History of the Institute

SI «The Fialtov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine» was established by an outstanding scientist-ophthalmologist academician Volodymyr Filatov on the 4th of April 1936.

Since the day of its creation and so far the Filatov Institute has been one of the leaders of the world medical science and practical medicine.

Volodymyr Filatov was among the first in the world who performed successfully corneal transplantation. During the post-war years there were a lot of people with leukoma after being wounded; they became blind. That’s why corneal transplantation gave a unique chance to save vision. Consequences of the war stimulated V. Filatov to make another invention – “Filatov’s walking stem”.

Because of its deficiency on the head, skin should be delivered to the area of surgery from the shoulder, for example. To do this, a rectangular patch of skin was cut, replaced towards the area of surgery and sewed. After skin’s catching on, the operation was repeated. It seemed to be a surprisingly simple solution! But it became a really revolutionary and it opened a new era in reconstructive plastic surgery.

It was Volodymyr Filatov who created tissue preparations increasing restoration capability of the organism and preventing development of post operative complications.

“Aloe”, “Fibs”, “Suspension of the placenta” and many other preparations were introduced in the clinical practice at the Filatov Institute.

Academician Volodymyr Filatov headed the Institute from 1936 to 1956. During his long life the academician grew up a pleiad of outstanding scientists, among them – academician N. Puchkovska, who headed the Institute for 29 years after Filatov’s death, professors: B. Brodsky, S. Kalfa, V. Voino-Yasenetsky, Z. Skrypnychenko, N. Shpak, S. Barkhash, A. Pakhomova, and many others.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Institute was evacuated to Tashkent where V. Filatov was a principal consultant at the military eye hospital. Tens of employees of the Institute were off at the front where they were working at the military hospitals until war end. In September 1944 V. Filatov and employees returned to Odesa.

During those post-war years there was a great flow of people suffering from burns and traumas after being wounded. In 1946 the Department of Eye Burns was created at the Institute. Academician V. Filatov entrusted his student Nadiia Puchkovska, Cand. of Med. Sc. and the captain of the medical service – the newly demobilized head of the full-time department of the military field hospital.

After the death of V. Filatov in 1956, Nadiia Puchkovska headed the Institute which got the name of its founder in 1945.

Being an excellent clinician and masterful surgeon-ophthalmologists, N. Puchkovska made a great contribution in the world and national ophthalmology. The scope of her interests includes issues on therapeutic and optical keratoplasty, keratoprosthesis, pathogenesis and treatment of eye burns and their consequences. She developed two stages method for surgical treatment of post-burn extensive adhesions of the eyelids and cornea enabling to recover the sight of hopelessly blind patients. Thousands of patients were operated on. Vision of most of them was recovered. In 1978 academician N. Puchkovska, professor N. Shulgina, professor G. Legeza and Cand. of Med. Sc. V. Nepomnyashhij were awarded the State Prize of Ukraine for studying eye burns pathogenesis and developing new methods of treatment for eye burns and their consequences.

1. Puchkovska took an active part in creating first domestic lasers, developing techniques for laser operations and introducing ultrasound into the clinical ophthalmology. In 1963 professor of the Filatov InstituteLeonid Lynnyk first in the world performed successfully laser coagulation, “welded” the retina of the human eye, beginning era of “lasers in ophthalmology”. At that time in the world there was no analogue to photo coagulator OK-1 which was designed together with CB “Tochmash”. Stimulating effect of low-power laser radiation on the retina was put in the basis of treatment of dystrophic diseases.In the following years, vision was returned to thousands of patients.

From 1985 to 2004 the Institute was headed by another Filatov’s student Ivan Logai, professor, DMedSc, laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine winner, Honored Science and Technology Figure of Ukraine.

For 18 years of his heading the Institute, there were developed new devices and tools, new diagnostics, a magnet for foreign bodies removal from posterior segment of the eye, original method of foreign bodies removal from the lens with keeping it transparent; solved issues due to eye injuries and keratogenesis; created Ukrainian school of ophthalmic traumatologists.

1942 – Ukrainian Experimental Institute of Eye Diseases

1945 – Institute was given the name of academician Volodymyr Filatov

1956 – Ukrainian Research Experimental Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy named after Acad. V.Filatov /Order of Ministry of Health of the USSR № 3 from 17.01.56/

1966 – Odesa Research Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy named after Acad. V. Filatov / Order of the Ministry of Health of the USSR from 18.01.65 /

1986 – Odesa Red Banner of Labour Research Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy named after Acad. V. Filatov / Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR from 10.04.68 /

1992 – Ukrainian Research Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy named after Acad. V. Filatov / Order of the Ministry of Health of the USSR №15 from 22.01.92 /

1993 – Institute is subordinated to Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine /Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from 22.03.1993/

1993 – The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine / Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 22.03.1993 /

1993 –The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine / Order of the Academy of Medical Sciences №12 from 29.09.1993 /

Since 2004 the Institute has been headed by Nataliya Pasyechnikova, a corresponding member of the National academy of medical sciences of Ukraine, professor, Honored doctor of Ukraine, a student of Tatiana Shlopak (she was a student of V. Filatov). Thus, there is continuous connection between generations of Filatov students.

In many directions that have developed since the time of academician V. Filatov, the Institute remains a leader. This is keratoplasty, corneal transplant, diagnosis and treatment of retinal diseases and, of course, ophthalmooncology – here the primacy of the Institute is indisputable. And today everything possible is being done to preserve it in the future. Many specialists go for internships abroad, respectively, ophthalmologists from Finland, Egypt, Hungary, Bulgaria and other countries come to the Institute.

Today the main work of the Filatov Institute is focused on the development of fundamental and applied problems of ophthalmology:

• Study of the pathogenesis of eye diseases by modern immunological, pathomorphological, biochemical, pharmacological, radiological and other methods used in medicine and biology;
• Creation of new methods for ocular pathology diagnosis and treatment with the use of priority elaborations of the Filatov Institute on tissue transplantation, stimulation and therapeutic laser radiation, ultrasonic, magnet and ionized radiation, biological tissue cryotherapy, immunology, endocrinology and tissue therapy;
• Development of new methods of diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina and vascular membranes of various etiologies using the latest achievements of modern science (biology, physics and others);
• Development of comprehensive programs for rehabilitation of patients with ocular pathology.

Particular attention is paid to the direction “Application of high-frequency electric welding of biological tissues in ophthalmology.”

During the XII Congress “Euretina” (6-8.09.2012, Milan, Italy), a group of scientists of the institute (a corresponding member of NAMS of Ukraine Pasyechnikova N., DMedSc Naumenko V. and Cand. of Med. Sc. Umanets M.) for the study “The use of high-frequency electric welding of biological tissues in vitreoretinal surgery” was awarded the 2nd prize “Euretina. Innovation Awards”.