Ophthalmologist Day Date in the current year: August 8, 2024

Despite being referred to as “international” and “world”, Ophthalmology Day is mostly celebrated in Russia and other former Soviet republics. It was initiated in 2004 by Russian physician Tamaz Mchedlidze and the Saint Petersburg Medical Chamber.

The date of the holiday was chosen to honor Svyatoslav Fyodorov, a renowned Soviet and Russian ophthalmologist who was born on August 8, 1927. Fyodorov is considered to be a pioneer in several branches of eye surgery. He was the first surgeon in the Soviet Union to successfully perform implantation of an artificial lens and the first surgeon in the world to successfully use an innovative surgical technique to cure the early stage of glaucoma. However, he is most famous for developing radial keratotomy, a surgical technique to change the shape of cornea and correct nearsightedness (myopia), as well as for his overall contribution to refractive surgery.

Although Ophthalmologist Day is not an official holiday, it is widely celebrated by ophthalmologists throughout Russia and in neighboring countries.