Current Students

Recent Graduates

Ana Cama

Titled ‘Low vision services for children in Fiji,’ my research is a public health, operational research project using central Fiji as a prospective case study. It is in line with the Fiji Ministry of Health’s vision, and is implementing a priority area identified in Fiji's National Eye Care Strategic Plan. The intent of this research is to critically evaluate the low vision service for children in the Central Medical Area in Fiji, by establishing a low vision clinic and monitoring and evaluating it over six months. Outcomes of this research include prevalence estimates of visual impairment in children 0-18 years in Fiji and a low vision service for these children that is:

• Accessible, based on coverage relative to prevalence
• Effective, as measured by quality of life outcomes and use of Low Vision Devices
• Affordable and sustainable, with successful collaborative work of the Fiji government and NGOs
• To be used as a model for developing similar services in other parts of Fiji and the Pacific.

This research project is made possible with funding from AusAID, CERA, Vision CRC and Lions Low Vision Initiative.
Studying here was highly recommended by fellow work colleagues who believed the environment and atmosphere of the work place, plus the professional and social attitudes of staff members were great. Personally, I feel privileged and blessed to have immense assistance and support from my supervisor, other academics and research colleagues who are all brilliant, approachable, helpful, friendly and easy to work with.

Dr Christine Y Chen

I received my medical degree from the University of Melbourne in 2001 and completed an internship and surgical residency year at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. I have received numerous research awards in the past including the Melbourne University Prestigious scholarship (Grace and Ernst Matthaei Scholarship). I joined the Ocular Genetics Unit as a PhD student at the Centre for Eye Research in 2003. My current research project is the Genes in Myopia (GEM) study. Myopia, also known as short-sightedness, is one of the most common eye conditions. The aim of the project is to identify genetic factors involved in myopia. The project involves recruiting families with myopia, performing heritability analysis, qualitative and quantitative linkage analysis of this complex trait.

I chose to do my PhD at CERA because it is very well set up for a variety of ophthalmic and vision research, including low vision services delivery, identifying genetic causes, new diagnostic techniques and treatments for a variety of eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal vascular diseases and myopia. The centre has strong partnership with major eye and research institutions such as the University of Melbourne and the Eye and Ear Hospital. The centre also has many national and international collaborators. The staff at the centre are committed to the elimination of vision loss and blindness in our community through research and teaching.

Elaine Chong

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in Australia. To date, the aetiology of AMD remains unknown and its treatment options are limited. Interest in diet, as a modifiable risk factor for AMD, has emerged in recent years from several observational studies showing conflicting associations between lutein, zeaxanthin and other antioxidants as well as different types of fats with AMD. My PhD project aims to further investigate these associations in a large 10 year prospective cohort study; tapping into the Victorian Cancer Council's Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, which comprises of 41,528 volunteers recruited from 1990-1994 where baseline dietary data was collected. In the current follow-up of the cohort (2003-2006), retinal photos will be taken and graded for AMD. This cohort comprises of an elderly ethnically diverse group with Southern Europeans deliberately recruited to diversify the dietary range, this is exactly suited for a study of diet and AMD.

Mohamed Dirani

PhD Project – The Heritability of Myopia – A Twin Study. Myopia, or 'short-sightedness' is a complex eye condition and therefore is influenced by both genetic and environmental exposures. Twin studies have been used to support a genetic basis to myopia by reporting a higher similarity for myopia status in identical twins compared to non-identical twins. We have recruited and examined more than 1200 identical and non-identical twins of both genders (aged between 18 to 88 years) through the Australian Twin Registry (ATR) making this study the largest twin study in the world to investigate refractive errors and ocular biometrics in a adult twin population. Our preliminary results support a strong genetic component to myopia by showing that an identical co-twin has an 80% chance of developing myopia if their twin has myopia versus a 40% chance if you are a non-identical co-twin. The results from this study have recently been presented at international ophthalmology conferences. Findings have been published in leading eye journals. It is our intention to use our twin data for genetic linkage analysis, which will help in identifying gene(s) responsible for myopia development.

After exploring several eye research institutes in Australia, I was drawn to the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) as it is an established eye research centre and is well recognised for its leading research in several eye conditions. CERA has a wide range of research areas and is well resourced for both laboratory and clinical based research. For these reasons, I applied for the PhD project as part of CERA’s postgraduate program. The end of 2006 saw me in my last 6 months of my PhD project and plans of submission are well on track. The supervision of my project has been excellent and the feedback on the progress of my work has been invaluable.

Heathcote Wright

Heathcote completed his degree in medicine at the University of Queensland in 2000. He then worked for three years in regional Queensland where he developed an interest in Indigenous Health. In 2003 he undertook a diploma of Ophthalmic Basic Sciences while working as a surgical registrar at Cairns Base Hospital, and in 2004 he moved down to Melbourne to commence a placement as PhD student at the Centre for Eye Research.

Whilst undertaking preliminary work in the Northern Territory, Heath found out about a government initiative to build swimming pools in remote communities. Trachoma is predominantly a disease of poor personal and community hygiene and we hypothesised that if children were to swim in a well maintained pool on a regular basis it may help to reduce the prevalence of trachoma.