RK pioneer dies in helicopter crash

Eye surgeon Sviatoslav Fyodorov, the pioneer of radial keratotomy, has died in a helicopter accident in Moscow. Dr Fyodorov made his name in the 1970s by developing the first corneal surgery to correct myopia. The procedure, in which surgeons use a knife to make small slices on the cornea, flattening it for better vision, was the precursor to laser surgery. Many Americans have undergone the operation to correct myopia since its debut in the US 20 years ago. Dr Fyodorov's death is 'an incalculable loss to Russian medicine,' Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has been quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. Dr Fyodorov ran for Russian president as a minor candidate in the 1996 elections won by Boris Yeltsin and was a member of the Duma, the lower house of parliament, in 1996-99. The body of the 72-year-old doctor was identified by his wife and members of staff from his eye clinic at the crash site last Friday (June 2). It is believed that Dr Fyodorov, a licensed pilot, was in charge of the helicopter in which three other people died.