Prof. Avner Balkin Appointed Head of Glaucoma Unit at Meir Medical Center

Prof. Avner Balkin has been appointed as the head of the Glaucoma Unit at Meir Medical Center, part of the Clalit Health Services network. Balkin, an expert in glaucoma and complex anterior segment surgeries, graduated from Ben-Gurion University’s Faculty of Medicine and completed his ophthalmology residency at Meir. He further specialized in glaucoma, cataract, and complex anterior segment surgeries during a fellowship in Toronto from 2017 to 2019, where he graduated from the GAASS program focusing on innovative minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries. The Glaucoma Unit under his leadership provides personalized clinical and surgical treatments for a wide range of glaucoma cases.

In addition to his clinical role, Balkin serves as a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tel Aviv University. His research focuses on minimally invasive surgeries, the eye’s physiological drainage system, and complex lens surgeries. Upon assuming his new role, Balkin emphasized the unit’s commitment to proactive, interventionist, and personalized medicine. He highlighted the unit’s flagship fellowship program, which trains specialists in glaucoma and complex lens surgeries; seven physicians have graduated from this program and advanced to leadership roles in Israel and abroad.