From the quiet town of Aiha in the Rashaya district, Dr. Suleiman Salim Abu Latif (born 1978) set out carrying an ambition unbounded by geography. The journey began at the Lebanese University, which awarded him his general medicine degree in 2003, marking the first cornerstone in a scientific edifice he built with great passion and perseverance across world capitals.
After his graduation, he pursued a specialization in (Ophthalmology) at the Arab University, then moved to Ghent University Hospital in Belgium, where he specialized in retinal diseases, surgery, and genetic diseases. In 2009, he moved to Britain to pursue sub-specialized training in eye surgery, setting his sights on one goal: reaching the highest global standards in this field.
In 2001, he earned membership and a diploma from the British Royal College of Ophthalmologists, beginning a new phase of scientific and practical deepening.
Then, after two years of intensive training at Moorfields Eye Hospital—the largest specialized eye hospital in the world—he received his fellowship in retinal surgery in July 2018.
In December 2018, Dr. Abu Latif achieved his most prominent accomplishment by obtaining the Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (FRCOphth), the highest title in the ophthalmology profession globally, after passing four stages of rigorous examinations.
Dr. Abu Latif describes Moorfields Hospital as "the icon of ophthalmology in the world, where specialized medicine is witnessing tremendous development,"
relying on gene therapy, genomics, stem cells, and precision medicine, especially in treating inherited retinal diseases.
He also highlights his experience working with doctors from various countries, training some of them, providing medical consultations, and adopting 3D technology in retinal surgery and delicate eye-related procedures.
His scientific portfolio includes more than six research papers published in
global medical journals, in addition to his participation as a speaker at the European Society of Retina Specialists (Euretina) congresses in Milan, Nice, Copenhagen, and Vienna.
He also won the first prize for excellence in patient service as a member of the retinal surgery team at St George's Hospital in London.
It is the journey of a Lebanese doctor who started from a small town and continued his path steadily until he reached the highest global platforms of medical specialization, proving that when passion is combined with science, it creates achievements worthy of admiration.
His story reveals a doctor who did not settle for just treating eyes, but believed that 'insight' is what leads 'vision' toward the impossible.
