Farhad Hafezi

Chief Medical Officer, ELZA Institute, Dietikon, Zurich; Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Geneva; Associate Clinical Professor, USC Roski Eye Institute; Visiting Professor, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China; Research Group Leader, Ocular Cell Biology Laboratory, University of Zurich, Switzerland.

What is an interesting or little-known fact about you?

I speak five languages, and people are often surprised when they hear me speaking French or Polish. In fact, I am half Persian and half Polish, born in Germany, and raised and educated in the French part of Switzerland. I am married to an American, so English is the primary language in our home.

Why did you decide to pursue ophthalmology/your subspecialty?

I started in ophthalmology by doing almost five years of basic retinal research. All I knew after my studies was that I wanted to perform research. Then I heard about Charlotte Remé at the University Hospital Zurich who used light to damage retinal photoreceptors to study retinal degeneration. I was fascinated and asked her for a position. She said, “You may have a position, but I have no funding for you.” So, I agreed to start without secured funding. It was challenging due to the financial constraints, but it was worth it.

Who is someone in ophthalmology/your subspecialty that you feel has been particularly influential over the past 10 years?

Throughout my career, my former chief and mentor, Theo Seiler Sr, has been influential. In the past decade, many people have shaped ophthalmology, including Gerrit Melles, Amar Agarwal, and Shigeru Kinoshita. The Power List likely provides a more comprehensive overview.

What’s been the biggest breakthrough in ophthalmology/your specific field over the last 10 years?

In my field, understanding the crucial role of oxygen in CXL has been a game-changer. This knowledge allowed us to accurately model the UV-riboflavin-tissue interaction, optimize CXL, and finally develop a highly sought-after epi-on CXL, which is as effective as epi-off CXL. Epi-on CXL without risk for infection will lead to a paradigm change and open up office-based applications.

Is there a particular tool, technological advance, or instrument you would not have been able to live without over the past 10 years?

The constant advancement of aberrometers and their use in refractive laser surgery.

Do you have any strong opinions with which the rest of the field tends to disagree? 

I strongly believe that PACK-Cross-Linking for infectious keratitis will play a major role in the next few years. It is straightforward to perform and resistant bacteria are increasing at alarming rates. PACK-CXL might be the answer to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – the ever increasing resistance of pathogens to existing antimicrobial drugs.

What would you like to see change in ophthalmology/your subspecialty over the next 10 years – and why?

Now that we have a number of exciting, yet expensive, technologies spearheading the latest high-tech approaches, we need to lean back and look at the global perspective. Here, we will see a surge in S.M.A.R.T., a term coined by Nikki Kristoffersen-Hafezi. S.M.A.R.T. stands for “smart, mobile, affordable, reliable technology.” And this is exactly what we need both for diagnostics (screening purposes) and therapeutic devices.

Where do you predict ophthalmology/your subspecialty will be 10 years from now?

We will get increasing support from AI to be able to handle the bulk of “standard” cases in ophthalmology. The great challenge will be to educate the next generation of ophthalmologists to be able to 1) let AI support them in standard cases and 2) at the same time be so well-trained that they can detect rare and special diseases that require lifelong experience and education.

Do you have any personal missions for the next 10 years? 

I am very happy with my current professional setup, mixing clinical work with R&D. I have a strong desire to witness and support the growth of our young daughters as they develop into responsible and contributing members of society.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

My wife Nikki because she is always the life of the party.
My closest friends.
Martin Gray, whose incredible life story shows a will to live that is unparalleled.
Ernest Shakleton, who was a truly inspiring leader.
Annie Lennox, Rob Birch or Dave Gahan, whose music has accompanied me since my teenage years.