Dr. Javier Cabrerizo, MD, PhD, FEBO - eye surgeon and ophthalmologist in Copenhagen

Meet Dr. Javier Cabrerizo, a Senior Consultant, eye surgeon, and associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. He has performed more than 5,000 corneal transplants and 10,000 complex eye surgeries.

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Full-time eye surgeon and ophthalmologist, owner of the Copenhagen Eye Institute
Former Senior Consultant, Department of Ophthalmology, Rigshospitalet, Glostrup
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen
PhD (Cum Laude), University of the Basque Country
FEBO — European Council of Ophthalmology (certified in 2013, Paris)
Specialty: Corneal Surgery (DMEK/DSAEK) and Complex Anterior Segment

brief introduction

Dr. Javier Cabrerizo is a board-certified ophthalmologist and one of Denmark’s most experienced corneal surgeons. He is the owner and a full-time eye surgeon at the Copenhagen Eye Institute, a former senior consultant at the Department of Ophthalmology at Rigshospitalet in Glostrup, and an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. His clinical work includes more than 5,000 corneal transplants and over 10,000 complex eye surgeries, and he is credited with introducing modern DMEK and DSAEK techniques to the Danish healthcare system.

About Dr. Javier Cabrerizo

Javier Cabrerizo earned his medical degree from the University of the Basque Country and holds a Ph.D. (Cum Laude) in the biophysical properties of the anterior segment of the eye, also from the University of the Basque Country. He is certified by the European Board of Ophthalmology (FEBO) and completed his residency and a fellowship in lamellar corneal transplantation at the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery (NIIOS) in Rotterdam—one of the world’s leading centers for this technique.

Starting in 2016, he worked as an ophthalmologist and corneal surgeon at Rigshospitalet, and in 2018 he was promoted to Senior Consultant in the Department of Ophthalmology. Concurrently, since January 2017, he has served as an Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, where he teaches and mentors future ophthalmologists. In January 2024, he left Rigshospitalet to take over Vibenshus Eye Clinic in Østerbro and began working full-time at his own clinic. On May 12, 2025, the clinic was rebranded as the Copenhagen Eye Institute with a new address at Kejsergade 2, where he is currently the owner and works full-time as an eye surgeon and ophthalmologist.

Medical license.

EDUCATION AND SPECIALIZATION

Undergraduate Degree in Medicine — University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain (study abroad at Technische Universität München, Germany)
Residency in Ophthalmology — University Hospital of Araba, Spain
Ph.d. (Cum Laude) — “Biophysical Properties of Aqueous Humor in Ocular Pathologies”, University of the Basque Country
FEBO — European Board of Ophthalmology, certificeret 2013, Paris
Fellowship i lamellær hornhindetransplantation (Cornea Transplant Fellow) — Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery (NIIOS), Rotterdam, Holland (april–december 2012)
Research Fellow, Department of Ophthalmology — Kyoto University, Japan (juni–september 2014)
Executive education in management and innovation — Global Executive MBA, Copenhagen Business School, as well as executive programs at ESADE Business School (Madrid) and the UN/WHO Staff College (Turin)

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Dr. Cabrerizo has more than 12 years of experience as a specialist and has completed:

5,000+ corneal transplants
A total of 10,000+ complex eye surgeries, including corneal surgery, anterior segment surgery, and cataract surgery

Career Path:

May 2010 – may 2014 — Ophthalmology Resident, University Hospital of Araba, Spain
April – december 2012 — Cornea Transplant Fellow, NIIOS, Rotterdam, Holland
June – september 2014 — Research Fellow, Kyoto University, Japan
June 2014 – December 2015 — Ophthalmologist, Cornea and Anterior Segment, University Hospital of Araba, Spain
January 2016 – December 2017 — Ophthalmologist/Surgeon, Cornea and Anterior Segment, Rigshospitalet
January 2017 – present — Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen
January 2018 – January 2024 — Senior Consultant, Cornea and Anterior Segment, Rigshospitalet
January 2024 — Left Rigshospitalet and took over Vibenshus Eye Clinic in Østerbro as a full-time eye surgeon/ophthalmologist and owner
May 12, 2025 – present — The clinic has been rebranded as the Copenhagen Eye Institute, with a new address at Kejsergade 2

He helped introduce and standardize the DMEK and DSAEK techniques in the Danish healthcare system—methods in which only the diseased layer of cells in the cornea is transplanted through a microscopic incision, eliminating the need for sutures and allowing patients to heal more quickly with fewer complications.

SPECIALIZED FIELDS

Dr. Cabrerizo’s academic and surgical subspecialty is corneal surgery—this is where his research, teaching, and international achievements lie. As an eye surgeon at the Copenhagen Eye Institute, he also performs the clinic’s full range of eye surgeries:

Advanced Corneal Surgery and Transplantation (DMEK/DSAEK) — Subspecialty
Complex anterior segment
Cataract Surgery
Vision-correcting surgery (laser eye surgery, lens replacement, and ICL)
Eyelid Surgery (Eyelid Lift, Ectropion/Entropion, Heavy Eyebrows/Eyelids)
Other corneal and retinal procedures (pterygium, keratoconus, posterior capsule opacification, wet AMD)

RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC WORK

Dr. Cabrerizo’s research focuses primarily on corneal transplantation, AI-based image analysis, and advanced OCT diagnostics. Among other things, he has served as principal investigator on a study of AI-based analysis of anterior chamber inflammation using SS-OCT at Rigshospitalet, and has participated as an investigator in a number of international clinical studies in the fields of macular degeneration and corneal surgery, including studies supported by Novartis, Alcon, and Roche.

He has supervised one bachelor’s thesis and two Ph.D. theses at DTU and Rigshospitalet in the fields of corneal transplantation and AI-based image analysis.

Through the Copenhagen Eye Foundation, he has also participated in humanitarian projects involving the teaching and implementation of modern corneal surgical techniques in Bolivia (Kolping Foundation, Santa Cruz de la Sierra) and Nepal (Tilganga Eye Clinic, Kathmandu).

TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL WORK

Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen (2017–present)
Collaborating Professor, Summer School in International Health, School of Global Health, Københavns Universitet
Guest speaker and instructor at numerous international conferences, including the AAO Annual Meeting (Chicago), the ESCRS and Eucornea Annual Meetings, as well as DMEK courses for NIIOS and ESCRS

PUBLICATIONS

Dr. Cabrerizo has more than 24 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals (see his full list of publications on ResearchGate), including:

View all publications on ResearchGate →

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS

Member, ESCRS (European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons)
Member and Board Member, ARVO Global Members Committee (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology)
Associate Editor, ACTA (Acta Ophthalmologica) — a peer-reviewed, PubMed-indexed journal in the field of basic and clinical ophthalmological research
Committee Member for Machine Learning and AI, Innovationsfonden, Denmark
Examiner in Ophthalmology and Public Health, Den Danske Censorkorps

TREATMENTS PERFORMED BY DR. CABRERIZO

Dr. Cabrerizo performs all of the Copenhagen Eye Institute’s treatments:

Vision-Correcting Surgeries

Eyelids and surrounding areas

Cornea

Retina and Other Parts

View all treatments →