Changes in my career

I used to be a consultant clinical ophthalmologist (eye specialist) but I have now moved on and I am more than that.
You see I am now a public health ophthalmologist , or ophthalmic epidemiologist as some academic friends would like to say. After being tired of being a clinical ophthalmologist who only focuses of treating individual eye patients, in 2005 I went to do a masters public health (MPH) degree at the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine and proceeded in the following year to do an M.Phil My focus now is about the community ,what can we do about the majority of patients in the community who do not present at all in the hospital and how many are there out there and what do they suffer from .The answers to these questions requires innovative research and this is now my major area of focus However I continue doing clinical practice ,and surgical operations because there isn’t anyone who can take over those duties
I am a member of the International society of geographical and epidemiological ophthalmology ,which focuses on public health Ophthalmology .Perhaps this explains why I am everywhere ,not necessary doing clinical practice ,but mixing epidemiology with clinical practice. I am also leading a study in Malawi, so you can see that I fit more in the faculty of community health than in my own faculty of ophthalmology. The truth is that in the whole of sub saran Africa ,even though there are a relatively good number of Ophthalmologists ,there are only a few of us who are interested in public health ophthalmology and as we continue to market ourselves the demand for our services will be bigger in future .
So next time you hear that I am no longer operating on eye patients do not be surprised ,I will have gone fully to my new career –public health ophthalmology

Now you know the difference between public health ophthalmology and clinical ophthalmology .
However to find out more about what we do as public health ophthalmologists’ visit
VISION2020 and International Centre for Eye Health

And to communicate with me on anything or just comment

Email me!