Nikki Hafezi on Pediatric Keratoconus, Public Health, and Policy
February 5, 2026
Why early keratoconus screening in children is essential for preventing vision loss and long-term disability.
Find scientific articles, popular press articles, congress participations, and video interviews here.
Why early keratoconus screening in children is essential for preventing vision loss and long-term disability.
This month, Nikki Hafezi “sat down with” The Ophthalmologist in a comprehensive executive profile interview.
We are pleased to announce the successful completion of an keratoconnus screening event at Humo Arena in Tashkent.
During the Croatian Organisation of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (CROCS) 2023 annual meeting held in Zadar, Croatia, on 12th and 13th October, Prof. Farhad Hafezi lectured on “CXL in 2023” and he and ELZA’s CEO, Nikki Hafezi, performed Croatia’s largest keratoconus in Down Syndrome screening event to date.
EEC-ACP in Biel Am 27. April hat das ELZA-Team um Prof. Farhad Hafezi in der Lago Lodge in Biel den 2. Teil der ELZA EEC-ACP abgehalten. Der Titel des Vortrages lautete “Diagnosing Irregular Corneas – Part II” und eine grosse Anzahl von Optometristen aus der Französischen Schweiz war anwesend. Fotos finden Sie
Free screening. But why? Free. Gratis. Kostenlos. Light for Sight’s partners will screen children with Down Syndrome for keratoconus for free – not just on today, World Down Syndrome Day, but every day of the year. It’s certainly not cost free for the medical practices, but we at Light for
January 29, Zurich, Switzerland Today, the Light for Sight foundation published a White Paper detailing its Light for Sight Associate Certification Program, which will be run in collaboration with the ELZA Institute and will form part of the ELZA Institute’s ELZA Educational Curriculum (EEC). The goal of the ACP is
Emilio, Riccardo and Bernardo got together during the 2018 CXL Experts’ Meeting in Zurich to discuss the early detection of keratoconus.
Emilio and Rohit sat down during the 2018 CXL Experts’ Meeting in Zurich to discuss combining CXL and PRK to improve the vision of patients with keratoconus, and what Rohit’s research group’s biobanking efforts are beginning to show.
Emilio and Federik got together during the 2018 CXL Experts’ Meeting in Zurich to discuss how much life is left in the Dresden corneal cross-linking protocol and when you might attempt epi-on CXL as opposed to the currently more effective epi-off CXL.
Theo and John sat down at the 2018 CXL Experts’ Meeting in Zurich to reminisce (and joke) about their adventures together across nearly 3 decades of collaboration and friendship.
During the 2018 CXL Experts’ Meeting, held in Zurich, Switzerland, Emilio Torres found the time to interview Theo G. Seiler on customized corneal cross-linking, Brillouin Microscopy data and more!
Swiss National “Future Day,” Light for Sight Foundation & World Keratoconus Day Thursday, November 8, 2018 was the Swiss National “Zukunftstag”, or “Future Day” for 5th grade schoolchildren. During this day, pupils spend the day observing a profession of their choice. This year, two Swiss clinical ambassadors of the Light
The Light for Sight Partner, Prof. Jorge L. Alio and colleagues have shown that special attention should be given to Down Syndrome patients due to their unique corneas. Specifically, this study shows that Down Syndrome patients when compared to general population have thinner corneas, more aberrations, which may lead to
Data Protection law is changing on 25 May 2018 and as a not-for-profit foundation we need to be ready for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We believe that the GDPR is a good initiative for the charitable and voluntary sectors because it confirms and enhances the rights of
This is the third time The Ophthalmologist names the top 100 most influential people in the world of ophthalmology. Congratulation to our 12 partners who have been named on this years list of experts. Amar Agarwal Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital,
Zurich, March 21, 2018 The Light for Sight Foundation launches a new clinical model initiative intended to increase compliance levels of high risk patients during routine eye examinations to better identify and diagnose diseases like keratoconus To commemorate World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, 2018, the Light for Sight
Light for Sight partner J. Bradley Randleman MD PhD at the USC Roski Eye Institute treated James Caffrey, a Special Olympian for Keratoconus. Unfortunately, people with Down Syndrome often don’t complain about their eye problem, either because they don’t notice or because they can’t communicate the problem well enough. Even
Light for Sight Partner Gunnar M Zoega MD at Sjonlag and Landspitali University Hospital Iceland, presented various Keratoconus treatments at the general assembly of the Icelandic Ophthalmological Association. Light for Sight Partners all over the world have been advocating awareness for Keratoconus as well as educating health care professionals on detection
Light for Sight partner Farhad Hafezi MD PhD at the ELZA Institute in Zürich offers a specialized Down Syndrome consultation. By focusing on the most common eye related illnesses people with Down Syndrome experience, as well as specialized attention to communication and compliance, the ELZA Institute is at the forefront
November 10, 2017: Keratoconus affects about 1 in 2,000 people in the general population, but 1 in 7 Down syndrome individuals are affected with this disease that can lead to severe visual impairment. Keratoconus is an eye disorder, which leads to progressive thinning of the cornea, especially in children. While
Light for Sight Foundation conducts free screenings for keratoconus Dietikon, Switzerland – On Sunday, September 3, 2017 the Light for Sight Foundation conducted free screenings for signs of keratoconus at an exposition targeted to the expatriate communities in Switzerland in collaboration with team members from the ELZA Institute AG. The
January 2017. New textbook on keratoconus. Our Light for Sight partner Prof. Jorge Alio, Vissum Eye Clinic and University of Alicante, Spain, has edited a new textbook on keratoconus. Light for Sight co-founder Prof. Farhad Hafezi and Dr. Sabine Kling cover the topic of “Cross-Linking in children”. See more here.
The CXL Experts Meeting is the largest international scientific congress that solely covers cross-linking technology. Light for Sight is proud to be the main organizer for the 2016 meeting in Zurich, Switzerland.
World Keratoconus Day 2016 on November 10 See an eyecare professional, if you are between 8 and 40 years old and your far vision has deteriorated and glasses do not help or your astigmatism has increased lately. The Light for Sight Foundation is a non-profit organization that started in Switzerland
March 2016: Noor Eye Clinic, Teheran. Our Light for Sight reference site in Teheran brings hope to a young Down Syndrome patient with keratoconus from Tajikistan, through the medium of LfS headquarters in Switzerland . Read the article here.
Schweizer Illustrierte. Keratoconus treatment by cross-linking in children and adolescents, at the ELZA Institute. Read here (article in german).
Noor Eye Clinic, Teheran, Iran. Many thanks to our Reference Site in Teheran, Iran, for treating this 30 year-old Down Syndrome patient from Tajikistan as part of the humanitarian initiative of Light for Sight.
ELZA Institute, Dietikon Zurich, Switzerland. Mannie Ng is the reigning DSISO World Record Holder for the 100 m Back Stroke (1:38.05). She broke the previous world record on December 2, 2008. Ms. Ng is also a gold medal winner in the 200m Breast Stroke. Mrs Ng came from Portugal
Ocular Surgery News. Light for Sight unites clinical institutions, research groups, patient organizations and private persons in the mission to combat preventable severe visual impairment caused by keratoconus in children and adolescents. A major component is “Light for Sight 21”, specifically developed for people with Down’s Syndrome, since keratoconus is
European Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery, annual meeting Barcelona 2015. The ELZA member Prof. Farhad Hafezi speaks about best practice models when performing cross-linking in children and adolescents with progressive keratoconus.
CXL for progressive keratoconus in a 12-year-old boy from San Francisco that came to ELZA for treatment. The topography shows a remarkable result early after CXL of the right eye : the cornea did not only stabilize, but shows a flattening of more than 3 diopters as early as 12 weeks after
World Down Syndrome Day 2015, Greece. Ophthalmica.gr holds a press conference on the opening of the LfS21 Reference Center in Thessaloniki.
Prof. Hafezi gives an interview on pediatric cross-linking in children and adolescents, at the World Ophthalmology Congress in Tokyo in April 2014.
Ophthalmology Times. Children and adolescents with keratoconus may have rapid progression between the ages of 8 and 19 years and immediate treatment with corneal crosslinking may stop that progression. “When CXL initially began to be used, we always determined that the patient was progressing before CXL was applied to be
Sheraz Daya on a humanitarian mission in Tanzania. The corneal cross-linking device was provided by the Light for Sight foundation. Read his article here.
Prof. Renato Ambrosio from our Light for Sight reference site in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Read here (Article in Portuguese).
Dr. Kristina Mikek, from the Light for Sight reference site in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Read the article here (Article in Slovenian).
EyeWorld USA. Read the article here.
Keratoconus is much more frequent in people with Down Syndrome. Read here.
Corneal cross-linking in children and adolescents at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Chicago.
Journal of Refractive Surgery. ELZA members published the first major study on Cross-Linking for keratoconus in children and adolescents. Read here.