iFixPen prototype
A team led by Professor Gerard Sutton from the University of Sydney, the University of Wollongong and the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service has been awarded a $1.1M grant to develop the iFiX System, a novel invention for the treatment of corneal ulcers.
The iFix System consists of a proprietary iFixInk which is printed onto the cornea with the iFixPen. It has specific qualities that allows printability as a liquid but sets within two minutes as a transparent gel. The ink has been shown in vitro to accelerate epithelialisation. It also has sufficient mechanical properties to seal a full thickness wound and still remain transparent.
There are 55,000 cases of corneal ulceration presenting to accident and emergency departments in Australia each year and the iFix System could be used to reduce pain, protect from infection and speed up recovery. In addition, the iFix System may have a role in photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), providing pain relief and lessening the time to full healing. The bio-ink itself can be customised depending on the type of injury and can carry antibiotics and corneal cells.
The $1.1M grant from NSW Medical Device Fund is the result of a unique collaboration between the team at the Save Sight Institute; Sydney University; Wollongong University Intelligent Polymer Institute, led by NSW Scientist of the year Professor Gordon Wallace; and the team at the Lions NSW Eye Bank (NSW Organ & Tissue Donation Service).
The iFix System is one of a number of innovations being developed through the corneal bio-engineering programme. Ultimately the team hopes to be able to 3D bio-print an entire cornea. This is just the beginning.
iFixInk is transparent and printable
What inspired you to pursue a career in ophthalmology?
During my rotation in ophthalmology when I was a fourth-year medical student, I decided this is what I wanted to do. What inspired me to pursue ophthalmology was the exactness of the speciality – everyone else was talking in inches and feet, centimeters and meters yet ophthalmologists were talking in microns and millimeters.
The other thing I liked about ophthalmology was the fact that, unlike other departments and branches where you needed a big team to work, an ophthalmologist could quite easily be the physician, the anesthetist, the surgeon or the refractionist, because we are trained to do all of this.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced when it comes to getting to where you are now in ophthalmology? What have you personally had to overcome?
I think the major difference is in the training. When I was a registrar, we were all trained to be general ophthalmologists. We were able to do cataract surgery, corneal surgery, plastic surgery and so on. Once you finished your six years of training one could then go and train towards a subspecialty. In our exam, we had to operate as part of the exam. This is not done anywhere now. The challenge really has been that everything has developed so much that the learning never “ended”. For us, everything changed rather rapidly from 1980 to now and so much new stuff came out that you either kept pace with it or you got left behind.
How did you keep up with all the changes?
I think the first thing is to be interested in what’s going on. When the College talks about CPD and so on, it is extremely relevant. Back then, it wasn’t so formalized. One went to conferences to learn. Before starting a new procedure, you would have to find someone to be trained by and be guided through the process. One surgeon who helped train me was in Germany and I was in India, he would post me his videos and books for me to learn from. I knew his video off by heart. The day before carrying out for the fist time, I often couldn’t sleep because I would be revisiting it in my mind. Today that is not needed because there are so many people to teach you. Now when someone asks me for advice I am so willing to give it because nothing belongs to me. Someone taught me so I am happy to teach someone who wants to learn.
How do you balance work, life, research and learning?
There is a lot to fit into my day and I do what I enjoy but the problem is I am interested in a lot of stuff. Besides my profession (which always comes first) I have commitments with the College and several other organizations – but they are all connected to ophthalmology. Because everything is a spin off from ophthalmology, it makes it easier for me to translate my skills and transfer my contacts and experience into any of these directions.
How do you balance the world of ophthalmology with your personal life; your family and friends?
I am not sure that I have a good work life balance, but I must say that I have an acceptable work life balance in that my family accepts it. I think that it is perhaps because I have an understanding wife and, while I was doing my ophthalmology, she was doing her engineering and studying and working was something that we both grew into together. We didn’t know it any other way. I would study for my exams and she would be doing the same when she was writing her PhD, and we were just busy all the time. It has worked for me because my family is involved in everything that I do, and I am involved in some things that they do.
Do you think medicine is more accommodating now than when you started out?
Yes – we didn’t have so much maternity leave –in our time things were not so generous back then. There was no such thing as paternity leave. We didn’t really have baby sitters either – the only way we could get a baby sitter was if we left the baby with our parents, a relative or friend. But friendships don’t last too long if you keep leaving your baby with them. But now the system makes allowances and I think it has really brought attention to proper work life balance. I see that in my children and their partners who share the responsibility of parenting with each other more than what we used to. Things have now changed for the better.
Do you ever experience feeling stressed? How do you deal with it?
It is about getting things done rather than doing everything yourself. You need to be able to delegate. In this whole sphere of activities, the only way you can delegate is if you surround yourself with like-minded people. You need to link with people who find the kind of stuff you do interesting and who will help you. A lot of my work is really having ideas and discussing with people how to move the cause forward. I know what is going on and I help out where needed but I do not do everything myself. I make sure to create a team who will help get things done. If you have the right network then you have a better chance of being able to delegate appropriately. Sure, there is stress and you have difficulties but, in general, if you are surrounded by people you trust you can share the achievements with them and also share the stress.
When you are working with registrars, what advice do you give them in dealing with stress?
I think the main thing to reduce stress is to communicate. You will know yourself that sometimes you work yourself up when things are not going right – the relief you get by discussing it with someone is often enough to bring you back to a level where you are not agitated and not angry. I think the major problems come when there is not enough good, clear communication. It is important to talk and let people know that you are on their side. Once you have that link, everyone’s stress levels go down.
Professor Alex Hewitt.
There are some things in life we can’t control – genes are one of them. You can’t change your genetic makeup, your family medical history or your predisposition to certain diseases, including glaucoma. But, a better understanding of the genetics that cause eye disease to emerge will help us to diagnose and treat conditions like glaucoma.
In his blog for RANZCO, Professor Alex Hewitt, a senior author on work recently published in Nature Genetics and a clinical researcher at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research and the Centre for Eye Research Australia, explains a revolutionary discovery that could transform the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.
I’m excited to be part of the team of clinicians and researchers from across Australia that has just identified over 50 new gene markers that increase a person’s risk of developing glaucoma – one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness globally. Our discovery is ground breaking because it could lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention and moves us one step closer to preventative treatment that could stop people from losing their sight as they age.
This discovery is based on data from the UK Biobank, the International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium and the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma which was established by Professor Jamie Craig from Flinders University and involves ophthalmologists from across Australia & New Zealand. Research grants from organisations like ORIA have been crucial in progressing our work and reaching this point.
Up until now, glaucoma treatments have focussed on reducing the pressure in the eye. This new work is important because we have identified a number of new genes that could be targeted in the development of new drugs.
Glaucoma has long been described as ‘the sneak thief of sight’ because it is generally asymptotic in the early stages of the disease and early treatment is vital because, once a person experiences vision loss, it is impossible to reverse.
Although a predictive test for glaucoma is not available yet, our new research will dramatically improve our ability to identify people at risk of developing glaucoma and, potentially, stop the disease in its tracks. This is a really exciting time to be involved in eye research, knowing that each discovery is taking us closer and closer to eradicating preventable blindness.
Professor Alex Hewitt was one of the recipients of the 2016 ORIA Grant to advance studies on using stem cells to understand glaucoma.
In supporting organisations like the ORIA, it’s remarkable what you can help to achieve.
Link to paper: https://rdcu.be/3CTh
A stem cell sphere colonizing the corneal surface.
In 2014, my research team at the University of Auckland was awarded a grant from RANZCO/Save Sight Society NZ which would help advance our work in corneal wound healing.
Since then, we have been working on establishing whether tissue engineering can be used to permanently restructure and stabilise the cornea of the eye, providing treatment for defects in corneal wound repair due to limbal stem cell deficiency (LCSD). LCSD is a devastating corneal condition which often leads to severe vision loss, significantly affecting the patient’s independence and quality of life.
Our research in this area is crucial as treatment for LSCD patients has long been frustrating with many patients having a poor prognosis. Recent advances in therapeutic options for these patients have come in the form of an autologous graft of the patient’s own limbal cells following expansion in the laboratory. However, this form of autologous transplant is highly undefined in that what is transplanted back into the patient is a heterogenous mixture of cell types that is applied to the whole of the ocular surface in the hope of success. The efficacy of this technique is unknown, and success is variable with the largest study of patients so far reporting failure in 21 eyes out of 88, with a further 10 eyes lost to follow up. Thus, although recent advances have improved treatment options for LSCD there are still significant improvements to be made for these patients.
Our study explores the corneal stem cell sphere as a new unit of tissue for transplantation that will provide a highly defined transplantable entity for implantation at a defined site (the limbus) that may have the potential to restore the limbus – the border of the cornea and the sclera (the white of the eye) – to near pre-LSCD condition. Achievement of this will not only correct the current wound healing defect for patients but may also provide the eye with restored long-term ability to heal itself.
Our preliminary data is highly indicative of success within this project and the use of human tissue will ensure the translatability of any findings into clinical practice as early as possible.
Research such as ours is essential in furthering eye research and the realm of ophthalmology in delivering innovative treatments to save people’s sight. Without the support of organisations like Save Sight Society NZ, we would not be where we are today, or where we hope to be tomorrow.
Prof Trevor Sherwin
The 2018 Save Sight Society Conference will be held at Rutherford Hotel, Nelson on 10 August. The theme of the meeting is Challenging Eye Care: Beyond Major Urban Centres.
Earlier this week, we celebrated the work of the women and men who participated in the on-the-ground service delivery of the groundbreaking National Trachoma and Eye Health Program. The article focused on the work of two women, Jilpia Nappaljari Jones and Rose Murray, who worked in one of the multidisciplinary teams that methodically covered most of Australia, for screening and treatment of trachoma and other eye conditions.
Today, RANZCO is celebrating the work of Naomi Mayers OAM, a leader and advocate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s rights, whose contributions to health, including eye health, are immeasurable.
In 1957, as a teenager, Mayers started working for the Aborigines Advancement League, one of the earliest Aboriginal organisations, which advocated for equal rights in Australia.
After moving to Sydney, Mayers was active in a number of breakthrough projects in the Aboriginal community in Redfern. Mayers joined the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service in 1972, the first Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service in Australia, following its establishment in the previous year.
In 1976, Mayers co-founded and became the convenor of the National Aboriginal and Islander Health Organisation (NAIHO), an umbrella organisation of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services throughout Australia, the predecessor of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
Mayers’ vision for the Community-Controlled Health Services model has shaped the movement in its development, and from the early days of Redfern, emphasised the importance of genuine grassroots control over external administration. These principles were at the heart of establishing the NSW Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AHMRC) in 1983, and when she Chaired the committee developing the National Aboriginal Health Strategy (1989).
In her capacity as the convenor of NAIHO, Mayers was heavily involved with coordinating the involvement of AMSs around the country in the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program. From November 1981 to January 1982, Mayers was employed by the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists (RACO, a predecessor to RANZCO) as an Aboriginal Advisor to the Trachoma and Eye Health Committee of the College, in a 10-week contract. In her role, Mayers travelled throughout the country to meet with AMSs and other local organisations about the Trachoma Program, and wrote a detailed report with recommendations for the next phase of the Program.
In the report, Mayers write under the Statement of Principle section:
“The past ten years have seen the establishment and consolidation of the basic principle in Aboriginal Affairs, as being the fundamental necessity for Aboriginal people to assume control of any programmes which are intended to be of benefit to their community.
“In the area of Aboriginal health, the application of this principle has been most dramatically illustrated with the development and proliferation of “community controlled” Aboriginal Medical Services.
“The success of A.M.S.’s is living prof that, given the opportunity, Aboriginal people are not only perfectly capable of controlling their own affairs, but, given adequate resources, are capable of radically omproving their own health situation to a far greater extent that has yet been achieved by “white” initiated and controlled programmes. There is extensive evidence available which proves that aboriginal people will respond more positively to an Aboriginal controlled health programme than one which is run by white people. Indeed, this is recognised by the present Federal Government, the Prime Minister of which [Malcolm Fraser] has stated, “the Government is determined to see a substantial improvement in the health status of Aboriginals. To this end, we are totally determined to se a substantial and increasing degree of Aboriginal involvement in, and control of, the design, control, management, delivery and evaluation of health services provided to them.
Consequently, the same principle must be applied to any programme which is intended to “focus” on the eye health of Aboriginal people.”
Naomi Mayers’ work had deep, long-lasting impact in shaping Aboriginal health policy and practice over the past 50 years. Her influence and dedication to the model of community-control and grassroots ownership continues to resonate today.
Because of her, we can!
Guy Gillor
RANZCO Policy Manager
![Save Sight Society NZ supporting research into retinal disease A/Prof Andrea Vincent]()
A/Prof Andrea Vincent
As part of its long-term commitment to research, the Save Sight Society distributes research grants to ophthalmologists, trainee ophthalmologists and university departments across New Zealand to support ground-breaking research into eye disease and improve eye care in the New Zealand population.
In 2009 my team at the University of Auckland reached a milestone when we received seed funding from the Save Sight Society New Zealand, The Ombler Trust and Retina New Zealand to establish the New Zealand Database for Inherited Retinal and Optic Nerve Disease. The database would enable us to characterise eye disease in individuals and their family members affected with genetic disorders, from a clinical perspective, and in determining the underlying genetic cause of retinal and optic nerve disorders. This was exciting because it would enhance our understanding of the relationship and spectrum of disease associated with given genes, both within families and between families – resulting in genetic diagnosis for some, improving the chances of being eligible for a clinical trial and, more importantly, for early intervention and treatment.
The database now has over 730 participants, and is a valuable resource which has allowed us to further investigate a group of retinal disorders. This includes the identification of a novel founder genetic mutation in the New Zealand Māori population, the PDE6B gene, causing autosomal recessive rod cone retinal dystrophy. The Genetic Eye Disease Investigation Unit is now characterising this mutation in a zebrafish model of disease, created using gene editing, which will be used to explore the potential for retinal rescue using drugs that act in the altered pathway due to abnormal PDE6B functioning.
Support from the Save Sight Society New Zealand has also enabled my team to carry out further work in the identification of novel genetic changes causing North Carolina macula dystrophy in non-Caucasian patients. This is a rare disease that has previously been linked to Caucasian patients, with a handful of causative genetic mechanisms described. Findings in this area will help our understanding of developmental macular disease. Another one of our projects has identified a novel genetic cause for autosomal recessive retinal disease, and this is being characterised in a zebrafish model.
All these projects have received funding from the Save Sight Society New Zealand.
With local knowledge of eye disease, genetic testing can be tailored to our population. Our work has highlighted that the unique ethnicities and disease present in New Zealand has the potential to contribute to the global understanding of inherited retinal disorders.
The National Trachoma and Eye Health Program symbol.
NAIDOC week offers an important opportunity to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, resilience, and achievements. This year’s theme – “because of her – we can!” – celebrates the inspiring contributions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women make to benefit of communities, and Australia as a whole.
THE NATIONAL TRACHOMA AND EYE HEALTH PROGRAM
One of the most celebrated health programs in Australia’s history is the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program, with the goal of eliminating trachoma in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The planning for the program started in 1974, and by 1976 the first teams started travelling throughout Australia. The main part of the program carried until the end of the decade. Today, the program is most associated with Fred Hollows, the pioneer ophthalmologist who played a key role in leading the Program. It is important to remember that Hollows didn’t go at it on his own.
The National Trachoma and Eye Health Program was born out of a collaboration between RANZCO in its previous iteration (known then as the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists), the National Aboriginal and Islander Health Organisation (NAIHO), and the Department of Health, together with local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and other community-based organisations throughout Australia. The program included the creation of teams spreading across Australia, working methodically to screen, diagnose, and treat Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients for trachoma and other eye conditions. The teams included ophthalmologists, nurses, orthoptists, optometrists, Aboriginal Health Workers, microbiologists, local community liaisons officers, as well as mechanics, cooks, drivers, and other volunteers who took care of many necessary aspects of such a complex operation. From 1976-1979, the teams screened over 100,000 people in 465 communities across Australia. Over 1,000 operations were carried during the course of the program, and over 27,000 people were treated for trachoma.
Outreach summary of the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program. Source: Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists, 1980.
One of the biggest lessons of the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program is the importance of collaboration. The Program was such a success because of the commitment of all parties. The role on-the-ground of community liaison officers, Aboriginal Health Workers, and nurses was key to accessing communities and creating a safe environment for patients to be screened and treated by the visiting teams.
In 2008, five participants in the on-the-ground teams of the Program published a book, each writing an essay about their memories and point of view of the extraordinary program. The book, Beyond Sandy Blight: Five Aboriginal Experiences as Staff on the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program, was published by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), and is available online via the AIATSIS website here.
JILPIA NAPPALJARI JONES
Jilpia Jones, a Walmadjari woman and a pioneering nurse, was one of the first registered nurses to work at the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS), starting during its first year of operation in 1971. The Redfern AMS was the first Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in Australia, a pioneering model of community owned service delivery which is now practiced by over 150 community controlled health services throughout Australia.
In the book, Jones recalls the confronting reality which awaited her team through missions and camps in remote Australia, confronted by racist attitudes of some of the mission staff and station managers, and the poor living conditions which contributed greatly to the spread of disease, including trachoma.
After detailing her experience with teams travelling through Queensland and different parts of Western Australia, Jones joined the team that travelled through the Kimberley. Jones writes about her team’s arrival into Fitzroy Crossing, where Jones had a unique and unexpected experience of meeting her birth mother. Jones was born in the area but forcibly removed from her family as a young child and was told her mother had died. But when arriving in Fitzroy Crossing and telling locals that this was her birth place, the community members realised who she was, and reunited her with her mother.
At the end of her chapter, Jones reflects on the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program:
“My time with the NTEHP was a very influential part of my life. Travelling throughout Australia with the NTEHP showed me that racism and discrimination directed against my people was more widespread than I had experienced before. I also learnt to become aware of occult racism often expressed as a kindly, if patronizing, attitude. The perpetrators of this attitude genuinely believed they were ‘being nice to the Blacks’. Certainly, this attitude was more likely to be encountered in the leafy suburbs of north shore Sydney than in the ‘big house’ in the home paddock 500 km outside Alice Springs. There, it was definitely ‘in your face’.
Fred Hollows taught me to believe in myself and to be equal among all people, even if you walked where others feared to tread.
The ophthalmologists who worked with the team taught me a lot and I like to think that we in turn taught them about us. It was encouraging how many were willing to learn from us, and that they respected our culture. This was reconciliation in action. Sometimes the numbers who flocked to see us and the distances we travelled reminded us of Alexander the Great and frequently we felt like his Macedonians in that we were following our leader to the ends of the earth.”
ROSE MURRAY
Rose Murrey, a Nyangumarta woman, worked as an organiser and receptionist in the same team as Jilpia Jones, which predominantly worked in the Kimberley region.
In her chapter of the book, Rose reflects on the role Aboriginal team members brought to the program teams:
“When I think back on what the Aboriginal team members brought to the NTEHP, it’s a combination of health knowledge, bush and mechanical skills, respect for other Aboriginal people’s ways, the ability to speak out when you have to, to finish what you start, and amazing senses of humour.”
Murray finishes with a reflection on the power of the program and its legacy:
“If we could harness that energy and vision that we had back in the trachoma days and had teams of skilled, hardworking people in each community, I would sleep much easier. I would know that my grandchildren and other children would have a healthier and safer life. I would know that access to appropriate and safe health education and medical treatment was happening to all.”
Reflecting back on this groundbreaking project now, 40 years on, we can see the lasting success of the Program by the dramatic reduction of the rates of trachoma, though the effort to completely eliminate trachoma continues today.
But perhaps the most important lesson has been the irreplaceable role of community leadership and involvement in all aspects of community health projects. The breakthrough work of Jiplia Jones, Rose Murray, and many other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and men has allowed the Program to achieve so much. It is our task to continue building these relationships as a cornerstone of improving health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
Because of her, we can!
Guy Gillor, RANZCO Policy Manager
References:
Jilpia Nappaljari Jones, Trevor Buzzacott, Gordon Briscoe, Rose Murray and Reg Murray (2008). Beyond Sandy Blight: Five Aboriginal experiences as staff on the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program. Available from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies: https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/products/report/jones-buzzacott-briscoe-murray-2008-beyond-sandy-blight_0.pdf
This week telehealth is being celebrated in Western Australia during the state’s Telehealth Awareness Week. The awareness week (25 – 29 June) aims to raise awareness about telehealth and encourage regional and rural patients to ask their specialists whether telehealth might be available for their next appointment.
For ophthalmology patients in Western Australian, telehealth services have been available since 2011 through the dedicated team of eye health professionals at Lions Outback Vision and local resident optometrists.
A/Prof Angus Turner, McCusker Director of Lions Outback Vision, says that the Western Australia eye health sector is leading the way in the use of telehealth in remote eye care which is a major benefit for patients in rural and remote areas.
“Telehealth allows more people to be seen closer to home. Optometrists provide eye examination and testing which enables the specialist assessment to occur remotely. The patient can be included in culturally appropriate settings via video consultations, which determines the best plan for treatment or surgery as required. Sometimes we are able to arrange treatments to be performed in our mobile clinic, the Lions Outback Vision Van with specialised equipment, further reducing the need for patients to travel vast distances to receive treatment.”
Of the 7392 patient consultations through Lions Outback Vision in 2017, 1555 were managed by telehealth.
To find out more about Lions Outback Vision, visit their website at https://www.outbackvision.com.au
World Glaucoma Week 2018 (11-17 March)
In celebration of World Glaucoma Week 2018, Glaucoma Australia hosted a Beat Invisible Glaucoma (B.I.G) breakfast on Monday 12 March to raise awareness about the devastating, sight stealing condition. Currently it is estimated that 300,000 Australians have glaucoma and at least 150,000 of those people are currently living completely unaware that in the future they may lose their vison if they do not receive treatment.
Glaucoma refers to a group of eye conditions that can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve, usually because of increased pressure inside the eye. If glaucoma goes undiagnosed it can lead to complete loss of sight that otherwise could have been prevented with treatment. In the early stages of glaucoma there are no noticeable symptoms – this is why glaucoma is often referred to as the ‘silent thief of sight’. By the time vison starts to become blurred or cloudy around the edges it is usually too late to reverse the damage – although there could still be time to halt the progression of vision loss. This is why it is so important to have your eyes checked regularly even when you do not have any symptoms.
It is possible to get glaucoma at any age, however, glaucoma is more common later in life. About 1 in 10,000 babies are born with glaucoma. At age 40 about 1 in 200 people have glaucoma and at age 80 about 1 in 8 people have glaucoma. If you have a first degree relative with glaucoma there is up to a 50 percent chance that you have glaucoma too or will develop glaucoma in the future. For this reason, it is recommended that if you are 40 years or older with a family history of glaucoma, or over 50 with no family history, it is important that you schedule in regular eye checks with an eye care professional.
Facts about glaucoma
Dr Alina Zeldovich RANZCO Ophthalmologist and Annie Gibbins CEO of Glaucoma Australia at the Glaucoma Australia B.I.G Breakfast celebrating the launch of World Glaucoma Week 2018.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we spoke with eight times Trainer of Excellence award recipient Associate Professor Anne Brooks to find out what drove her success in ophthalmology and teaching. A/Prof Brooks is Head of Clinic 3S, Clinical Lead AOS and an ophthalmologist to the Glaucoma Unit and Surgical Ophthalmology Service at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. A/Prof Brooks also runs a busy private practice in East Melbourne specialising in Glaucoma and Cataract.
What made you interested in becoming an ophthalmologist?
I became interested in becoming an ophthalmologist as it is a specialty which has both microsurgery and general medical treatment of eye diseases. That is fairly unusual in medical specialities, which are normally either focussed on medical treatment or surgery. With ophthalmology you are with the patient for their whole journey, hopefully right through to halting vision loss or even returning lost vision, which is very rewarding.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?
I am very much involved in teaching ophthalmology, and I teach registrars in training, medical students, overseas trained medical graduates and GPs. I think this is the most rewarding aspect of my career as it allows me to help shape the next generation of ophthalmologists and eye care professionals.
What is the biggest challenge you have had to overcome to get where you are today?
The biggest challenge is work-life balance – I have a husband and two daughters. Ophthalmologists, as with all medical specialists, have heavy workloads, including clinics, surgeries and teaching. We also have to keep up to date with all the latest developments and keep our skills and knowledge current. Achieving the right balance of work, rest and family life is difficult, but essential.
What do you know now that you wish you had known starting out?
I wish that, when I started out, I had known that one can’t do everything.
What do you think needs to happen in order to press for progress in ophthalmology today?
To press for progress in ophthalmology today, I believe that ophthalmology needs a substantially greater public profile. Not enough people understand what ophthalmology is or what we do. If people knew more about ophthalmologists and eye health care, the more information they will have about eye diseases and the better they will understand what symptoms to look out for and when they need to see an ophthalmologist.
