About Dr. Hani Sakla

Dr. Hani Sakla is a third generation ophthalmologist, his father Dr. Fouad graduated in 1956 and his Grandfather Dr. Ragheb graduated in 1922. The 3 generations graduated from Kasr Al Ainy School of medicine in Cairo, the oldest in the Middle East. Medicine and Ophthalmology has always been a vocation and passion in the family with many cousins and uncles working as doctors in 5 continents.

Dr. Hani Sakla, a Spanish national was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1963. He graduated from the School of Medicine in 1986 with top honors. He completed his ophthalmology training in the Research Institute of Ophthalmology RIO in Giza, which is a 110 bed eye hospital. In 1991 he obtained his Masters degree in Ophthalmology M.Sc, and he was appointed as an assistant lecturer of Ophthalmology in the RIO. In 1994 he won a scholarship from the government of Spain to apply for the doctorate degree in Ophthalmology, which was a turn of paramount importance in his career.

In 1997 he successfully obtained the doctorate degree from the University of Miguel Hernandez in Alicante with the highest note of Apto Cum Laude. His thesis was about the sutureless eye surgeries which were something new at that time. He patented a new bioadhesive which can be used in some eye surgeries instead of the sutures. He worked with the pioneer group in Spain that developed and advocated the LASIK procedure in Spain and around the world under the supervision of Prof Jorge Alio and Dr. Perez-Santonja in Alicante Institute of Ophthalmology; he participated in the first book ever published in the world about LASIK in 1997.

Dr. Hani Sakla has many studies published in international peer reviewed journals including the journal of Ophthalmology from the American Academy of Ophthalmology AAO, the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery from the American Society of Cataract and Refractive surgery ASCRS, the journal of refractive surgery from the International society of refractive surgery ISRS, and many others.

Since, 1989 he dedicated his practice to cataract and intraocular implant surgeries, corneal surgeries, keratoplasties, all refractive procedures with excimer laser like LASIK, epilasik, Ultralasik, femtosecond lasik, beside implant refractive surgeries like phakic lenses ICL, or clear refractive lens exchange. He’s also specialized in glaucoma diseases and medical retina.

He soon moved to Dubai to work as a consultant eye surgeon, he introduced the phacoemulsification technique and the sutureless cataract surgeries with foldable lenses and made it a popular technique among his peers. Dr. Hani Sakla was elected as the chairman of the scientific committee in the Emirates Medical Association since 2001 till present. In the course of his service, he organizes many international ophthalmology conferences in Dubai.

Achievements

Dr. Hani Sakla has always aspired to be at the cutting edge of the ophthalmic technology and to bring the state of the art to the region. He was the first to implant the Restor Multifocal lenses in 2003 outside the US and Europe and he was in the international study group to evaluate the lens.

He was also the first to implant the Toric Acrysof lens in the gulf region before hundreds of doctors who attended the live surgery during the EOC 2008 in Dubai. Dr. Hani Sakla was the first to use the Toric implantable contact lenses to correct the visual problems in keratoconus patients in the UAE.

Dr. Hani Sakla was the first to introduce the intravitreal injections of lucentis to treat diabetic macular edema in 2006 which eventually became an preferred and common practice in the UAE. Also back in the year 2000 he was the first to use the photodynamic therapy to treat age related macular degenerations. And recently in 2009, he was the first to use the most modern Zeimer LDV Femtosecond laser to perform a safe ZLASIK.

Associations

Dr. Hani Sakla is a reviewer for the prestigious journal of Ophthalmology published monthly by the American Academy of Ophthalmology; he is also a reviewer for the journal of the Emirates Medical Association. Dr. Hani Sakla has been invited to perform live cataract and refractive surgeries at many international ophthalmology conferences like the PAACO, MEACO, EOC, and others. Dr. Hani Sakla is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology AAO, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeries ASCRS, International Society of Refractive Surgeons ISRS, and other societies in different countries.

Dr. Hani Sakla participated in many researches about Keratoconus treatments and for the first time in ME, it was introduced an effective treatment for that disease with Laser and crosslinking.

Dr. Hani Sakla is married to Nancy and he has two daughters and a boy.