Dr. Maryam Ghafari

Dr. Maryam Ghafari is a professor of ophthalmology at Farabi Eye Hospital in Tehran — Iran's most prestigious eye care institution and one of the highest-volume eye hospitals in the Middle East, affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Iranian ophthalmology is recognized internationally for its high standards of training and the innovation it has developed in corneal diseases, particularly keratoconus — a condition that appears to have a higher prevalence in Middle Eastern and Central Asian populations.

With 20 years of specialist practice, Dr. Ghafari has become one of Iran's foremost corneal surgeons. Her expertise spans keratoconus management from early diagnosis through riboflavin-UVA crosslinking, intrastromal corneal ring segment insertion, and ultimately penetrating keratoplasty and modern lamellar corneal transplantation techniques (DSAEK, DMEK). She performs the full range of refractive surgery procedures including LASIK, PRK, and implantable collamer lens (ICL) implantation for patients outside the LASIK candidacy range.

Her glaucoma practice manages the significant burden of open-angle and angle-closure glaucoma in the Iranian population, using medical therapy, laser procedures, and surgical interventions including trabeculectomy and glaucoma drainage device implantation.

Dr. Ghafari is a committed educator who trains ophthalmology residents and corneal surgery fellows at Farabi Eye Hospital, and is active in regional ophthalmology societies. She communicates in Farsi and English.

Dr. Ghafari obtained her MD from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran and completed her Ophthalmology residency at Farabi Eye Hospital, TUMS. She undertook a Cornea and External Disease Fellowship at the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, UK — the world's oldest and most respected eye hospital — gaining advanced training in corneal transplantation and refractive surgery. She holds a PhD in Vision Science from TUMS and the FICO (Fellow of the International Council of Ophthalmology) designation. She holds a Professorship at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and serves as Director of the Cornea Fellowship Program at Farabi Eye Hospital.

Dr. Ghafari's corneal expertise encompasses diagnosis and all stages of management for keratoconus — from topographic screening and crosslinking in early disease through advanced penetrating and lamellar keratoplasty (DSAEK for endothelial disease, DMEK for optimal visual outcomes). She performs LASIK, PRK, and Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) for myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, as well as phakic ICL implantation. Her glaucoma surgical repertoire includes trabeculectomy with mitomycin-C, ExPRESS shunt implantation, and glaucoma drainage devices (Ahmed valve). For cataracts, she performs micro-incision phacoemulsification with premium multifocal and toric IOL implantation.

Dr. Ghafari has published extensively in journals including the British Journal of Ophthalmology, Cornea, and the Journal of Refractive Surgery on keratoconus epidemiology and management in Iranian populations, DMEK outcomes, and crosslinking techniques. She participates in international corneal transplant registries and collaborates with Moorfields Eye Hospital on research studies. She presents at the Iranian Society of Ophthalmology annual congress and the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

Farabi Eye Hospital receives patients from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Central Asian countries for specialized eye care that is unavailable or less accessible in their home regions. Dr. Ghafari consults in Farsi and English. For keratoconus evaluation and refractive surgery consultations, she offers video consultations where patients can submit their topographic and optical coherence tomography images for review before scheduling an in-person visit. She coordinates with Afghan Dari-speaking staff for patients who communicate in Dari.

Dr. Ghafari is the recipient of the Iranian Society of Ophthalmology Distinguished Clinician Award and has been recognized by Tehran University of Medical Sciences for her corneal surgery training program. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research and is an invited speaker at international corneal and refractive surgery symposia.