A friend and a former colleague at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh died. I want to take a moment to reflect on Dr. Klaus Teichman. He was one of the brightest ophthalmologists I have ever met. He had an inventive mind and was always thinking of new ways of doing things, not only in his own area of specialty, the anterior segment of the eye, but also in every other ophthalmic specialty. He would often challenge me to think of new ways of thinking about vitreoretinal procedures.
In the Spring of 1995 I would daily go to the library after a long day in surgery or the clinic to study for my ophthalmology boards; unfailingly, Klaus was always there poring over the latest issue of the 100s of ophthalmology journals the Hospital subscribed to. Greeting me in his cordial German accent, "Ah Hardeep...," he would enthusiastically share his readings and comments on these journal articles. I dare say I learned more about ophthalmology from him then I did in studying for the Boards during those days. After I passed my Boards, I must say my time in the library after hours diminished, while Klaus maintained his diligent reading routine. He was truly inspirational in the breadth of his knowledge and his love of ophthalmology.
He was a great teacher to generations of Saudi residents at the Hospital, and was well loved and respected by his colleagues.
His loss is not only to the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital but to the entire field of ophthalmology....
Posts
12 comments:
sorry for your loss d, that was a really nice tribute. icetray
That was an excellent tribute, and I agree wholeheartedly with your words. Klaus is probably best known in ophthalmology for being an author, an innovator, and a skilled surgeon. However those of us who were priveledged to work with Klaus remember him as kind, practical, enthusiastic about his profession, and always willing to teach. His loss comes as a shock, and he will be greatly missed.
DHarrison
The untimely passing of our friend and colleague is a shock, especially when one recalls the eternally youthful sparkle of his eye, the wry chuckle and laugh, and enthusiasm for trying all things new...like a boy who never aged, who is never supposed to die. I will never forget the first day I met Klaus, outside the OR at KKESH, offering unsolicited, and very useful advice on how to avoid invisible land mines that newly arrived physicians always seem to detonate at KKESH. I should have listened more carefully. I also recall thinking that he was the only anterior segment surgeon with a vitreoretinal mentality...." Let's see, hummm... sure, we can do that. We'll just have to try it and see what happens. What time? ". My wife Patty and I had the opportunity to become better aquainted with Klaus and Inge on a trip to Egypt, down the Nile, during which time we shared many funny stories and exchanges, the most revealing and touching were those which left a sheepish expression on Klauss'face when humbled by Inge. Klauss will indeed be remembered for his many contributions to the field of opthalmology; books, papers, tireless teaching, surgical innovation, but I will always remember his smile, which always seemed to conceal some inner laughter, as he would bounce away with what seemed to be a song in his feet to the next activity. I am grateful to have known Klaus. My thoughts and prayers are with Inge and her boys. Klaus will always be with me.
Love,
Al Vitale
I am saddened by the news of Klaus Teichman. He will allways be remebered as a kind, sincere man with high morale. I enjoyed working with him at KKESH
Terry Matysak (HADDAD)
It is difficult to describe in words the emotions I feel towards the death of Klaus Teichmann. When I learnt Tuesday morning, in the OR, that Klaus was found dead on the soccer field I was left speechless. A string of scenes flashed through my mind. The first was the difficult surgery we did together on Monday morning: a one eyed young man, who sustained a blast injury. He needed surgery on his cornea so that I can do my retina surgery. The eye looked hopeless, and I had my doubts that Klaus would even contemplate the surgery. But, as usual, Klaus said (and his voice is still ringing in my ears): "sure, we can try doing the Temporary Keratoprosthesis. It is challenging, but we have to try". He did not have to do this surgery, as it was not his OR day, but the case was so difficult that I asked him if he could do it. He answered: "Ya, ya, I will be there..." This sums up the attitude of Klaus in general: let us try to tackle the problem although it seems insurmountable, and I will be there to participate. Klaus did the surgery with me, and as it turned out, it was his last surgery. After he skillfully removed the opaque cornea, and reconstructed the Anterior segment, I was happy to see that the retina of the patient, unlike what some tests led us to believe preoperatively, showed hope for ambulatory vision. I am grateful that Klaus encouraged the procedure, as for that young man, it meant the hope of precious vision for the rest of his life. That story on Monday morning was so typical of Klaus. This inspiring attitude…
The second scene that flashed through my mind, was the office we shared together for five years on the first floor. The "vitreoretinal mind" of Klaus became quickly evident to me. He always said that if Vitrectomy was around when he decided his specialty he would have been a retina person. The fact is that he had knowledge more than some retina people I know. His passion for knowledge in general, and ophthalmology in particular was without limit. He also had the passion of transmitting that knowledge. Countless times, I found on my desk, photocopies of articles related to retina, which Klaus has seen during his review of the literature, and on which I always loved to see the inscription: “Emad, I thought this is interesting. Klaus.”
So many other scenes flashed by. The 9 years during which we were across the street neighbors and the countless desert trips we did together with Inge and him during which they taught me and my family so many things about fossils and desert facts.
Klaus was a true friend. He would not say compliments if he was not convinced. He will tell you when he thinks that you could have done better. He did not worry what you would react to that, but mainly worried about you getting better. And that certainly is a true friend.
My family and I feel deeply the sadness of Klaus’s unexpected departure from our world. Our consolation is that we witnessed a life so intense, that other people don’t leave in hundreds of years. We offer our condolences to KKESH, and the ophthalmic world as their loss is tremendous. We also offer them to our dear Inge.
Klaus died suddenly, while jogging, without protracted illnesses or disability. I know that he would have chosen this if presented with the choice. His only regret would be that he wanted to give more to ophthalmology, but he has already given sooooo much.
May God receive his soul to enjoy Eternal Happiness.
Emad Abboud
I was deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the death of klaus and i would like to express my sincere sympathy to inge & his family .he was a highly creative , inventive , bright , challenging ophthalmologist . he would always have the time & energy to read & search for new ideas & visions . he was regarded with a great admiration & respect for the amount of knowledge that he acquired throughout the years of diligent reading . klaus contributions to the training programme at KKESH were many & varied .during my early years of training , i happen to work with klaus who guided me patiently & skillfully into my first cataract surgery , i owe it to him & i would never forget that .in recent years as i happen to be a pediatric ophthalmologist at KKESH , we came to have opposite offices where he used to pop every now & then entertaining new ideas & procedures in pediatric ophthalmology & providing me with articles .believe me ,his contributions will not be forgotten .please accept my heart full condolences and i ask you to please to pass these sentiments on to his family members . klaus teichman was a remarkable man in many ways . he will be missed by many .
with sincere sympathy ,
shahira alturkmani ,pediatric ophthalmologist , KKESH
I remember very fondly accompanying Klaus and Inge for walks in the desert. KKESH and all others who knew Klaus have suffered a great loss. My sympathies to Inge and the rest of Klaus' family.
Dale Zecca
I am deeply saddened and shocked at the news about the loss of Klaus. It was certainly a privilege to know him as a colleague and a neighbour for a year.
He was an innovative, skilled and passionate ophthalmologist. I was amazed at his breadth of knowledge and his reading habits in the library. I remember discussing a patient with him in the hallway and he reminded me of a reference on the subject...a paper in a obscure journal in which i was a co author..!!
I will always admire him for his enthusiastic spirit, his kind heartedness as a physician and as a neighbour.
Inge... Sheela and I extend our deepest sympathies to you and the family and we share your feelings of grief during this difficult time. We have truly lost a great soul.
Deepak Edward
From all the kind words, I am sorry I never met this man. I missed out.
I too am saddened to hear about this. Al described Klaus' infectious interest in ophthalmology perfectly. I remember once Klaus decided to examine my handout for the residents lecture on eyelid tumors - his reaction was, "You forgot one - Merkel Cell Carcinoma!" My face was blank. Klaus' innovative mind contributed to Oculoplastics as well - he described using foreskin as an eyelid graft in neonates - who would have thought of that!
Rest in Peace Klaus.
Sam Abdul-Rahim
We were shocked and saddened by the untimely passing of Klaus and would like to express our deepest sympathy to Inge and their family.
Klaus, as many people have already described, was an accomplished academician, an innovative ophthalmologist, a stimulating teacher, and indeed an inspiration to all. I would like to add that I was thoroughly impressed by his well-roundedness---the breadth of his experience, the depth of his knowledge, and of course, his child-like enthusiasm and unquenchable thirst for new knowledge.
Some of my fondest memories and most rewarding experiences at KKESH were our luncheon discussions. The topics ranged from personal travel to world politics, from obscure journal articles to famous quotes, and from exotic foods to world history. Needless to say, Klaus (and Inge) always brought new light and add new dimensions to our discussion. He was straight yet tactful, firm yet modest, simple yet profound and one can always sense a touch of humanity and wisdom in him.
Klaus was a true friend, a good role model and a true human being. It is our privilege to know him and share part of our lives together. He will be dearly missed by all. May his soul rest in peace!
Michael Wagoner said:
My first encounter with Klaus Teichmann was in October 1993 when I visited the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH). After arriving shortly after midnight, getting to sleep at about 0300, being awakened by prayer call at 0400 (we were staying in villa 4, phase I), and finally getting back to sleep, Klaus awakened me (with great difficulty) at 0800 to inform me that he had been assigned the task of taking me to the desert for the morning. Not being one to refuse a kind invitation, I immediately got dressed and joined Klaus and his wife, Inge, on a trip to the red sand dunes west of the city. The lasting impression that I obtained of Klaus during our 3 hour hike was that of an extremely friendly and intelligent man, with a passion not only for his work, but for an impressive potpourri of subjects including, but not limited to, nature, politics, sociology, philosophy, and history. He quickly impressed me with his global fund of knowledge, sense of humor, and frank candor.
Between 1993 and 2005, I had the privilege of working with Klaus on a daily basis, with the exception of an extended period of leave without pay from KKESH (July 1999 to September 2002).Professionally, I witnessed his masterful leadership of the clinical care and teaching activity provided by his large Anterior Segment Division. He was a fantastic surgeon whose skills were respected by the other faculty members, and incorporated into the developing repertoire of the residents and fellows. Despite the obstacle of placating disparate personalities and agendas, he successfully integrated the more than 12 faculty members and 10-15 trainees (residents and fellows) into a reasonably cohesive and functional unit. He spoke frankly and honestly in open forums and in private conferences about administrative issues upon which there was agreement or disagreement, but once a final decision was made, he respected the chain of command and insisted that everyone, including himself, adhere to the established policy. He was a strong advocate of new technology and equipment. Seldom did a week go by without him coming by my office to drop off the latest huge stack of xeroxed materials related to new equipment. He frequently suggested the names of Visiting Professors he wanted to bring to KKESH to introduce the latest new procedures on the horizon.
My final extended encounter with Klaus was coincidentally, very similar to my first. While suffering from jet lag from my latest trip to the USA, I was scheduled to drive with Klaus and Inge to the Eastern Province at 0500 on Thursday morning. When I woke up at 0530, I heard the telephone ringing in the study and the door bell buzzing downstairs. I went downstairs and found Klaus, who had stood at my door with his finger on the door bell for the last 30 minutes, while he had instructed Inge to let the phone ring continuously at the same time. Needless to say, he was irritated that it took a half hour to wake me up and (as we all know to be his nature), did not hesitate to say so. I had a very nice 2 day trip with him and Inge and remain forever grateful that I had the chance to spend this quality time with him.
My last conversation with Klaus was late in the afternoon on the day before he died. The conversation was no different than any of the ones that preceded it and neither of us had any way of knowing it would be our last communication in this life. In characteristic Teichmann fashion, he bounced between subjects, commenting on the latest capital equipment needs of the hospital one minute (and providing me with the appropriate xeroxed articles), the administrative malfeasance of the government leaders of an unnamed western country the next, and myriads of diverse topics in between. I frequently look back on this final conversation and wish that there would have been many to follow, or, if this was not to be, that I could have extended the conversation a little longer and given Klaus some words of appreciation for the very positive impact he had on me, professionally and personally. I still find myself expecting to see him coming through the door of my office with a big smile on his face and huge stack of papers that he wants to give me, or to see him hitting returning serves on the tennis court while I am taking my daily run on the compound. It is still hard to accept the fact that these two consistent features of my daily life are gone.
During the interval between the day I first met Klaus in 1993 and the conversation I had with him on the night before his death, he remained the “same old Klaus.” His enthusiasm for his profession never abated, his intellectual curiosity never waned, his sense of humor never left him, and his frank, and sometimes undiplomatic, honesty never wavered. I believe that I can speak for all of our professional associates when I say that Klaus probably had the most extensive and diverse fund of knowledge of any ophthalmologist we have ever met. I believe I can speak for all his close friends when I say that he had one of the most unique and intriguing personalities that we have ever had the privilege to know. I believe that I can speak for everyone when I say that we will probably never meet anyone quite like him and that we will all miss him very much. We are grateful that he was a part of our lives.
Post a Comment