gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: By launching the first optical biometer in 1999, IOL constants which were used for IOL power calculation after ultrasound biometry needed to be adjusted to be suitable for IOL power calculation using data derived from optical biometers. Prof. Wolfgang Haigis realized this need and took care of optimizing such constants, which he shared in the internet via his database “ULIB” starting the same year. In 2024 we celebrate ULIB’s 25^th anniversary.

Methods: Historical literature research on the introduction of ULIB as well as close contact to selected peers working closely with Haigis in the field of biometry, IOL power calculation and optimizing IOL constants.

Results: The database “EULIB” (European User Group for Laser Interference Biometry) was founded in October 1999 by an independent interest group of scientists and users, working in the field of optical biometry. During the meeting of the “American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery” (ASCRS) in 2001, the name of the group was changed from “EULIB” to “ULIB” to reflect the global availability and relevance of the database, as it was used by ophthalmologists all over the world. According to advanced cataract procedures as well as to refined IOLs including diversified refractive strategies Prof. Langenbucher developed Haigis’ ideas of an internet database for optimized IOL constants further. In 2017, he launched the utmost modern data base for IOL constants: IOLCon.

Summary: ULIB was the first database of its time and set a milestone in providing optimized IOL constants for cataract surgery. In 2024 we commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the launch of the database ULIB as well as the 5^th day of death of its inventor, Prof. Wolfgang Haigis.