Centennial of the Birth of Dr. Orfilio Peláez Molina Commemorated

November 19, 2023

The centennial of the birth of the eminent Cuban ophthalmologist and scientist Dr. Orfilio Peláez Molina was commemorated on November 17, with the beginning of a scientific conference titled "Experiences and Challenges in Ophthalmological Sciences in Cuba," which will run until January 17, 2024, when it will mark 22 years since his death.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Public Health, the Doctor Salvador Allende teaching clinical surgical hospital, the homonymous Faculty of Medical Sciences, and the honorary chair Orfilio Peláez Molina in memoriam, which is based in that same institution.

At the event, the results of research and medical care will be presented on topics linked to retinitis pigmentosa, visual disability, ocular traumatology, ergoophthalmology, genetics, natural and traditional medicine applied to ophthalmology, and medical ethics and bioethics, among others.

At the opening of the scientific event, which took place in the theater of the Doctor Salvador Allende Faculty of Medical Sciences, a historical panel convened dedicated to highlighting Professor Peláez Molina's contributions to Cuban and international ophthalmology, as well as his legacy in teaching and medical care.

Likewise, it was announced that the ophthalmology service of the Salvador Allende hospital will henceforth bear the name of the eminent scientist.

Creator of an innovative treatment for retinitis pigmentosa—a chronic, progressive, hereditary vision disease characterized in its initial stages by the gradual loss of visual field and poor night vision—which included the development and application of a unique surgical technique, Dr. Orfilio Peláez Molina was deserving of the honorary title of Hero of Labor of the Republic of Cuba, received the Carlos Juan Finlay Order, the highest decoration conferred by the Council of State in the science sector, and held the status of Member of Merit of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba.