Andrzej Grzybowski

About Andrzej Grzybowski

“My work has been driven by a clear and urgent motivation: to address the accelerating burden of myopia and other vision-threatening conditions through collaboration, high-quality evidence generation, and responsible innovation, while ensuring that new knowledge reaches clinicians and patients in a meaningful and equitable way.

“A central outcome of this effort was the establishment of the European Myopia Network, created to overcome fragmentation in myopia research, prevention, and clinical practice across Europe. The Network is guided by its European Myopia Network Council, which brings together leading experts representing Poland, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Croatia, and Turkey. This multidisciplinary and multinational structure enables systematic data exchange, alignment of research priorities, and critical analysis of how educational systems, public health policies, and lifestyle patterns contribute to observed epidemiological differences. The long-term aim is to translate comparative European evidence into harmonized prevention strategies and improved clinical outcomes, positioning Europe as a coordinated contributor to global myopia control efforts.

“In parallel, a strong commitment to ensuring that technological progress benefits patients safely and equitably led to the formation of the Polish AI in Ophthalmology Consortium. By uniting academic centers and private clinics, the Consortium enabled meaningful participation in global, high-impact initiatives such as the EyeFM project. This work reflects a focus not only on innovation, but also on rigorous validation: EyeFM underwent multicountry testing and a double-masked randomized controlled trial and was published in Nature Medicine (2025).

“My research efforts have also focused on closing critical knowledge gaps. This is exemplified by the first comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of myopia prevalence in Europe, synthesizing data from over 128,000 participants. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe (2025), highlighted the substantial impact of diagnostic methodology, demonstrated wide geographic variability, and provided a robust evidence base for researchers, clinicians, and policymakers planning future prevention strategies.

“Equally important has been a sustained commitment to democratizing knowledge. Through the Ophthalmology 21 Foundation, international conferences, patient-focused educational platforms, and independent, evidence-based communication channels, thousands of professionals and patients worldwide have gained access to reliable, up-to-date ophthalmic information.”