Dr Dai completed his Ophthalmology training with a Masters Degree in Ophthalmology in China, and following this completed a Clinical Research Fellowship in Paediatric Ophthalmology in the United Kingdom. After moving to New Zealand, he completed further specialist training in Ophthalmology in Auckland and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists in 2005. He then underwent further Fellowship training in Strabismus, Paediatric Ophthalmology and Paediatric Neuro-ophthalmology in Toronto, Canada.

Dr Dai actively continues his medical education through teaching and research. He supervises ophthalmology registrars, fellows, PhD students, optometrists, trainee paediatricians and general practitioners. He teaches internationally on strabismus surgery, and is a regular contributor to peer-reviewed ophthalmology and strabismus journals. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers, editorials and book reviews in areas including adult and paediatric strabismus surgery, paediatric cataract surgery, retinopathy of prematurity, children with visual impairment, optic nerve hypoplasia and amblyopia treatment.

He is multilingual and speaks English, Mandarin and patient consultation level Arabic. In his free time on weekends, Dr Dai enjoys spending time with his wife Hong, a General Practitioner, and their two daughters – either at home or on the ski slopes.