350,000 PLN – that is how much was raised to purchase a modern surgical microscope for the ophthalmology department of the military hospital in Kharkiv. This is not just ordinary medical equipment. In the reality of a city located right next to the front line, it represents a chance to save eyesight – and often also dignity and independence – for people who have fallen victim to the war unleashed by Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Kharkiv has for months remained one of the Ukrainian cities most heavily affected by Russian attacks. Daily life is not only marked by air raid sirens, but also by a growing number of patients with severe injuries – including damage to the organs of vision caused by explosions, shrapnel, or blast waves. In such conditions, access to advanced ophthalmic equipment is not a luxury, but a necessity.
“The microscope will serve both the residents of Kharkiv and victims of military actions,” emphasizes Fr. Łukasz Mudrak, Director of Caritas of the Archdiocese of Lublin. “This city functions in immediate proximity to the front line, where medical needs are enormous. Thanks to the involvement of donors from Poland, as well as from the United States and the United Kingdom, we have managed to bring this initiative to completion. We are closing the fundraising stage and moving on to implementation – in the coming weeks, the equipment will reach its destination.”
The purchased microscope is a top-class device that will allow doctors to perform the full spectrum of ophthalmic surgeries – from the most common cataract removal procedures, through retinal and vitreous surgeries, to complex anti-glaucoma operations.
“We are talking about equipment that genuinely increases the chances of saving eyesight in patients with severe injuries,” notes Prof. Robert Rejdak, President of the Polish Society of Ophthalmic Surgeons. “In wartime conditions, where time and precision are critical, such a microscope becomes one of the key tools in a surgeon’s work.”
The fundraising lasted a year and was conducted by Caritas of the Archdiocese of Lublin in cooperation with the Medical University of Lublin. Not only individual donors were involved in the initiative, but also medical communities and international organizations.
A symbolic summary of the project was made by Prof. Wojciech Załuska, Rector of the Medical University, who during a training meeting in Lublin welcomed ophthalmologists from Kharkiv and announced the completion of the fundraiser. It is they – doctors working under conditions of constant threat – who will use the new equipment, saving the health and lives of their patients.
Because this story is not just about technology. It is about real people: civilians pulled from the rubble, soldiers returning from the battlefield, children who know shelters instead of schools. For them, every successful procedure is not a statistic, but a regained chance at a normal life.
In a world where war destroys, such initiatives restore a fundamental balance – showing that solidarity and medicine can still act faster than destruction.
RyK / edited by PrzeG
Photo: mikroskopdlacharkowa.pl
