Dr. Father Wacław Szuniewicz, a forgotten pioneer in refractive surgery and his work in China

Father Wacław Szuniewicz (1891-1963) was a skilled ophthalmic surgeon, missionary, and teacher. For several years he worked in China, afterwards in the United States and in Brazil. The aim of the paper is to present the unanalyzed issues of Szuniewicz's research regarding corneal refractive surgery. Szuniewicz performed experiments on changing the corneal curvature with anterior, posterior and full-thickness incisions. The results of modifying the anterior and posterior corneal curvature were satisfactory, however, diminished significantly within months after surgery. Corneal band resections were superior in terms of efficacy, however, such an intervention commonly led to complications in animal studies. Szuniewicz's work was not published during his life. Nevertheless, as a result of strong impact of his personality and ideas, he is frequently considered as a pioneer of corneal refractive surgery.