The Eyes Have It For Surgeon
Date: 5th August 2010
Author: Emma Page
Publication: Mosman Daily
Gerard Sutton chose a career in opthamology over cardiology because operations on eye patients have a high success rate. “I originally wanted to become a neurologist of cardiologist but in those fields people don’t always get better,” he said.
The Mosman doctor has practised surgical opthamology for 16 years, specialising in procedures such as laser surgery and corneal transplants.
He said there had been a number of breakthroughs in treatments for eye conditions, including keyhole surgery, since he trained at Sydney Eye Hospital almost 20 years ago. “There was no laser eye surgery back then and patients needed to lie in hospital for days allowing cataract surgery – now they’re in and out with keyhole techniques.”
Dr Sutton was recently appointed the first Sydney Medical School Foundation professor of corneal and refractive surgery at the University of Sydney. The position will allow him to teach medicine students theory and also instruct them in surgical practices two days a week.
He will spend the rest of his time working at the Vision Eye Institute in Chatswood and at his Cremorne practice. “It’s exciting, it combines all the elements of opthamology that I love: clinical research, teaching and performing eye surgery,” he said.
The surgical professorshop will also allow Dr Sutton to run the keratoconus research program to find a cure for the “cone-shaped cornea” which causes nearsightedness and astigmatism over time.
“The causes of keratoconus are still unknown – hopefully we’ll get closer to finding that out through the program,” he said.
Dr Sutton was the first Australian to complete a refractive fellowship overseas, where he studied at Moorfields Eye Hospital and St Thomas Hospital in the UK, and Erlangen University Hospital in Germany.
