The Filatov Institute of eye diseases and tissue therapy of AMS of Ukraine is known in the world as one of the leading ophthalmologic centers of Europe and is the main one in Ukraine on the problem of ophthalmology and tissue therapy. Over 700 staff members including 26 doctors of medical science and 55 candidates of medical science work at the institute.

The Institute was founded in 1936 by the prominent scientist-ophthalmologist, academician Vladimir Petrovich Filatov who was known in the world by his outstanding works on cornea transplantation in leukoma, he proposed a technique of skin plasty with the help of “round stem” which was an epoch in the plastic surgery according to the surgeons' opinion; he created a new original method of nonspecific treatment- tissue therapy and many other innovations. The academician V.P.Filatov headed the institute from 1936 to 1956. He was the founder of ophthalmologic school, the so-called “Filatovtsu”.

After death of the academician V.P.Filatov his disciple and follower - academician Puchkovskaya Nadezhda Alexandrovna became the head of the institute from 1956 to 1985. She grounded theoretically and worked out the operative technique of different kinds of cornea transplantation (subtotal, in layers), new methods of surgical treatment of complicated leukomas, eye burns and their consequences, keratoconus, keratoprosthesis in especially severe eye burns. On the basis of the institute she organized the first in the country Center of treatment of severe eye burns. She was the State prize of Ukraine winner, Honored worker of science and technology of Ukraine , a member of the international ophthalmologic Academy.

Since 1985-2003 the institute is headed by doctor of medical science, professor Logay Ivan Mikhailovich. He worked out new methods, devices, apparatuses and magnet for extraction of foreign bodies from the posterior section of the eye, original method of extraction of foreign bodies from the lens with preservation of its transparency. He works on the problems of eye traumas and cataractogenesis, created a school of ophthalmologists of Ukraine . I.M.Logay is a winner of the State prize of Ukraine , Honored worker of science and technology, a member of the American Academy of ophthalmology and international society on cataract treatment and refraction surgery.

From 2004 year for a present time the Institute is headed by the doctor of medical sciences, the Deserved doctor of Ukraine is Natalia Vladimirovna Pasyechnykova.

Basic directions of the Institute work:

1. Study of epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical course, development of methods of preventive measures, treatment and rehabilitation in eye diseases and damages and their consequences.

2. Study of the mechanism of action and development of new tissue preparations.

3. Development of new methods of diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the retina and choroid of a different etiology with the use of the last achievements of modern science (biology, physics and other).

4. Organization of ophthalmologic care to the population of Ukraine .

The characteristic of clinical subdivisions:

The clinical base of the institute has 480 beds, which are located in 8 specialized departments. Annually thousand surgical operations with the use of modern methods and apparatus are conducted in the departments. Possibility of comprehensive inspection of patients with any pathology of eyes in 15 special scientifically-experimental laboratories of institute allows to decide the most intricate problems and give recommendations of the most effective treatment.

 

At the consultative polyclinic of the institute the doctors see 700-750 patients a day, both inhabitants of Ukraine, and countries of near and distant foreign countries (only in 2004 the patients of 19 countries of the world were given consultation at the institute). The number of consultations at the clinic of the institute is 180-190 thousand of people per year. The possibility of the complex patient examination with any eye pathology allows to solve successfully the most difficult problems and to develop the recommendations for the most effective treatment.

Institute is a large center on the personnel training in area of scientific and practical ophthalmology. The different types of of doctors post-graduate courses are conducted on the base of institute, and also the specialized scientific council of defence of doctoral and candidate's dissertations (degree of PhD) on ophthalmology.

The «Ophthalmology magazine» was founded by the academician V.P.Filatov in 1946. The magazine is published in Odessa and it is leading scientific edition of ophthalmology type of Ukraine . During many years the Institute represents Ukrainian ophthalmology science on world international congresses, conventions, conferences and symposiums.

A number of priority scientific elaborations on the most urgent problems of ophthalmology is executed for years of existence of the institute:

CORNEA TRANSPLANTATION - for the first time there was theoretically proved and confirmed in experiment, the possibility of using the eye corneas of the died people for their grafting to the patients with leukomas. It has solved a fundamental question on a source of a donor cornea and has been the beginning of wide introduction of transplantology in medicine and operations of keratoplasty, in particular including its new kinds - through and in layers. The keratotransplant was offered to be used as biological dressings, for treatment of cornea dystrophy. There was studied the possibility of using the cornea which was preserved by different ways / the damp chamber, drying, freezing / for keratoplasty. There were developed the ways of strengthening of the cornea transplant and instrument / trepan /, that simplified technique of the operation, the problem of incompatibility in keratoplasty is investigated in detail with use of antigenes of НLА system.

DAMAGE AND TRAUMAS OF THE EYE - there was investigated pathogenesis of burn process in the eye, the methods of specific immunotherapy of the eye burns, developed reconstructive surgery of consequences of severe burns. The new operations for keratoprosthises are offered in especially severe burns, the new methods of diagnostics, localization and operative interventions are developed in intraocular foreign bodies,. There were developed a new model of artificial lens and biological suture material from the femoral fascia, new methods of treatment of eye hypotension, cysts and iris coloboma and a lot of other methods, which improved significantly the quality of treatment of this contingent of the patients .

GLAUCOMA - for the first time there was created experimental model of the eye hypertension and model of adrenaline glaucoma, the basic difference between hypertension and primary glaucoma was revealed, a new hypothesis of pathogenesis of open-angle glaucoma was offered. There were developed the differential schemes of general medicinal treatment and examination of the patients with open-angle glaucoma in different stages of its development, new methods laser therapy of glaucoma, etc.

OPHTHALMOENDOCRINOLOGY – There was offered a new classification of diabetic retinopathy, the causes of high rate of glaucoma in patients with diabetes mellitus. For the first time the question was raised about dispensary registration of these patients with eye pathology. The new schemes of treatment of simple and proliferative diabetic retinopathy and their complicated forms are developed.

TISSUE THERAPY - There was developed, theoretically proved and introduced into practical medicine the original method - tissue therapy. The new tissue preparations are offered, the mechanism of their action is investigated, the new technologies of their production and a serial manufacture are developed. The tissue preparations are widely used in practice of health services and national economy and are exported to 17 countries of the world.

OPHTHALMOONCOLOGY - There was developed a morpho-clinical immunologic classification of pseudotumors of the eye. For the first time in ophthalmology there were used studies of temperature fields with the help of liquid crystals. There were developed the device, methods of differential diagnostics of tumors of the eye and orbit, organ-saving treatment with application of a photo- and laser coagulation, radiation therapy and cryodestruction by local hyperthermia with MWF.

RETINAL DETACHMENT - There were developed new methods of surgical treatment of retinal detachment - operations for sclera corrugation and catgut impression into the sclera, method of its laser preventive maintenance. The problems of intraocular gas silicon tamponade, application of pneumatic retinopexia and retinoprotection in treatment of regmatogenic detachment of the retina with the central ruptures, etc are being developed.

CHILDREN'S OPHTHALMOLOGY – There were developed new devices and methods for definition of visual functions in children of early age, investigated etiology of the congenital squint and offered the new methods of treatment. A new technique of scleroplastic operations is developed in progressive myopia, the methods of diagnostics of retinoblastomas are improved. There were developed new techniques of treatment of congenital and acquired cataracts, congenital glaucoma that has increased considerably the efficacy of surgical interventions.

UVEITES - There was developed a way of definition of the organism autosensitization in patients with uveites and new methods of treatment, for the first time there was shown possibility of development of endogenic uveites under the influence of constantly present saprophytes in the organism (protozoa, colibacillus). The impairments of the eye hemodynamics in patients with uveitis and maculodystrophy are determined depending on the form of disease, etc.

CATARACTOGENESIS - The principles of differential metabolitic therapy of cataracts are being developed on the basis of definition of the key enzymes and metabolites in biochemical humors of the patients' organism as well as appropriate correction of metabolism with the purpose of prevention of further development of the pathological process; the influence of different preparations on processes of cataractogenesis, condition of the membranous transport of ions are investigated in development of experimental cataracts, etc .

The effective methods of surgical treatment of xerosis are developed at the institute, this disease was considered incurable and inevitably resulted in blindness; there were created the complex of the equipment and new techniques for treatment amblyopia; the original methods of laser therapy of patients with different dystrophic diseases of the eye are introduced into practice.

The staff of institute carry out a great designing and inventive work, there are developed and introduced into practice sets of eye instruments for cornea amblyopia and squint, new models of lasers, ultrasonic and magnetotherapeutic equipment, television computer ophthalmoscope, cryodestructor etc.