Of 44 Patients

3. The Effect Of Static Cyclotorsion Compensation On Refractive And Visual Outcomes Using The Schwind At Laser
Platform Using Ocular Wavefront Analysis

4. Comparison Of Rotational Stability Between Zeiss At Lisa 939 And Synergy Toric Ii For Correction Of Anisometropia
With Astigmatism And Presbyopia

5. Predicting Post-Operative Intraocular Lens (Iol) Tilt Using Preoperative Optical Biometry Data And A Machine Learning
Algorithm

6. Use Of High Resolution Anterior Segment Oct And Confocal Corneal In-Vivo Microscopy For Difficult Cases

7. Use Of Ocular Wavefront Guided T-Prk For Treatment Of Corneal Scar 11 Years After Injury – Ucva From Cf To 20/25 In 30 Seconds

8. Use Of Ptk To Treat Advanced Type Ii Corneal Dystrophy (Avellino)

9. Topographic Changes After Smartsight With The Schwind Atos Femtosecond Laser System

2021

Amsterdam, Netherlands

ESCRS
Femto LASIK Flap creation on a new femtolaser platform
Lecturer

Las Vegas

ASCRS, USA
Presbyopia Correcting IOLs and Laser Corneal Refractive Surgery
Lecturer

Johnson & Johnson Vision Webinar on Advanced PCIOL use
Speaker

2019

Paris

ESCRS
Schwind EyeTech Solutions for advanced personalized laser correction procedures
Lecturer

• Commercialization of innovative Retina Lux and Dioptrija Lux services through business and process innovation at Svjetlost Eye Hospital
• Research and development of two innovative services – diagnosis and treatment of ocular neuropathy
• Commercialization of the innovative Cornea Lux service

• Low-energy KLEx / scan-geometry optimization and early visual-quality outcomes after femtosecond lenticule extraction.
• Trans-epithelial Lenticule Removal (TLR) for myopia and low myopic astigmatism.
• Femto-TransPRK and epithelial-variance/surface-roughness concepts in corneal refractive surgery.

2026

Gabrić I, Arba-Mosquera S, Bodakoš K, Bohač M. Effect of Total Laser Fluence on Early and Mid-term Visual and Optical Quality Outcomes After Lenticule Extraction With the SCHWIND ATOS: A Single-Center Study. J Refract Surg. 2026 Mar;42(3):e218-e226. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20260112-01. Epub 2026 Mar 1. PMID: 41793372.

Gabrić I, Mosquera SA, Versaci F, Reinstein DZ. Micro Aberration Scatter Index (MASI) as an objective proxy for contrast sensitivity after keratorefractive surgery: a prospective observational study. BMC Ophthalmol. 2026 Jul 16. doi: 10.1186/s12886-026-05118-8. Online ahead of print. PMID: 42464202.

Gabrić I, Reinstein DZ, Kang DSY, Russo A, Ganesh S. Report Laser Fluence in Lenticule Extraction as a Dual-Plane, Raster-Dependent Quantity. J Refract Surg. 2026. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20260811-01.

Gabrić I, Grulović F, Modrić IS, Drača N, Kuzman T. Twelve-Month Visual, Refractive, and Ocular Wavefront Outcomes of SmartSight KLEx, Pooling Original and NOVA Workflows, on the SCHWIND ATOS: A Single-Surgeon Cohort Study. Ophthalmol Ther. 2026 Aug 20. doi: 10.1007/s40123-026-01474-2. Online ahead of print. PMID: 42622959.

Gabrić I, Grulović F, Bodakoš K, Bohač M. Zero-Programmed-Sphere Keratorefractive Lenticule Extraction: Visual, Refractive, Anterior-Keratometric, and Wavefront Outcomes in a Single-Center Series of 74 Eyes. Ophthalmol Ther. 2026 Jul 7. doi: 10.1007/s40123-026-01447-5. Online ahead of print. PMID: 42412306.

2025

Kang DSY, Chung B, Reinstein DZ, Archer TJ, Gabrić I. “Dose” in Femtosecond Lasers: A Matter of Context and Clarity. J Refract Surg. 2025 Apr;41(4):e407. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20250306-02. Epub 2025 Apr 1. PMID: 40197067.

Wang Y, Laron M, Gonzalez Calle A, Voorhees A, Fu H, Schwam B, Nelson J, Gabrić I. Ease of Lenticule Removal and Visual Outcomes Across Different Optical Zones After a Lenticule Procedure with a New Femtosecond Laser System. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025;66.

Bohač M, Gabrić I, Blazhevska S, Jagić M, Arba Mosquera S. Epithelial Remodelling in Myopia After Keratorefractive Lenticule Extraction. Ophthalmol Ther. 2025 Jun;14(6):1237-1247. doi: 10.1007/s40123-025-01138-7. Epub 2025 Apr 10. PMID: 40210829.

Kuzman T, Matić S, Gabrić I, Geber A, Meter A. Successful Treatment of Acanthamoeba Keratitis According to New Protocol with Polihexanide 0.08% Therapy: Case Report. Reports (MDPI). 2025 Apr 4;8(2):44. doi: 10.3390/reports8020044. PMID: 40710835.

2024

Gabrić K, Gabrić N, Piñero DP, Gabrić I. Comparative Analysis of the Clinical Outcomes of Two Toric Presbyopia-Correcting Intraocular Lenses. Ophthalmol Ther. 2024 Mar;13(3):775-790. doi: 10.1007/s40123-023-00878-8. Epub 2024 Jan 19. PMID: 38240999.

Gonzalez Calle A, Sachdev M, Shetty R, Gabrić I, Schwam B, Khamar P, Sachdev R, Malik R, Laron M, Voorhees A, Fu H, Wang Y, Janakiraman P, Vargas L. Evaluation of Visual Outcomes and Ease of Lenticule Removal Using a New Innovative Femtosecond Laser System. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2024 Jun;65. (ARVO abstract)

Bohac M, Gilevska F, Biscevic A, Gabric I, Gabric K, Patel S. The Impact of Standard Cross-Linking on the Corneal Optical Density-Age Relationship in Keratoconus After Mechanical Stripping of the Epithelium. J Ophthalmol. 2024 Oct 15;2024:8827837. doi: 10.1155/2024/8827837. eCollection 2024. PMID: 39444422.

2023

Gabric I, Bohac M, Gabric K, Arba Mosquera S. First European results of a new refractive lenticular extraction procedure-SmartSight by SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions. Eye (Lond). 2023 Dec;37(18):3768-3775. doi: 10.1038/s41433-023-02601-0. Epub 2023 Jun 5. PMID: 37277614.

Bohač M, Gabrić I, Gabrić K, Jagić M, Arba Mosquera S. Predictability of the Achieved Lenticule Thickness in Keratorefractive Lenticule Extraction for Myopia Correction. J Refract Surg. 2023 Nov;39(11):728-735. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20230925-02. Epub 2023 Nov 1. PMID: 37937760.

2022

Bohac M, Biscevic A, Gabric I, Gabric K, Shijakova V, Patel S. A critical evaluation of longitudinal changes of astigmatism following implantation of toric implantable collamer lens (TICL): a comparison between treated and untreated cases over 4 years. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2022 Apr;260(4):1377-1386. doi: 10.1007/s00417-021-05449-w. Epub 2021 Oct 16. PMID: 34655333.

Bohac M, Biscevic A, Shijakova V, Gabric I, Gabric K, Patel S. Comparison between the change in total corneal astigmatism and actual change in refractive astigmatism in transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (tPRK), laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and femtosecond laser assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FsLASIK). Eur J Ophthalmol. 2022 Sep;32(5):2638-2645. doi: 10.1177/11206721211059327. Epub 2021 Nov 11. PMID: 34761687.

2021

Gabrić N, Gabrić I, Gabrić K, Biščević A, Piñero DP, Bohač M. Clinical Outcomes With a New Continuous Range of Vision Presbyopia-Correcting Intraocular Lens. J Refract Surg. 2021 Apr;37(4):256-262. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20210209-01. Epub 2021 Apr 1. PMID: 34038663.

Bohac M, Biscevic A, Gabric I, Gabric K, Shijakova V, Patel S. Predicted and Measured Changes in Posterior Corneal Astigmatism after Uncomplicated Femtosecond Assisted LASIK (FsLASIK) and Microkeratome LASIK Correction for Myopia and Low Astigmatism. Semin Ophthalmol. 2021 Nov 17;36(8):832-838. doi: 10.1080/08820538.2021.1928243. Epub 2021 May 19. PMID: 34010104.

2020

Drača N, Cerovski B, Lazić R, Kovačević D, Gabrić K, Gabrić I. Enlarged Foveal Avascular Zone after Whiplash Injury-Acquired Berlin’s Edema. Case Rep Ophthalmol. 2020 Aug 5;11(2):395-401. doi: 10.1159/000509264. eCollection 2020 May-Aug. PMID: 32999667.

Pjano MA, Biscevic A, Grisevic S, Gabric I, Salkica AS, Ziga N. Pachymetry and Elevation Back Map Changes in Keratoconus Patients After Crosslinking Procedure. Med Arch. 2020 Apr;74(2):105-108. doi: 10.5455/medarh.2020.74.105-108. PMID: 32577050.

Biscevic A, Ahmedbegovic-Pjano M, Pandurevic B, Sofic-Drino V, Gabric I, Kovacevic D. Vector Analysis of Visual Acuity and Refractive Outcomes of Astigmatic Corrections After T-PRK and Fs-LASIK. Acta Inform Med. 2020 Sep;28(3):180-184. doi: 10.5455/aim.2020.28.180-184. PMID: 33417662.

• Clinical Investigation of the CHEETAH SYSTEM FOR THE CORRECTION OF MYOPIA WITH AND WITHOUT ASTIGMATISM

This study will be a 3-phase, 12-months, prospective, single arm, multicenter, open-label, non-comparative, clinical investigation conducted at up to 7 sites. Up to 20 subjects will be enrolled in phase I, up to 30 subjects in phase II, and up to 200 subjects in phase III to achieve up to 350 treated eyes.
Link https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04200898?locn=Svjetlost Eye Clinic&rank=1

• IIS Rotational Stability of Two Toric IOLs for Presbyopia Correction

To evaluate and compare the clinical outcomes of two toric presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs).
Non-randomized prospective comparative study including 86 eyes of 51 patients (age 43-83 years) that underwent cataract surgery with implantation of one of the following two IOLs: TECNIS Toric Synergy (Johnson & Johnson Vision) (Synergy group) or AT LISA tri toric 939MP (Carl Zeiss Meditec) (ATLISA group). Visual and refractive outcomes were evaluated during a 6-month follow-up

• EMEA201910 Post Market TECNIS Synergy (ZFR00V) study on patient satisfaction and visual analysis

(Pre op, Day 0, Post op, etc.) 5 times, preop workup, 1-day follow-up, 1-week follow-up, 1-month follow-up, 3- month follow-up
– Spectacle independence questionnaires
– Patient Satisfaction (CATQUEST 9SF)
– Visual acuity for far, intermediate and near corrected and uncorrected (ETDRS charts for far (4 m), intermediate (66 cm) and near (40 cm) distance)
– Defocus curve (ETDRS) up to 33cm – Mesopic BCVA and DCNVA (ETDRS) – Low contrast CDVA (25%) – Adverse events – Photic Phenomena (McAllinden)

• Randomized Comparison of two different OLS with Schwind ATOS

•Comparison old laser system (F486) with new laser system (F101)
•Difference: F101 new lens in OLS
•Objective: Comparison performance and safety

•Blinding of the surgeon i.e. lasering performed by another physician, lenticule removal by Ivan Gabric without knowledge of which laser system the patient comes from
•Data: Post-op UCVA, Rating of ease of separation (0 to 5)
•Statistics: median, mode, Mann-Whitney Test

• CSCRS Croatian Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery
• ESCRS European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
• American Academy of Ophthalmology
• ISRS International Society of Refractive Surgeons
• Kera-net Cornea Society Discussion Group

• Member of the Management Board of the Special Hospital for Ophthalmology Svjetlost

[email protected]