Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmology Day in the GOCC Foundation

On 9 May, we celebrate Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmology Day, a holiday that is particularly significant for our Foundation.

Prevention of Retinopathy of Prematurity

The Programme for the Prevention and Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity began in 2001 with the acquisition of seven state-of-the-art diode lasers, which were installed in ophthalmology clinics across Poland. The first devices procured under the Programme were distributed to Katowice, Bialystok, Poznan, Szczecin, Gdansk, Lodz, and Wroclaw. For 23 years, we have been continuously developing an effective system for the earliest possible detection and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity.

We have equipped 21 medical centres across the country to provide extensive access to high-quality eye care for premature babies. Each of these centres has received state-of-the-art equipment to diagnose and treat retinopathy. By January 2024, we had delivered 225 ophthalmology devices, enabling eye examinations for 280,618 premature babies. As many as 12,827 children's eyesight could be preserved thanks to these examinations! The cost of purchasing the necessary equipment amounted to PLN 17,481,803.19.

The 30th Grand Finale fundraiser 

We dedicated the 30th edition of the "Summer Blaze in January" to sight problems. This Grand Finale fundraiser raised an impressive total of PLN 224,376,706.35. Volunteers from all over the world were actively involved in the collection, supporting high standards of ophthalmic diagnosis and therapy in children.

The procurement of equipment for paediatric ophthalmology was recently assigned to 3 Open Tenders - the 63rd, 65th, and 68th - during which we acquired, among other items, microscopes, operating tables, specula, slit lamps, synoptophores, lasers, a 2-plane angiocardiograph, equipment for the Ophthalmic Simulation Centre, and simulators for teaching the examination of children for retinopathy of prematurity.

Ophthalmic Simulation Laboratory

Five days before the 32nd Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, we visited the Institute "Pomnik - Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka" and ceremonially opened Europe's first Ophthalmic Simulation Laboratory dedicated exclusively to the issues of developmental age ophthalmology. The value of the equipment purchased by the GOCC for the Laboratory was a total of PLN 4,685,000!

ROP simulators

As part of the goal of the 30th GOCC Grand Finale, on 17 April this year, we signed a contract for the purchase of 4 simulators for teaching the examination of retinopathy of prematurity - equipment worth nearly PLN 1.8 million! These are the first such simulators in the world! The ultramodern devices will go to:

• Oddziału Okulistyki Dziecięcej Uniwersyteckiego Centrum Klinicznego im. prof. K. Gibińskiego w Katowicach,
• Oddziału Okulistyki Dziecięcej Szpitala Specjalistycznego im. Stefana Żeromskiego SP ZOZ w Krakowie,
• Kliniki Okulistyki Uniwersyteckiego Szpitala Klinicznego w Poznaniu,
• Kliniki Okulistyki Instytutu „Pomnik – Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka” w Warszawie