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Why do we offer observerships at ELZA?

Most ophthalmology residents would view an observership in refractive surgery at a prestigious clinic as being a wonderful opportunity. A week or two away from your center of learning, and you get to spend time with experts in the field and to see how others do it in the real world. The opportunities for learning are there for the taking: to gain that extra insight into how the surgeon manages to do something well that so many others find challenging, or in the case of complicated case management, how someone can get great outcomes for their patient, and at the same time, make a good living from doing something so challenging and time-consuming to plan and execute. The surgeon-in-training gets to extend their network, add a big name to their CV, and will return to their day job a more rounded and experienced surgeon. It’s not a bad proposition for the visiting doctor, is it?

Prof. Hafezi with Dr. Clara Bartha in the OR after some laser refractive surgery.

ELZA takes observerships seriously. When we offer somebody an observership placement, we’ll plan that person’s time carefully to give them the maximum exposure to the clinical, scientific and administrative aspects of the clinic. Observers receive a customized schedule for the time that they are with us at ELZA. We make sure that they get to spend as much time as possible with the medical and surgical staff, observing as many surgeries as is practicable during their time at ELZA. We’ll expose them to how we interact with patients before and after surgery, at check-ups. We perform corneal biomechanics research at the University of Zurich, so we make sure that our observers get to spend at least a day at the laboratory at the University of Zurich’s Irschel Campus to see what we’re researching, and to understand why we’re doing it (which is to better understand how the cornea is built, what gives it strength, how disease states change this, and how cross-linking and laser ablation changes the cornea).

We try to make sure that these observerships coincide with visits from ELZA’s consultant surgeons too. This means that in addition to the refractive and therapeutic laser surgery, cross-linking and the general ophthalmology aspects of the practice, they get to meet with some other big names in the field. If Dion Paridaens is consulting, these young doctors get to meet one of the most gifted and experienced oculoplastic surgeons in the world. If Lamis Baydoun is present, they get to meet the person that’s trained more corneal surgeons to perform DMEK corneal transplantation surgery than anyone else in the world. If Kaweh Mansouri is consulting, they get to meet a glaucoma superstar and one of the pioneers of micro-invasive glaucoma surgery. This does come at a cost to ELZA – time. Our clinic is not a production line where patients pass through as quickly as possible (we offer a far more personalized and premium experience than that).

But time spent teaching – explaining to the observer why this choice was made, rather than that, or how this was the best way to approach this case or that patient rather than an alternative – isn’t time spent seeing more patients. It is, however, time spent educating the next generation of ophthalmologists on how to be a better doctor, which in itself, is worth it. But there’s another aspect to all of this. These up-and-coming, motivated young doctors will benefit from the learning and the networking opportunities at ELZA. But we do too. Every observer will walk away knowing what ELZA does and how well it does it. Every observer will know that they can turn to anyone at ELZA in the future for help, advice, consultation, or more. And it’s in this respect, that it’s a win-win. This is where research collaborations start. This is where careers are made. We form bonds of friendship and scholarship with our observers, and that’s truly what makes all of this effort worthwhile. We actively keep in touch with our former observers, and we intend to run small events at international ophthalmology congresses just to help our former observers to meet us again, meet each other, and meet other friends of ELZA.

ELZA observerships are highly competitive. We receive two or three applications a week, yet because when we offer observerships, we offer comprehensive, informative and well-planned observerships, there are only a few times a year when all of the stars align to permit this, once travel, Congress and other commitments are factored into the mix. Don’t let this put you off applying though. When we see a CV that excites us, we’ll make it happen. If you’re still wondering whether to apply – and you can do so by clicking here – then here’s what a recent graduate of our observership scheme, Dr. Luis Valdes, has to say about his experience:

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Augeninstitut ELZA
4.8
Based on 109 reviews
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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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