Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi

Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi (born 21 March 1959) is an ophthalmologist and full professor at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, as well as the head and founder of the Noor Ophthalmology Complex.

Hashemi was born in March 1959 in Fariman (Khorasan Razavi Province), where he completed his primary education.

He completed his secondary education at Danesh Bozorg-nia High School in Mashhad.

He was accepted into medical school at Ferdowsi University in Mashhad after taking the national entrance exam of 1976 – 77.

In 1989, he completed his residency training in ophthalmology at the same university, ranking first among his cohort, and in 1990, he completed his fellowship in Cornea and Anterior Segment at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.

He has also completed numerous post-graduate training courses in North America and Europe on the latest methods of corneal surgery, cataract surgery, and correction of refractive errors.

After graduation, Hashemi spent more than 30 years at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Farabi Hospital.

During his academic tenure, he has trained a large number of medical and allied health students, including more than 200 ophthalmologists and 50 anterior segment fellows.

He has also organized numerous training courses for ophthalmologists in the past three decades.

In May 1992, he established Noor Eye Clinic (the very first private-sector ophthalmology clinic) in Motahari Street, Tehran.

He has also established Nooravaran Salamat Charity Foundation (2001) which provides free general and specialty ophthalmic and dental services in remote underprivileged areas of Iran.

In 2006, he established Noor Eye Hospital on Esfandiar Boulevard, Tehran.

Now, Noor Ophthalmology Complex comprises 2 hospitals, 4 clinics, and sub-specialty polyclinics in Iran and Oman, all of which are run under his close supervision.

During his career, Hashemi has initiated the first Eye Cohort Study in the Middle East (Shahroud Eye Cohort Study – since 2008) and was one of the founders of Jihad Sazendagi (an organization established after Iran’s revolution to serve the rural residents and underserved regions).

Driven by his dedication to science and discovery, Hashemi founded Noor Ophthalmology Research Center, which was granted approval from the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education in 2010.

The center has carried out numerous scientific investigatins and research projects under his supervision.

To date, Hashemi has published more than 450 articles in leading high impact factor journals (Google Scholar link: Hassan Hashemi - Google Scholar).

According to the Web of Science, he ranks among the top 50 people in the field of ophthalmology and among the top 30 people contributing to the field of collagen cross-link, which is a novel technique to prevent the progression of keratoconus.

Some of his regional and national research projects include the Shahroud’s Eye Cohort (14 years old now), Tehran Eye Study, Tehran Geriatric Eye Study, Iranian Cataract Surgery Survey, Visual Impairment in Rural Iran Study, and Evaluation of Children’s Vision Screening Programs in Iranian.

As a leading ophthalmic surgeon and pioneer in adapting modern techniques, Hashemi has been the first in Iran to perform and promote countless modern therapeutic devices and surgical techniques, some of which include:

1. Sutureless phacoemulsification cataract surgery

2. Laser refractive surgery techniques such as LASIK

3. Laser-assisted cataract surgery with Nd:Yag and Femtosecond lasers

4. Micro-incision cataract surgery

5. Glaucoma drainage devices such as single and double-plate Molteno implants, Ahmed glaucoma valve, and Baerveldt EX-Press shunts

6. Viscocanalostomy and deep sclerectomy

7. Lamellar keratoplasty using Melles’ DALK technique and Anwar’s big-bubble technique

8. Posterior corneal grafting using the Melles, PLK, DSAEK, DMEK, and DWAK techniques

9. Automated lamellar therapeutic keratoplasty (ALTK) and laser-assisted full-thickness and lamellar keratoplasty techniques

10. Intracorneal inlays of various types

11. Various types of accommodating intraocular lenses, multifocal ReSTOR, multifocal Array, C&C Vision AT-45, Artisan, Artiflex, and ICL IOLs.

12. Various types of intracapsular rings and Artisan IOLs for the management of subluxated nuclei

13. Intraocular lenses (IOLs) for correction of myopia and hyperopia

14. Refractive surgery using wavefront customized ablation technology

15. Conductive keratoplasty

16. KeraRing and INTACS intrastromal corneal ring segments

17. Phototherapeutic keratectomy for correction of corneal opacities

18. Automated lamellar keratoplasty for correction of myopia and hyperopia

Hashemi was elected as the Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education in 2012 and resigned from this position in January 2017.

Among his numerous services, while in office, is developing the national Health Transformation Plan.