The agreement covers scientific cooperation, joint publications, the exchange of clinical staff, and the organization of scientific conferences. Starting in 2025, SUM plans to send students to a doctoral school in China. Remarkably, a pioneer of Chinese ophthalmology was a Polish ophthalmologist, Rev. Dr. Waclaw Szuniewicz, who served as the Director of the Hebei Eye Hospital in Xingtai from 1930 to 1948.
At the invitation of the Hebei Eye Hospital in Xingtai, Hebei Province, Prof. Edward Wylęgała, the Vice-Chancellor of the Silesian Medical University for Development and Technology Transfer, visited China to sign a comprehensive scientific, educational, and clinical agreement with the country’s largest ophthalmology hospital and the Hebei Province Key Laboratory for Eye Disease Research.
„As part of the visit, I conveyed an invitation to SUM from the Rector, Prof. Tomasz Szczepański, addressed to the leadership of the Hebei Eye Hospital Research Institute,” said Prof. Wylęgała. During the meeting, Prof. Wylęgała, along with Hospital Director Lifei Wang and SUM Vice-Chancellor for Science, Prof. Katarzyna Mizia-Stec, signed an agreement for 2024-2027, extending cooperation that has been ongoing since 2014.
„In terms of the hospital’s scale, it’s worth noting that in 2023, the facility served nearly a million patients, with around 60,000 surgeries performed. Our agreement includes scientific collaboration, joint publications, clinical staff exchange, and organizing scientific conferences. From 2025, we plan to send SUM students to a doctoral school in China,” adds Prof. Wylęgała.
Prof. Edward Wylęgała was also reappointed as a visiting professor at the Hebei Eye Hospital for 2024-2028. Since 2017, he has held the positions of Foreign Academic Expert and Talent Attraction Program Expert for Hebei Province. During his visit, he examined patients in the Cornea Unit and participated in a scientific seminar discussing future directions for ophthalmic research. The joint research projects aim to expand knowledge on eye diseases, with an emphasis on innovative treatments and refractive surgery.
A highlight of the visit was the “7th China International Ophthalmology Academic Symposium,” attended by over 1,000 specialists from around the world. Prof. Wylęgała, who delivered the keynote lecture, honored Rev. Dr. Waclaw Szuniewicz, a Polish ophthalmologist who directed the hospital from 1930 to 1948 and was instrumental in advancing ophthalmology in China. Prof. Wylęgała’s speech emphasized Szuniewicz’s contributions to education and research, noting that the early history of refractive surgery began in China, pioneered by a Polish ophthalmologist.
The visit also marked the opening of a museum dedicated to Wacław Szuniewicz, housed in the original premises of the hospital, which operated at that location from 1904 to 1948. „The museum pays tribute to the Polish doctor who transformed ophthalmology in China, earning him the title ‘father of Western ophthalmology’ in the country,” said the SUM Vice-Chancellor. The ceremony included representatives from local authorities, hospital staff, and the Polish Embassy in Beijing, underscoring the international significance of the event. A theatrical production depicting Szuniewicz’s life and a concert accompanied the opening, with the performance broadcast across the province, which has a population of 67 million.
