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Elie Dahan, glaucoma, pediatrics and cataract innovator, dies at 62
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Elie Dahan, MD, a leading specialist in glaucoma, pediatrics and cataract surgery, died on May 6 at the age of 62 years old. His sudden death shocked his many friends and colleagues and left a deep void in the ophthalmic community, where he was highly appreciated for his professional and personal qualities.
Born in French Morocco, Dahan was educated in Israel and acquired Israeli nationality by naturalization in 1962. From 1980 to 2007, he was in South Africa, where he obtained a post-doctoral degree in ophthalmology and became head of the St. John Eye Hospital and senior lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
Elie Dahan
Dahan was remembered by his colleagues and friends as a passionate pediatric and glaucoma specialist and a skilled and talented surgeon on the forefront of innovative techniques.
Jan Talma, MD, former president of the Ophthalmological Society of South Africa and Southern African Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, said he was “a passionate teacher to his fellow doctors on all the cutting-edge developments in pediatric surgery, congenital cataracts and congenital glaucoma.”
“It is not possible to imagine a useful debate without Elie’s input and persistent arguments on his beliefs,” he said. “His legacy is captured in the way pediatric cataract surgery is done and still being taught in our country.”
André Mermoud, MD, who met Dahan in Johannesburg in 1994, recalled his pioneering work in deep sclerectomy.
“With Robert Stegmann and myself, he was one of the first to do deep sclerectomy. We developed together the T-Flux implant (Carl Zeiss Meditec) and worked closely together,” he said.
“He was an advocate of early glaucoma surgery; one of his legacies was that people should be operated early, because medications cause irreversible damage to the conjunctiva,” Mermoud said.
Later, Dahan performed the first human case of CO2 laser-assisted sclerectomy surgery, a novel nonpenetrating glaucoma surgery technique that utilizes laser technology, and instructed many surgeons worldwide. In the early 2000s, he modified the surgical technique of the Ex-Press glaucoma mini-shunt (Alcon) by implanting the device under a scleral flap.
“His technique turned a failed device to one of the leading glaucoma procedures worldwide,” Ehud Assia, MD, an OSN Europe Edition Board Member, said.
In Israel in 2008, Dahan joined Assia, medical director, at the Ein Tal Eye Center in Tel Aviv. He served as a consultant for glaucoma surgery and complicated anterior segment surgery at several university hospitals in Israel and overseas.
Assia recalled Dahan’s great talent as a surgeon and his passion as a teacher.
“He voluntarily instructed experienced surgeons all over the country to deal with the most difficult cases. He was happy to be wherever he was needed, to help and teach,” he said.
As a cataract surgeon, Dahan was also an innovator, Assia said.
“He was the first to report the opposite clear corneal incision technique to reduce astigmatism during cataract surgery. He designed several IOLs and surgical instruments,” he said.
In January 2013, Dahan was appointed head of the Glaucoma Service at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem.
Dahan was also an active member of the major international ophthalmological societies, in which he represented South Africa first and Israel later.
“He was an ambassador of goodwill and traveled worldwide intensively to exchange experiences and teach,” Carlo Enrico Traverso, MD, president of the European Glaucoma Society, said.
Dahan was active in publishing, including ophthalmology books and manuals, peer-reviewed journals and newspapers. His many presentations at ophthalmology meetings were known for clarity and the ability to make difficult topics simple and pleasant.
He was also one of the most active and reliable members of the Europe Edition of Ocular Surgery News.
“Despite being an accomplished surgical innovator, Elie always behaved humbly and was open and kind to everyone. He was a caring doctor, always bent towards the well-being of his countless patients,” Traverso said.
“He had a kind and friendly nature and was helpful to everyone. He had many friends and no enemy,” Mermoud said.
“He was a lovable person and a true friend. He was a true gentleman, selfless and humble, and gained the affection and appreciation of the entire ophthalmic community,” Assia said. “He was also a loving husband to his wife, Colette, and a warm father and grandfather. His death is a huge loss to all of us.” – by Michela Cimberle