Credentials and Qualifications

Dr. Dimitri Azar has extensive qualifications that Trusted LASIK Surgeons estimates place him among the top 1% of LASIK, refractive and cataract surgeons in the United States.

For your convenience, these credentials and criteria have been grouped by Experience, Patient Care and Credentials. In addition, Dr. Azar has included some additional career highlights that while not used by Trusted LASIK Surgeons in our screening process, clearly supplement his highly distinguished career.

Dr. Azar’s qualifications and credentials as one of the top LASIK and cataract surgeons include:

Experience

• Over 16 years experience in laser vision surgery, including LASIK and PRK
• Dr.Azar was the first surgeon to perform the LASEK procedure, now performed routinely around the world
• Over 16 years experience in refractive surgery (laser vision, lens implants and RK)
• Over 24 years experience in cataract surgery (including cataract surgery with lens implants)
• Performed over 10,000 LASIK and laser vision procedures
• Performed over 5,000 cataract surgery procedures
• Principal Investigator for 2 FDA clinical investigative studies for laser manufacturers and makers of other vision correction devices and products as well as a Co-Investigator for 2 other clinical FDA studies
• Key contributor to the clinical trials and studies for FDA approval of the VISX excimer laser

Premier Patient Care

• “All-Laser” LASIK (bladeless) using the IntraLase laser
• Wavefront Based (“Custom”) LASIK and PRK laser eye surgery
• Use of iLASIK Procedure- WaveScan Technology, IntraLase, and Visx Advanced CustomVue treatments
• Offers complete refractive surgery care
  • LASIK and PRK laser eye surgery
  • Intraocular lens implant surgery (IOLs) including Refractive Lensectomy (RLE) or Clear Lensectomy (CLE) using:monofocal lenses, multifocal lenses, and accommodating lenses, as well as phakic implants and toric implants
  • Corneal Transplants
    • Other vision correction surgery:
      Use of Wavefront Based (“Custom”)
    • LASIK and PRK
  • Cataract eye surgery (including cataract surgery with lens implants)
  • Use of Wavefront Based (“Custom”) LASIK and PRK
  • Offers complete refractive surgery care, including LASIK, PRK, RLE/CLE, CK (Conductive Keratoplasty), Phakic Implants, Limbal Relaxing Incisions, and cataract and multifocal lens implants procedures
  • Management of complications of surgery for new patients who had problems from a LASIK or other vision correction procedure or cataract surgery first performed by another doctor
  • Other eye surgeons, optometrists, opticians, employees of companies that specialize in refractive surgery instrumentation or their family members have chosen Dr. Azar to perform their LASIK or other refractive procedure or cataract surgery

  ---

  Professional Credentials

  • Current Academic Appointments:
    • Dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago
    • Field Endowed Chair of Ophthalmologic Research, Professor and Head Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences,
      Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago
    • Member of UIC Fight for Sight
  • Past Academic Appointments
    • Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School (2003)
    • Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School (1996-2003)
    • Senior Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School (2003-2006)
    • Associate Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School (1999-2003)
    • Professor Associé, Rothschild Foundation, University of Paris (1998-2000)
    • Associate Clinical Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School (1996-1998)
    • Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University (1996)
    • Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University (1991-1996)
    • Instructor in Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School (1990-1991)
  • Hospital and Laboratory Appointments
    • Surgeon, Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary (2006-current)
    • Surgeon, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (2003-2006)
    • Fellowship Training Program (combined program) Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston (1996-2006)
    • Director, Corneal and Refractive Surgery Services, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston (1996-2006)
    • Director, Contact Lens Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston (1996-2004)
    • Corneal and Ocular Surface Works in Progress, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Boston (1996-2006)
    • Director, Corneal Wound Healing Laboratory, Refractive Surgery, Johns Hopkins University (1991-1996)
    • Director, Keratorefractive Service, The Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (1992-1996)
    • Assistant Director of Residency Training, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston (1990-1991)
  • Professional Societies and Organizations
    • Associate Chief of Ophthalmology for Residency Affairs, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston (1990-1991)
    • American Academy of Ophthalmology (Member)
      • Honor Award
      • Senior Achievement Award
    • International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS) (Member)
      • USA Representative
    • American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) (Member)
    • Association for Research in Vision (Member)
    • International Society of Refractive Keratoplasty (Member)
    • New England Ophthalmological Society (Member)
    • Association of University Professors for Opthalmology (Member)
      • Chair, Mentoring Program
    • Chicago Ophthalmological Society (Member)
    • LIERI Lions Club Alumni Advisory Council (Member)
    • Eye Transplantation Foundation (Member)
  • Certified by American Board of Ophthalmology
  • Over 185 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles published
  • Over 100 text book chapters and 14 textbooks authored or edited
  • Over 100 lectures on research topics at major eye meetings

  ---

  Additional Career Highlights

  • Top Doctor Castle Connolly and Best Doctors Award 2007
  • Alcon Research Institute Award (2007)
  • Top 50 Opinion Leaders; Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today (2005)
  • Top 10 Ophthalmologists in Greater Boston area (Boston Herald Supplement) (2005)
  • Top Doctor, Ophthalmology, Boston Magazine (2003)
  • (1999, 2001)
  • Voted among Top 10 U.S. Refractive Surgeons by Ophthalmology Times (1996)
  • Top Doctor, Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore, MD. (1994-1996)
  • Resident Teaching Recognition Award, The Wilmer Institute Johns Hopkins University (1996)
  • Teacher of the Year Award, The Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University (1993)
  • Teacher of the Year Award, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (1991)

  ---

  Education

  • Undergraduate: American University of Beirut, Lebanon, B.S.
  • Medical School: American University of Beirut, Lebanon, M.D.
  • Internship:
    • Internal Medicine, American University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
    • Ophthalmology, American University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
  • Resident in Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard
    Medical School, Boston, MA
  • Chief Resident in Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School
  • Clinical Fellowship in Cornea and External Eye Diseases, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

  ---

  Surgeon Bio

  Dr.Azar is an internationally acclaimed refractive surgeon and cornea researcher whose work has influenced numerous innovations in laser vision correction. Dr. Azar brings expertise from Harvard and Hopkins to Chicago. He completed his residency and fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, and later joined the Wilmer Eye Institute at John Hopkins Hospital where he established and directed the Refractive Surgery Service (1991-1996). Dr. Azar returned to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in 1996 as Director of Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery Services and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. Over the next 10 years, Dr. Azar became Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and senior scientist at the Schepens Eye Research Institute. His research activities have focused on two main areas: (i) corneal wound healing, and role of Matrix Metalloproteinases in the cornea and (ii) Mathematical modeling and optics in refractive surgery and presbyopic treatments.

  Clinical Activities

  His clinical activities focus on the management of corneal, anterior segment, and refractive surgical conditions. He has contributed novel surgical techniques in the fields of penetrating keratoplasty, refractive surgery, and sutured posterior chamber intraocular lenses. He has also introduced several surgical procedures to Refractive Surgeries Services (including Laser in Situ Keratomileusis, laser epithelial keratomileusis, intracorneal ring segment surgery, and refractive intraocular lenses).

  Teaching

  Dr. Azar organizes and conducts the monthly corneal rounds, a two-hour conference preceded by patient examination (by residents, fellows and staff) providing in-depth discussion of interesting cases. He has also lectured at the Harvard Intensive Review Course of Ophthalmology and the Lancaster Course in Ophthalmology since 1996. He has lectured at several national and international meetings including the “Current Concepts in Ophthalmology” lecture series (organized by the staff of the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting (as course director and/or instructor). He has been an invited speaker to several symposia, named lectures, and lecture series. His lectures have covered various aspects of clinical corneal diseases, management of topographical abnormalities after refractive surgery, corneal angiogenic privilege, and corneal wound healing after refractive surgery.

  Chicago LASIK Surgeon Dmitri Azar, M.D. Curriculum Vitae

  ---

  To find a vision correction expert surgeon who has qualified to be listed at Trusted LASIK surgeons in another area, please visit:

  Find a Trusted LASIK Eye Surgeon

  The screening process and standards used by Trusted LASIK Surgeons™ can be found at:

  How Are Lasik Eye Surgeons Qualified at TLS