History

The history of the first ophthalmology department of Shiraz University goes back to mid 1940s. In the period of 1947-49, the first ophthalmology ward including inpatient section with 30 beds and outpatient clinic was established in Saadi Hospital. In that ward the first medical students of Shiraz University were trained in ophthalmology field.

The first chairman of the department was Dr. Bidel who was in charge till 1961. The first residency training course was started in the ophthalmology department in 1956. Dr. Heidar Ali Nejabat was the first graduate of that course. He was selected as the chairman of the ophthalmology clinic in 1959 and continued his cooperation with the department as the honorary tutor till 1976.

Another ophthalmology ward in Nemazi Hospital, which was not affiliated to Shiraz University at that time, was funded in 1955. Dr. Ahmad Motamed Riazi was the head of that ward. After the secondment of Dr. Bidar, the then chancellor of Shiraz University appointed Dr. Riazi as the head of ophthalmology department in 1961.

In 1968 the ophthalmology department was transferred to Khalili Hospital and training of students and residents was continued there. DR. Ali Asghar Khodadust, one of the residents of ophthalmology department, who returned to Iran after post graduate studies in the USA in 1969, was appointed as the head of the department. In that period the ophthalmology department of Shiraz University was the first rank in the country and the first modern corneal transplantation was performed in that hospital.

The academic staff of the department were Dr. Ashrafzadeh (form 1973), Deceased Dr. Setayesh (form1973), Dr. Aminlary (from 1977), Dr. Roozitalab (form 1978), and Dr. Attarzadeh (from 1979).

After deceased Dr. Setaiesh, Dr. Rozitalab has been the head of the department since 1986 to2007 (excluded two, one-year period).Then Dr Jahadi, Dr Nejabat and Dr Owji were in charge. Right now Dr Majid Farvardin is the head of ophthalmology department.

At the present time the ophthalmology department consists of 20 academic staff, 24 ophthalmology residents and fellowship working in subspecialty fields such as anterior segment, posterior segment, pediatric& strabismus and ophthalmic pathology.

The inpatient wards of the department consist of a 46-bed ward in Khalili Hospital and a15-bed ward in Martyr Dastgheib Hospital.

Twenty specialty and subspecialty clinics in Motahary, Poostchi, and Martyr Dastgheib polyclinics serve hundreds of patients every day.

Poostchi ophthalmology research center is one of the active departments which founded in 2000, Dr Attarzadeh was the chairman of the center from 2009 and after his retirement, Dr Talebnejad was appointed as the chairman of research center.