Patient Care

Jamal Bleik, MD

Clinical Professor

Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
Chair, Department of Ophthalmology

Dr. Jamal H. Bleik is Clinical Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital. He is also Professor of Ophthalmology at the Lebanese University, Faculty of Medical Sciences. Currently he is an elected member of the Scientific Council of the Arab Board of Ophthalmology (2019-2022), and he holds the position of Secretary General of the Middle East and Africa Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Society (MEAPOSS). On an international level, Dr Bleik has recently been appointed to the advisory board of the International Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Council (IPOSC), and he serves as a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Ophthalmology & Vision Research.  
 
Dr. Bleik was named Chairman Emeritus of Ophthalmology at LAUMC-RH in 2017, and was elected President of the Lebanese Ophthalmological Society (2013-2015) and, for two terms, Chairman of the Arab Board of Ophthalmology (2011-2019). He had also served as Interim Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Lebanese American University School of Medicine for two years (2016-2017), and as the Head of Ophthalmology at the Lebanese University (1996-2020). In addition he has been a member of the editorial board of the Lebanese Medical Journal, the official publication of the Lebanese Order of Physicians (2014-2018).   
 
Dr Bleik’s résumé includes more than 70 published articles, presentations, courses and lectures at regional and international conferences. His most recent work has been published in the journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), on the subject of intraocular lens implantation in children. He has been recognized with six awards for his research and presentations, and is a regularly invited reviewer, for peer-reviewed ophthalmology journals. Dr. Bleik has extensive medical and surgical experience in comprehensive ophthalmology and in the field of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, and is invited to share his experience in several Arab countries on a regular basis. Dr Bleik has performed thousands of intraocular and extraocular surgical procedures including cataract extractions —  intracapsular and extracapsular, phacoemulsification, using a wide variety of intraocular lens (IOL) implantations including the recently introduced Premium IOLs as well as Argon and Yag laser of the anterior segment. He has special interest and experience in techniques for treatment of strabismus, including adjustable sutures, retroequatorial myopexies, muscle transposition procedures, oblique muscle surgeries, surgical procedures for congenital nystagmus, and microsurgical  muscle procedures. He is also a pioneer in the region in pediatric ophthalmologic surgery, including lensectomy and vitrectomy for congenital and pediatric traumatic cataracts, with IOL implantation; and he has produced numerous publications on the subject in prestigious medical journals. 

Selected Publications

  1. Kleinmann G, Zaugg B, Apple DJ, Bleik J. Pediatric cataract surgery with hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens. J AAPOS. (2013 Aug) 17(4):367-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jaapos.2013.04.007.
  2. El-Khoury S, Abdelmassih Y, Hamade A, Slim E, Cherfan CG, Chelala E, Bleik J, Jarade EF. Pediatric keratoconus in a tertiary referral center: Incidence, presentation, risk factors, and treatment. J Refract Surg. (2016 Aug) 32(8):534-41. 
  3. Bleik J. Pediatric Implantation of a Large-Optic IOL The larger optic accommodates active pupil movement. In Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today Supplement:  “IOLs and the Pediatric Cataract” (2011 Jul).
  4. Bleik JH, Zaatari GS, Cherfan GM. Inferior oblique muscle injury after peribulbar anesthesia presenting as ipsilateral superior oblique palsy: A clinicopathologic report. J AAPOS. (2006 Apr) 10(2):178-9.
  5. Aouad MT, Yazbeck-Karam VG, Nasr VG, El-Khatib MF, Kanazi GE, Bleik JH. A single dose of propofol at the end of surgery for the prevention of emergence agitation in children undergoing strabismus surgery during sevoflurane anesthesia. Anesthesiology. (2007 Nov) 107(5):733-8.
  6. Bleik JH, Karam VY. Comparison of the immediate with the 24-hour postoperative prism and cover measurements in adjustable muscle surgery: Is immediate postoperative adjustment reliable?  J AAPOS. (2004 Dec) 8(6):528-33.
  7. Al Qahtani F, Al Mahdi H, Bleik J. Outcome of pediatric cataract surgery in Qatar in the last 10 year: Saudi Journal Of Ophthalmology (2001 Jul-Sept, Apr) 15(3):195–201.  
  8. Anwar M, Bleik JH, von Noorden GK, el-Maghraby AA, Attia F. Posterior chamber lens implantation for primary repair of corneal lacerations and traumatic cataracts in children. Journal of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (1994) 31:157-161.
View Dr. Bleik’s publications on Pubmed (search terms: Bleik J, Bleik JH ).
 

Professional and Research Interests

Education and Training

Professional Organizations and Memberships

Keywords

Ophthalmology, strabismus, phaco cataract surgery, intraocular lens IOL, premium IOL, pediatric ophthalmology, pediatric cataract, general ophthalmology, comprehensive ophthalmology, crossed eyes, squint, eye surgery, amblyopia, lazy eye, eye doctor, diplopia, double vision, eye muscles, childhood cataract