About Dr. Dahr

 Dr. Dahr is  the only  NIH-trained ophthalmologist in the state of Oklahoma and one of only a handful of ophthalmologists nationwide with fellowship training in both retina and uveitis.  As a form of public service, since 2007, Dr. Dahr has served as a retinal consultant to the Ophthalmic Devices Division of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In recognition of his service, he received a special Certificate of Commendation for Public Service from the FDA in 2013.    He is a Clinical Professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.  

Sam S. Dahr, M.D. was born and grew up in Oklahoma City. He graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and an M.S. in Engineering- Economic Systems (EES, now known as the Department of Management Science and Engineering, MS&E). Within his biological sciences degree, he completed one year of graduate level studies in immunology at the Stanford School of Medicine.  Dr. Dahr's graduate research project in EES focused on integrating individual patient preferences with clinical data in medical decision making. He completed his medical degree as well as internship in internal medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. 

After performing his ophthalmology residency at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, he performed two fellowships at the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. He trained in the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NEI-DECR) in medical retinal diseases. At NEI he participated in clinical trials for age-related macular degeneration and for diabetic retinopathy.  

At the NIH Dr. Dahr also trained in uveitis and ocular immunology within the Laboratory of Immunology (NEI-LI). As a member of a national and international consultation service, Dr. Dahr cared for patients with the most severe ocular inflammatory disease affecting the vitreous, retina, and choroid and developed expertise in the use of systemic immunomodulatory medications. In particular, he participated in clinical trials for the use of biologic agents in the treatment of uveitis, including Daclizumab (Zenapax) and Infliximab (Remicade). While at the NIH, Dr. Dahr held an appointment as Senior Staff Fellow at the Magnuson Clinical Center, the outpatient clinic and hospital complex on the grounds of the NIH campus in Bethesda.

After spending two years at the NIH, Dr. Dahr returned to the University of Cincinnati, where he held a faculty appointment as an Instructor of Ophthalmology in Retina and Uveitis, participated in the clinical education of resident physicians in the Department of Ophthalmology, and had a referral practice for uveitis. He also completed a fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery and Ocular Oncology, with faculty drawn from the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Eye Institute.  

Dr. Dahr currently serves on the writing committee for the Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) uveitis textbook from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.  Previously, Dr. Dahr lead authored the chapter “Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Retinal Disease” in the book Ocular Angiogenesis from Humana Press. He has also contributed to the Wills Eye Manualc Color Atlas and Synopsis textbook for uveitis.  He has presented at meetings of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the International Ocular Inflammation Society, and the American Uveitis Society.  He recently finished a four year term (2017-2020) on the FDA Medical Devices Advisory Committee (Ophthalmic Devices Panel).

Dr. Dahr is a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and is fully licensed in Oklahoma. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Society of Retina Specialists, the International Ocular Inflammation Society, the American Uveitis Society, the Oklahoma County Medical Society, Oklahoma State Medical Association, and American Medical Association. 

Dr. Dahr sees patients in his office in Physician Building D at Baptist Medical Center. He specializes in all medical and surgical diseases of the retina, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, vein occlusion, macular telangiectasia, retinal detachment, epiretinal membrane, vitreomacular traction syndrome, macular hole, endophthalmitis, and posterior segment trauma. He maintains a quaternary consultative practice for adult and pediatric patients with intermediate,  posterior, and pan-uveitis.  Special interests include complex pediatric uveitis as well as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease.