Retina community mourns sudden loss of Ramin Tadayoni, MD, PhD

Professor Ramin Tadayoni, MD, PhD. Image courtesy of EURETINA

Over the weekend, members of the ophthalmic community were shocked to learn of the passing of Professor Ramin Tadayoni, MD, PhD. On Saturday evening, the European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA) shared a statement on the home page of its website addressing Prof Tadayoni’s death.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we try to come to terms with the news of the shocking passing of our EURETINA President, Prof Ramin Tadayoni,” the EURETINA board¹ said in its message. “Ramin was a world-renowned visionary and force for good in the field of retina. He was a mentor to all who had the honour of working with him and learning from him. Perhaps most notably, he was a treasured friend whose loss feels immeasurable in this moment. We offer our support and sympathies to his network in Paris, across France and beyond. We send our love and our deepest sorrow to his family.”

Prof Tadayoni was a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Paris. He was also head of the ophthalmology department at the Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild Hospital, where he served as director of the French Myopia Institute, and the Lariboisière and Saint-Louis University Hospital, both in Paris.

At the time of his passing, Prof Tadayoni was only a few months into his 2-year term as EURETINA president. In an interview about his plans for the future of the organisation, Tadayoni said he planned to advocate for changes to funding throughout Europe to increase the scope of research in the field.² “We have a lot of challenges as retinal specialists in terms of keeping pace with a rapidly evolving landscape in terms of new treatments, regulations, technologies and innovations coming on stream,” Prof Tadayoni said at the time. “EURETINA, at the heart of this diversity, is uniquely placed to compare, propose and share best practices across the region and enable all our members to achieve better outcomes for their patients.”

The Vit-Buckle Society also issued a statement through its Board of Trustees.³ "Dr Tadayoni’s contributions were immense. He was a brilliant researcher, a tremendously skilled and compassionate clinician, and a mentor to many of us,” the organisation wrote. “Dr Tadayoni was always a gentleman, who was kind and generous. He will be missed by current and future generations of retina surgeons around the world. On behalf of the entire Vit-Buckle Society, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr Tadayoni’s family, colleagues, and friends. We share in your grief at this tremendous loss and offer our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Dr Tadayoni’s legacy will undoubtedly live on through the work that we all continue in his spirit.

Prof Tadayoni’s colleagues and friends, as well as industry partners and professional organisations, shared their condolences and mourned on social media.

“Our grief is immense, but we know it is also shared across our community,” the EURETINA board wrote. “In the months ahead, we will have time to celebrate and reflect on Ramin’s enormous impact on the lives of so many and in so many ways, but for now we mourn a wonderful friend, leader and colleague.”

Ophthalmology Times Europe, along with our colleagues across the Eye Care Network (Ophthalmology Times, Modern Retina and Optometry Times), extend our sincere condolences to Prof Tadayoni's family and loved ones. He was a frequent contributor to our publications, a generous editorial resource and always eager to share details of his research with us and with our audience. His distinguished leadership in retinal surgery and ophthalmic education will be missed.

References

1. Ramin Tadayoni, 1970 - 2024. EURETINA.org.

2. Charting EURETINA’s future: collaboration, standards, and cutting-edge research. EURETINA Congress Daily. Published October 2023. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://euretinacongressdaily.org/charting-euretinas-future-collaboration-standards-and-cutting-edge-research/

3. Vit-Buckle Society. In Remembrance of Ramin Tadayoni. LinkedIn. April 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7187937702153965568?