Rejdak received the award "in recognition of his unique contribution to global ophthalmology for the benefit of mankind" during a congress of the United Kingdom & Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons in London.
Rejdak heads the Department of General Ophthalmology at University Clinical Hospital No. 1 in Lublin, eastern Poland. He specializes in cataract, retina and vitreoretinal surgery, and has performed more than 40,000 surgical procedures.
In addition to his academic work, Rejdak was commended for his service to patients and his educational and humanitarian efforts, particularly his support for Ukrainian doctors and patients affected by the war.
Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he has worked closely with Ukrainian ophthalmologists operating under extreme conditions, treated complex traumatic eye injuries in Lublin, and organised specialised training for large groups of Ukrainian physicians.
Rejdak said preparations are underway to establish a training center in India to help local specialists provide eye surgery services to the poorest communities.
The Ridley Eye Foundation was established in 1967 by Sir Nicholas Harold Lloyd Ridley, the inventor of the intraocular lens and a pioneer of intraocular lens surgery for cataract patients. Ridley died in 2001 at age 94.
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Source: Liderzy Innowacyjności