Jules Gonin, 1870-1935, of Lausanne, Switzerland, is known as the father of retinal detachment surgery because he revolutionized the procedure by developing the practice of looking for the retinal break and closing it.
After Gonin's death, the Gonin Medal was established in his memory by the International Council of Ophthalmology and the University of Lausanne as the supreme prize in international ophthalmology. It is awarded every 4 years to the person, who in the opinion of the International Council of Ophthalmology, has done the most for the specialty of ophthalmology.