Amoils was also awarded a patent for his "rotary epithelial scrubber", an improvement on the brush first developed by Ioannis Pallikaris that removes corneal epithelial cells in preparation for photorefractive keratectomy.[6][7]
Another development of his in 1970, was the diamond vitrectomy cutter, various instruments enabling micro-control of blade depth in radial keratotomy, as well as the oval comparator, or astigmometer, to control astigmatism after cataract surgery.
He advanced cryosurgery for cataracts and retinal detachments during 1962 at Baragwanath hospital in Soweto. This led to the Joule-Thomson effect cryoprobe in 1965, using carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide to cool the probe, which could then be reheated electrically, or by warm gas to release the probe if the resulting iceball also adhered to the iris; this dramatically changed cataract and retinal surgery. Amoils achieved wide recognition for his invention and in 1975 received a Queen's Award for Technological Innovation.[8] His cryoprobe has since been on display in the Kensington Museum in London.[8]
In 1994, Amoils removed a cataract from South African President Nelson Mandela's left eye.[10] In 2006, President Thabo Mbeki awarded him the silver Order of Mapungubwe for "excellence in the field of ophthalmology and for inspiring his colleagues in the field of science".[1]
Publications
Cryosurgery in ophthalmology (Textbook) Pitman Medical (1975) ISBN0-272-00468-5
^Pallikaris IG, Karoutis AD, Lydataki SE, Siganos DS. "Rotating brush for fast removal of corneal epithelium." J Refract Corneal Surg. 1994 Jul-Aug;10(4):439-42. PMID7528616.