David J. Apple, MD, the first ophthalmic pathologist to study intraocular lenses (IOLs) and their effects on the eye, played a unique role in the evolution of modern cataract and lens implant surgery. He methodically analyzed explanted IOLs and countless autopsies of eyes containing IOLs. With more than 1400 scientific lectures and numerous contributions to the cataract literature, he helped to fuel surgical and biodevice innovation. He died on August 18, 2011, at the age of 69 years.
Apple was born September 14, 1941, in Alton, Illinois. He was a graduate of Northwestern University and University of Illinois College of Medicine. He completed a residency in pathology at Louisiana State University followed by an ophthalmic pathology fellowship at the former Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. He completed an ophthalmology residency at the University of Iowa and became board certified in both pathology and ophthalmology.