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Prof. Dr. Dr. Farhad Hafezi

Farhad Hafezi (born 1967) grew up in Fribourg, Switzerland, and studied medicine in Fribourg and Bern.

Clinical activity

Prof. Hafezi’s primary focus is medical and refractive corneal surgery, particularly the management of refractive laser surgery complications and the treatment of corneal ectatic disorders. He was instrumental in the clinical development and international establishment of corneal cross-linking (CXL) for the treatment of keratoconus, ectasia after LASIK and infectious keratitis..

In 2010, Prof. Hafezi was appointed to the University of Geneva, where he headed the Ophthalmic Clinic until 2014 as Chairman and Full Professor.

Hafezi holds an adjunct professorship in Los Angeles at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) since 2012, and in 2015, he started as Medical Director of the ELZA Institute in Dietikon and as Group Leader of the Ocular Cell Biology research group the Centre for Applied Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine at the University of Zurich. In 2017, Prof. Hafezi was made a Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.

Current Positions

University of Geneva, Switzerland: Professor, Medical Faculty

University of Zurich, Switzerland: Research Group Leader

University of Southern California (USC) Los Angeles, USA: Adjunct Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Research Professor

Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China: Visiting Professor

ELZA Institute AG, Dietikon, Switzerland: Medical Director

Study and Research

From 1993 to 1994 he completed a two-year postgraduate course in experimental medicine and biology at the ETH and University of Zurich (now Master of Science in Biology), followed by 3 years of research in the Retinal Cell Biology Laboratory at the Eye Clinic of the University of Zurich. His research focused on molecular mechanisms of retinal degeneration. He identified the first gene that completely prevented light-induced retinal damage (Hafezi et al., Nature Medicine, 1997).

Since 2002 he has been actively involved in corneal research and was instrumental in the clinical development of CXL for the treatment of keratoconus. His work has helped expand the application of CXL to children and other corneal ectactic disorders like post-LASIK ectasia and Terrien Marginal Degeneration, and also for the treatment of corneal infections and ulcers.

Publications, international activities

You can find his research profiles here: Google ScholarResearch Gate, and www.vision.research.eu.

He is co-editor of the Journal of Refractive Surgery and an editorial board member of Translational Vision Research & TechnologyEye and Vision, International Journal of Keratoconus and Ectatic Corneal Disease and Iranian Journal of Ophthalmology.

He is a regular speaker and facilitator at the ESCRS (European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery) and the AAO (American Academy of Ophthalmology) annual congresses.

Awards, The Power List

Prof. Hafezi has received 23 national and international awards so far. These were awarded both for his clinical and scientific work, as well as for his contributions to technology development in the form of innovation awards.

Among the awards are the ARVO Foundation / Carl Camras Translational Research Award (USA), as well as the highest honours in ophthalmology in Switzerland and Belgium.

In 2014, readers of the international journal “The Ophthalmologist” voted Prof. Hafezi among the world’s 100 most influential personalities in ophthalmology. Read more here. In 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2023, Prof. Hafezi was also elected to the biennial Power List.

In 2019, Prof. Hafezi was appointed FARVO – a fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology – in recognition of his clinical and research contributions over the years, which is a rare and prized badge of honour.

Prof. Hafezi is fluent in German, English, French, Polish and Persian. He is married and has three children.

The ELZA Institute

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Augeninstitut ELZA
4.8
Based on 109 reviews
powered by Google
mike
mike
09:02 04 Jan 23
Overall as a 50 year old, who wanted to continue to avoid wearing glasses and/or contact lenses, my goal was 100%... achieved with ELZA and Dr. Hafezi. I greatly appreciated the overall approach by Dr. Hafezi and his friendly and competent team in reviewing my vision at the start and following a comprehensive eye exam- the explanations of my options. For me I chose PRK in one eye for a monovision solution to correct short sightedness which was becoming more prevalent in night driving and sports such as skiing and cycling. PRK heals slowly but the outcome is worth the wait- and the cost- you use your eyes every waking moment- and for me I cannot see any reason not to pursue better vision with the ELZA team! A great quality of life enhancement!read more
Zuzana Fecko
Zuzana Fecko
21:48 31 Oct 22
Thank you so much, Dr. Torres and prof. Hafezi. 26 years I was only “dreaming” about the eye surgery due to possible... complications. I was worried ..Thank you for encouraging me to make a decision and thank you for your professionalism, explanations and great work!I wish you all the best, lots of success and only happy patients!read more
Serena Fazio
Serena Fazio
11:15 06 Mar 22
I have been to the ELZA clinic to have surgery for my miopy, as my eyes were rejecting the contacts and I was tired of... wearing glasses. From the first preliminary visit, to the actual surgery and post-surgery care Dr. Hafezi and all his collaborators have been extremely professional, considerate and helpful. All the steps of the (very short!) surgery were thoroughly explained to me in order to be as calm as possible, together with the medication plan and precautions to be aware of so that my eyes could heal in the best way possible. By following their exact instructions, the healing process has been very successful and smooth, and after about one week I was able to see perfectly. I absolutely recommend this team and their expertise!read more
Robin A
Robin A
11:43 16 Feb 22
Top experts and professional team. Highly recommended
Thunder Shiviah
Thunder Shiviah
14:05 23 Nov 21
After some research on local options I decided to go with ELZA since it stood out as the best. The operation and the... post-operation recovery went extremely smooth (something I was worried about with PRK). Now my vision is much better than I had hoped and I have no side effects such as dry eye or night vision problems. Thank you!read more
Thomas S.
Thomas S.
09:37 07 Jul 21
My left eye had to be operated on because of a cataract. As I had an Artiflex lens implanted a few years ago, it had to... be removed first before a modern lens could be implanted to correct the cataract. Prof. Hafezi treated me in an very competent and friendly manner. I am very happy with the result.read more
Selma A. Rahim
Selma A. Rahim
19:45 02 Jul 21
Dr. Hafezi.. the KING OF CXL🤴
Gianluca Ricci
Gianluca Ricci
12:46 10 Apr 21
Great team and service!
rehaneyecare
rehaneyecare
05:36 08 Apr 21
Excellent surgeon
Steven H.A
Steven H.A
16:13 11 Jan 21
Prof. F. Hafezi s expertise is enormous and he has a very pleasant and calm nature which gives the patient... security.Thank youread more
Online Commande
Online Commande
09:19 05 Dec 20
Totally creepy, very arrogant Prof.He just want your money.It may explain, why this Prof. is not in the center of the... city of Zürich and why he has been thrown away from University of Geneva.read more
Elena Churilova
Elena Churilova
10:06 17 Nov 20
At the moment, 3 months have passed since the moment I made laser vision correction in this clinic. and I can say that... I am happy that I chose this particular clinic and Prof. F. Hafezi. The entire staff of the clinic is very friendly, treats patients with sympathy and patience if they are nervous before surgery (my big gratitude to Aida Alili for all support and patience). The doctor Hafezi and other doctors of the clinic are very professional and ready to explain to you as many times as you need. I can only recommend!read more
Michele Aggiato
Michele Aggiato
18:17 10 Jan 20
The day I had Prof Hafezi checking my keratoconus I knew I was finally in the right place after years of searching for... a good ophthalmologist. Prof Hafezi recommended a surgery due to a drastic degeneration of my cornea. The surgery was performed by himself with the assistance of Dr Rodriguez, one more collaborator of Prof Hafezi’s team who got my full trust.read more
Ashley Faulkes
Ashley Faulkes
15:30 21 Mar 16
Professor Hafezi and the team at the ELZA Institute have done an amazing job of creating a first class eye clinic, with... cutting edge technology and support. I went there for a dry eye issue and other issues with my prescription, and they were easily able to help me and put me on the road to better vision! High recommend them to anyone in the Zurich/Aargau area.read more
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Augeninstitut ELZA
4.8
Based on 109 reviews
powered by Google
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