Who is the best eye doctor in Zurich? In Switzerland? In the world? While such questions are inherently subjective, peer recognition provides a meaningful benchmark.
Medical trade journal, The Ophthalmologist seeks to answer this by publishing its biennial Power List—a global selection of the 100 most influential individuals shaping the future of ophthalmology.
We are pleased to announce that Prof. Farhad Hafezi has been named to the 2025 Power List, this time in the Innovation category. This marks his sixth appearance on The Ophthalmologist‘s Power List (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023, and now 2025), reflecting sustained contributions to corneal science, refractive surgery, and vision restoration.
Prof. Hafezi is internationally recognized for his translational research in laser eye surgery and for pioneering multiple advances in corneal cross-linking (CXL), including accelerated, customized, and epithelium-on protocols now used worldwide.
To date, only six Swiss ophthalmologists have ever been featured on the Power List—three of them working at the ELZA Institute—affirming the institute’s reputation as a center of excellence in ophthalmic innovation.
As the only practicing Swiss ophthalmologist to be included five times in the prestigious Power List, Prof. Hafezi has made a significant impact on the field with his remarkable achievements. His extensive and groundbreaking work includes the development of new cross-linking techniques for the treatment of keratoconus and corneal ulcers, as well as the development of innovative applications of excimer laser technology in refractive laser surgery.
Raised in Fribourg, FR and residing in Baar, ZG, Prof. Hafezi is the co-founder and medical director of the ELZA Institute, which has clinics in both Zurich HB and Dietikon, and he also leads a research laboratory at the CABMM of the University of Zurich. Prof. Hafezi holds the title of Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Geneva, Associate Professor at the University of Southern California Los Angeles, Adjunct Clinical Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York, and Visiting Professor at Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. Additionally, he is a co-founder of the Light for Sight Foundation, which aims to prevent avoidable blindness in children and adolescents by promoting keratoconus screening and treatment.
