Rooted in Berlin since 1981.

One practice, one doctor, one employee.

The story of Ihre Augenärzte began in 1981, when Dr. med. Martina Schmidt-Olufsen took over Dr. Ursula Busse’s ophthalmology practice on Rheinbabenallee. Sigrid, the practice’s longstanding medical assistant, stayed on. At the time, the team consisted of the owner and one employee.

Dr. med. Martina Schmidt-Olufsen provided both surgical and non-surgical care. Her particular interests included neuro-ophthalmology and eyelid surgery. Glaucoma care and paediatric ophthalmology have also been part of the practice’s services since 1981.

After the villa on Rheinbabenallee was sold, the practice moved to suitable premises at Kurfürstendamm 210. Architect Christian Neesse created a modern, elegant and well-organised practice within the challenging triangular floor plan.

A bold decision creates a permanent home.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and subsequent reunification transformed Berlin’s property market. The monthly rent on Kurfürstendamm was set to rise from DM 1,300 to DM 10,500. This substantial increase put the practice’s financial future at risk.

Dr. med. Martina Schmidt-Olufsen initially negotiated a one-year transition period with a reduced monthly rent of DM 4,500. At the same time, she began an intensive search for a financially sustainable long-term solution.

Suitable premises were eventually found on Carmerstraße, where we had the opportunity to buy rather than rent. They were extensively renovated to meet the needs of a modern ophthalmology practice. Christian Neesse once again planned and coordinated the work.

The practice moved to Carmerstraße 7 in summer 1990. This became its new home and the starting point for further medical and organisational development.

Bringing diagnostics and surgery together.

Over the following years, we steadily expanded the services available. The practice developed from a traditional single-doctor ophthalmology practice into a centre combining non-surgical diagnostics, specialist examinations and outpatient surgery.

We have provided intravitreal injections, known as IVOM in Germany, since 2010. These treatments allow us to care for a range of retinal and macular conditions, particularly age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinal disease and vascular occlusions in the eye.

Introducing and expanding intravitreal treatment was a major step in developing our surgical services.

Personal responsibility remains the basis.

On 1 April 2010, Dr. med. Martina Schmidt-Olufsen handed the practice over to her son Stefan Heinrich, passing it to the next generation of the family.

That handover still shapes the identity of Ihre Augenärzte today. Our development is guided by personal responsibility, decisions made for the long term and a close commitment to outpatient eye care in Berlin.

Under Stefan Heinrich’s medical leadership, outpatient surgery expanded significantly. Diagnostic equipment and medical facilities were also extensively modernised.

In 2011, the practice expanded to occupy the entire floor at Carmerstraße 7. The extra space allowed larger examination areas, a growing team and a clearer separation of services. Cataract surgery also began that year. Together with intravitreal injections, it made surgical ophthalmology a central part of the practice’s work.

New areas of expertise within our medical team

Tomas Engels has worked as a specialist ophthalmologist at our Savignyplatz practice since September 2021. His clinical and surgical experience supports the development of the practice’s services and the care of our patients.

Dr. med. Claudia Mahraun, F.E.B.O., joined our team as an employed specialist ophthalmologist in January 2024. She brings particular expertise in corneal disease and provides both non-surgical care and outpatient corneal surgery.

The first additional practice joins the network.

On 1 April 2024, Christoph Nimsgern’s ophthalmology practice at Greifswalder Straße 137 became the first additional established practice to join Ihre Augenärzte.

We subsequently developed the location’s medical services, equipment and organisation. Outpatient cataract surgery has also been available at Greifswalder Straße since early 2026.

Patients can now receive care at this location throughout their treatment, from diagnosis and surgical planning to the operation and follow-up appointments. This reflects our approach to the practices we take over: preserve what makes each one distinctive and develop its services thoughtfully.

Individual practices become a shared network.

From 1 January 2025, the established practice network continued as a medical care centre under Heinrich MVZ Trägergesellschaft mbH. Stefan Heinrich and Aljoscha Nickel are its managing directors, jointly responsible for the organisational, financial and strategic development of Ihre Augenärzte.

Our medical care centre structure connects the practices more closely, allows them to share specialist expertise and supports professional management of central services. Ihre Augenärzte remains owner-led. This combines personal responsibility and a long-term outlook with the resources of a modern eye care network.

On 1 January 2025, we also took over Rafael Bröcher’s ophthalmology practice at Wilmersdorfer Straße 62. The practice continues to serve its existing patients while retaining its history and established ways of working. It is gradually joining our shared medical and organisational structures.

In 2025, we expanded our surgical services to include refractive and glaucoma surgery. Refractive surgery offers further ways to correct vision problems. Glaucoma surgery adds new surgical options to the care we have provided for people with glaucoma since 1981.

We expand our services according to a clear principle: new treatments must be medically appropriate, reliably organised and integrated into patient care for the long term.

Five practices. Shared values.

On 1 April 2026, we took over Ingrid Braun’s ophthalmology practice at Schlegelstraße 4, keeping another established Berlin practice open and bringing it into our care network. We aim to retain its identity and longstanding relationships with patients while offering the support and resources of our wider group.

On 1 July 2026, Ihre Augenärzte took over Ulrike Meyer’s share of the practice at Bayerischer Platz 9. At the same time, we formed a shared ophthalmology practice arrangement with Lubos Frano.

This model allows the participating doctors to share premises, staff and organisational support while retaining their professional independence. At Bayerischer Platz, too, our aim is to sustain established eye care for the long term and continue the work in the spirit of the previous practice owner.

Tomas Engels became a shareholder in 2026. With ownership continuing within our medical team, we are carrying forward the traditions and values of Ihre Augenärzte and preserving this approach for the next stage of our development.