OAM BAppSc PhD DSc, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute for Eye Research, Vision CRC,
International Centre for Eyecare Education(ICEE); CEO and President of Adventus Technology Inc;
Executive Chair of Optometry Giving Sight
Professor Brien Holden is a world leader in eye health and vision correction research, education and public health. He is a Professor at the University of New South Wales, a founder and the CEO of the Institute for Eye Research, ICEE and the Vision CRC and author of over 200 refereed research papers and 400 refereed scientific abstracts.
Prof Holden has five Honorary Doctor of Science degrees from universities in the UK, US and South Africa as well as over 30 other national and international awards, including the Medal of the Order of Australia for contributions to eye care research and education.
In public health, Brien Holden is respected for his innovation and leadership in eliminating avoidable blindness and impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error. He is a Trustee Board Member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and Chair of its Refractive Error Programme Committee and in 2003 and was appointed Chair of the World Health Organization Refractive Error Working Group. He was co-founder and is now Deputy Co-Chair of VISION 2020 Australia.
Abstract
The opportunities for optometry over the next ten to fifteen years in both research and clinical practice
are enormous.
It is estimated that the number of people with myopia will grow significantly over the next decade. Anti-myopia products, targeting both child and adult-onset myopia, would slow the progression of myopia, lower the number of highly myopic people and alleviate the significant burden of visual impairment worldwide.
A novel method of correcting refractive error utilises a lens made from a synthetic polymer which is implanted into the cornea. The implanted lens could correct refractive error by changing the curvature of the corneal surface.
Is it a feasible goal to provide a treatment that restores useful, continuous focus for a presbyope? One line of research is to develop a flexible polymer gel which can be used to replace the old hardened crystalline lens using the procedure of lens refilling (phaco-ersatz).
This presentation reviews the current research and discusses the possibility of curing myopia, implanting a ‘lens’ in the cornea and restoring accommodative function in older eyes. It will also look at optometry’s role in primary healthcare, blindness prevention and the use of therapeutic medications. |
