Dr. Albert Franceschetti, MD was passionate about contact lenses and the amazing opportunities they offered to his patients in Meyrin near Geneva, Switzerland. He was so much involved into contactology, he also served on several professional and organizational boards, as member as well as president, like the European Contact Lens Society in Ophthalmology ECLSO. He never got tired to promote contact lenses around the world and he was one of the few who realized how much power and knowledge rely in interdisciplinary cooperation with other professions like optometry.
Dr. Franceschetti also served the Boards of the Julius-Hirschberg-Gesellschaft and the Schweizerische Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft SOG-SOO, where he organized the continuing education credits for the Swiss ophthalmologists and led the contact lens commission. Dr. Franceschetti was a long-time editor of the scientific journal “Ophtha” which is very well-known and respected across the German speaking countries like Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
Dr. Franceschetti came up with the idea to initiate the Swiss Academy of Ophthalmology SAoO and was not only a founder, but also the long-time vice-president of the society.
Dr. Franceschetti was well-known all-over Switzerland and in many parts of Europe as a highly respected ophthalmologist and human, who always said what he thought. He never shied any good discussion, and he was very convincing with his well justified arguments.
Dr. Albert Franceschetti, MD was born as the son of a famous professor in Ophthalmology, Prof. Dr. Alphonse Franceschetti. For sure it was not always easy to stand out of the shadow of his father and to find his own way. But our good friend and colleague Albert did it “his way”. Dr. Franceschetti will be remembered as role model, as profound medical and contactology educator, as president and initiator of outstanding professional societies and even more as a wonderful human person and close friend.