Antón Barraquer Kargacin, the son of Professor Rafael Ignacio Barraquer Compte, has become the fifth generation of the Barraquer family to practice ophthalmology, joining the Centro de Oftalmología Barraquer in Barcelona with a background in artificial intelligence and machine learning that sets his generation apart from those before it.
The Barraquer name has been tied to modern ophthalmology since the late 19th century. The dynasty began with José Antonio Barraquer Roviralta, Spain's first professor of ophthalmology, and continued with Ignacio Barraquer, who founded the Centro de Oftalmología Barraquer in Barcelona. Joaquín Barraquer and Rafael Ignacio Barraquer later became international reference figures in the specialty. More than 145 years after that scientific venture began, the tradition now continues in a new generation led by Antón Barraquer.
International training in Zagreb and Miami
Antón Barraquer grew up surrounded by medicine, research and a family commitment to patient care. Rather than relying solely on the family name, he built his own path through international training. He earned his medical degree from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, then specialized in ophthalmology at Zagreb's Hospital Universitario KBC in Croatia, where he attended numerous surgical sessions and studied different techniques in eye surgery.
His scientific curiosity also led him to take part in the Phaco-Ersatz research project, run through the Cátedra Joaquín Barraquer at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. He later worked as a researcher at the Ophthalmic Biophysics Center of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, considered one of the most respected ophthalmology centers in the world.
Cornea, cataract and refractive surgery
Antón Barraquer now practices at the Centro de Oftalmología Barraquer, where he works within the cornea and ocular surface, refractive surgery and cataract surgery units. His work focuses on some of the most advanced areas of contemporary ophthalmology, particularly vision correction, corneal transplants and procedures aimed at improving patients' quality of vision.
A generation shaped by AI and data
Observers who follow the family institution's evolution point to a trait that sets Antón Barraquer apart: he belongs to a generation of doctors accustomed to working alongside artificial intelligence, large-scale data analysis and new digital tools in medicine. He has taken part in publications on building datasets for machine learning and on the use of artificial intelligence tools in ophthalmology, fields expected to transform how eye disease is diagnosed and treated in the coming years.
His arrival at the Centro Barraquer represents more than family continuity. It marks the ongoing presence of an institution that has shaped the history of ophthalmology in Spain and remains an international reference in patient care, research and teaching.
Carrying a 145-year legacy forward
While previous generations of the family revolutionized cataract surgery, corneal transplants and refractive surgery, Antón Barraquer belongs to a new stage in which technology, digitalization and personalized medicine will be decisive for the future of eye care.
He speaks Spanish, Catalan, English, French, Italian and Croatian, a range of languages that reflects the international character of a career still young but already firmly oriented toward excellence.
At a time when family medical dynasties are increasingly rare, Antón Barraquer Kargacin represents the natural evolution of a story that began more than a century ago, carrying forward one of the most influential names in European medicine.
