New Zealand's own Prof Charles McGhee recognised among the Top 100 ophthalmologists in the world

New Zealand Professor Charles McGhee has been named as one of the Top 100 most influential people in ophthalmology today.

Prof McGhee, the Maurice Paykel Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at the University of Auckland, is the only New Zealander to have made the prestigious Ophthalmologist Power List. Published each year for the last three years, the list is put together by the UK-based journal The Ophthalmologist which, supported with a reader vote, selects what it believes are the top 100 surgeons, clinicians, company directors and scientists who have made a significant international contribution to the field of ophthalmology.

“We realise our Power Lists can, and should, never be definitive,” said The Ophthalmologist. “But who can argue that the faces within, both familiar and new, do not beautifully highlight the brilliance and diversity found within the field? Accordingly, we bring you 100 reasons to be proud of ophthalmology.”

Prof McGhee is a clinician-scientist and senior ophthalmic surgeon who has published 312 peer-reviewed articles, supervised 34 research fellows, 21 of which were doctoral candidates, and was awarded a Doctor of Science recognising his contribution to research in cataract, keratoconus, inherited dystrophies, keratitis, corneal transplantation, stem cells, corneal imaging, ocular corticosteroids and ocular imaging. He is the current president of the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO), the elected Chair of Academia Ophthalamologica Internationalis and the founding director of the New Zealand National Eye Centre.

“New Zealand is privileged to have one of the Top 100 ophthalmologists contributing to our eye health,” said Dr Samantha Simkin, therapeutic optometrist and Auckland University post-doctoral fellow in ophthalmology. “All who have worked with him can attest to his passion, drive, and persistent pursuit of knowledge and excellence. This recognition is a well-deserved acknowledgement of all Charles contributes to ophthalmology on an international scale.”

Dr Trevor Gray, an anterior segment specialist and consultant ophthalmologist at Green Lane Clinical Centre and the new Re:Vision Sight Correction Centre in Auckland, agreed Prof McGhee deservedly earned his position on this year’s list. “One would be hard pushed to think of any other Kiwi who has contributed more to international and domestic ophthalmology research and applied clinical practice than Charles. We truly have an international star in our midst. Goodonya Charles!”

Prof McGhee said the placing was a welcome surprise. “There are more than 200,000 ophthalmologists in the world and many truly outstanding leaders in the field, so it is humbling and unexpected to be listed in the top 100 most-influential leaders internationally.

“I genuinely believe this award recognises that New Zealand and Australia (with two colleagues in the top 100) certainly punch well above their weight in terms of our relatively small populations and the number of professionals involved in ophthalmology and vision science. Ultimately, although this is a personal recognition, it is entirely a reflection of the industry, output and increasingly international profile of the dynamic clinical and research team at the New Zealand National Eye Centre.”

The only other placings from this part of the world are Professor Graham Barrett, head of the ophthalmology department at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital in Perth, who devised the popular Barrett Toric Calculator; and Professor Robyn Guymer, deputy director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), who is a leading expert in age-related macular degeneration and one of the first to define nascent geographic atrophy through OCT. 

Others on the list include Professor Donald Tan (Singapore) who developed new forms of selective lamellar keratoplasty such as DALK, DSAEK, and DMEK; Assistant Professor Ike Ahmed (Canada) dubbed “the rockstar of MIGS”; retina specialist Professor Anat Loewenstein (Israel); and intraocular lens specialist Professor Gerd Auffarth, director of the David J Apple International Laboratory of Ocular Pathology at the University Eye Clinic of Heidelberg, Germany. For the full list, visit: https://theophthalmologist.com/power-list/2018/