Güngor SOBACI was born in 1960 in Samsun. He graduated from Kuleli Military High School. In 1983, he completed his medical education at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. In 1986, he completed medical specialization training at Ankara Gülhane Medical Academy (GATA). From 1989 to 1990, he worked as an eye specialist at Mevki Military Hospital. In 1990, he was appointed as Assistant Professor at GATA. In 1992, he received the title of associate professor of UAK - he is the youngest Associate Professor in Turkey and the Turkish Armed Forces. In 1993, He worked with Prof. Dr. John D Scott from Cambridge University on silicone oil applications in Vitreoretinal Surgery (VRC). From 1995 to 1996, he worked with Prof. Dr. Stephen J. Ryan from Doheny for gene therapy treatments in advanced VRC and retina. In 2005, he was appointed as a professor at GATA. In 2013, he retired from the Turkish armed forces while the Head of the Department of Ophthalmology to advance his stem cell studies and prolong his academic career. From 2013 to 2014, He was the head of the Turkish Ophthalmology Association for Vitreoretinal Surgeons. (TOD-VRC). In 2014, he started to work as a Professor at the Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology. He has been working in his private clinic since February 2017.

 

Güngör SOBACI is the first person in the world to apply stem cell therapy to the human retina. With his experience in military medicine, he has the most extensive eye injury treatment series in this field, and his book has been published in an internationally respected publishing house. His studies have a special place in Turkey with their pioneering and originality in Experimental Ophthalmology, Electrophysiology, and Clinical Ophthalmology. These include the treatment of alkaline corneal burns with Limbal stem cell transplantation, which was applied for the first time in Turkey, treating Yellow Spot Disease with Hypericin-dependent PDT, and using Interferon in Behçet's and Chronic Uveitis. With his successful and special studies, he received many awards from the national TOD (Turkish Ophthalmology Association) and internationally recognized organizations (ARVO: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, AAO: American Academy of Ophthalmology, ICO: International Counsel of Ophthalmology).

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Güngör SOBACI is the first TURKISH PHYSICIAN to give a course at the American Academy Ophthalmology and the International Council of Ophthalmology for Ocular Trauma. He is the physician with the highest number of EYE INJURY series worldwide. He is an active member of important scientific committees such as TOD-Medical Retina, VRC, Uvea- Behçet and international eye scientific organizations (Retina Society, Macular Degeneration Organization, ASRS: American Society of Retina Specialist, ESASO: European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology, ISOT; International Society of Ocular Trauma) and joins their sessions as a speaker/Live Surgery practitioner. He directed his doctoral thesis on an Epiretinal implant (artificial eye), the 8th in the world and the first thesis in Turkey. In addition to the many scientific awards, he received from international (AAO, ARVO, ISOT, WOC: World Ophthalmology Congress) and national scientific institutions (including the Demir Başar Award), he has social media activities and appreciation of his work in the field of prevention of blindness by the Blind/Low Vision Foundations. The most well-known of these is the English book he edited (Current Concepts and Management of Eye Injuries- Springer) and his work on Stem Cell (Stem Cell Applications in Retinal Diseases - Stem Cells: Current Challenges and New Directions, 2013 – Springer). Among his many publications, he has written chapters on Sports-Related Eye Injuries and Ocular Emergency (both published by Springer).

 

Güngör Sobacı is indexed in SCI-Expanded (Extended Scientific Index Search); he has over 100 publications and 3500 citations (h index:29). ​He was a TUBITAK Scientist candidate from GATA in 2012. He has the highest Academic Activity Score in the Hacettepe Medicine Department of Ophthalmology in 2105.

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As a retinal diseases specialist, Güngör SOBACI's main areas of interest are the diagnosis and treatment of Yellow Spot (Macular) degeneration and Dystrophy, and the solution of eye problems in Diabetes Patients, intraocular injection and laser applications for diagnosis and treatment of Yellow Spot. As a vitreoretinal surgeon with more than 25 years of experience, his main areas of interest are stem cell applications, which are still accepted as experimental in the world, especially for eye injuries and retinal detachments, as well as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Macular Degenerations.

 

Güngör SOBACI is married and has two children. His wife is a gynecologist. He can fluently speak English and loves listening to Turkish classical music, fishing and swimming.