In 2026, on April 2, it will mark the 115th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding scientist, ophthalmic surgeon, and mentor — Professor Susanna Oleksandrivna Barkhash, one of the brightest representatives of the scientific school of Academician Volodymyr Petrovych Filatov and the founder of pediatric ophthalmology in Ukraine.

In 1946, on the initiative of Academician Volodymyr Petrovych Filatov, the first pediatric ophthalmology department in Ukraine was established at the Institute of Eye Diseases. It was headed by Susanna Oleksandrivna Barkhash — an experienced clinician, gifted organizer, and courageous surgeon. She was the first in world ophthalmology to demonstrate the high clinical effectiveness of penetrating corneal transplantation in children, which became a true breakthrough in the treatment of pediatric blindness.

At that time, global medical practice held the view that keratoplasty in children should be postponed until adulthood. However, during this period, profound amblyopia would develop, negating the anatomically successful results of surgery. Thanks to Susanna Oleksandrivna Barkhash’s scientific persistence and surgical skill, this paradigm was overturned. She performed 756 penetrating corneal transplants in children of various ages — a record that remains unsurpassed to this day.

For 30 years (1946–1976), Professor Barkhash headed the pediatric ophthalmology department of the Institute V. P. Filatov. Under her leadership, the department became a powerful scientific and clinical center of pediatric ophthalmology, where modern diagnostic and treatment methods for complex ocular diseases in children were developed.

Her scientific interests covered virtually all areas of pediatric ophthalmology: surgery of congenital cataracts, treatment of congenital glaucoma, ophthalmic oncology, genetics of eye diseases, pathology of the lacrimal pathways, myopia, and other pediatric vision disorders. A significant contribution was made to the advancement of diagnostics and treatment of eye tumors, particularly retinoblastoma, as well as to the advancement of pediatric ophthalmic surgical techniques.

Professor S. O. Barkhash is the author of 158 scientific publications. She co-authored the fundamental monographs “Fundamentals of Corneal Transplantation” (1971) and “Tumors of the Eye, Its Adnexa, and Orbit” (1978), edited by Academician Nadezhda O. Puchkovska. Under her supervision, 4 doctoral and 7 candidate dissertations were completed, and her students later headed leading ophthalmology departments and research divisions.

Susanna Oleksandrivna combined scientific and clinical work with active public engagement. For many years, she served as executive secretary of the Ukrainian Ophthalmological Society, contributing to the development of the professional community and the training of young specialists.

Professor Susanna Oleksandrivna Barkhash will forever remain in the history of medicine as a pioneer of pediatric ophthalmology in Ukraine, an outstanding scientist and physician whose work restored vision to thousands of children. Her scientific legacy remains an essential part of the Filatov ophthalmological school and continues to inspire new generations of physicians and researchers.