Sydney Eye Podcast
This podcast explores topics related to eye health and answers common questions about eye conditions from Sydney, Australia.
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An Overview of Corneal Stem Cell Transplantation
PracticeUpdate website
26 April 2021
"We're now at the stage where there's some exciting discoveries, where people are looking at new types of cells as cell sources for the limbal stem cells and new types of tissues for transplantation or carriers and scaffolds. We're looking to optimize outcomes for the future."
View the interview here
Sole Australian among world’s top 100 female ophthalmologists
Insight News
7 April 2021
The only Australian to make the 2021 Power List of the Top 100 Women in Ophthalmology, a first-of-its-kind list released by The Ophthalmologist magazine that celebrates the impact women have had on clinical practice, research, education and industry.
Read the full article here
Sourced from Insight News
Sydney researchers identify improved topical therapy for microbial keratitis
Insight News
17 February 2021
Professor Stephanie Watson, a corneal specialist and the head of the Corneal Research Group at the University of Sydney’s Save Sight Institute, and the head of the Corneal Unit at the Sydney Eye Hospital, is leading the BOSS study alongside Professor Monica Lahra from NSW Health Pathology.
Read the full article here
The role we all have to play in keratoconus
Soapbox - Insight News
10 November 2020
"Keratoconus is common. In fact, it’s so prevalent that I see it most days I’m in the clinic.
The typically young patient will be struggling with their vision at a time when they are facing major life hurdles. COVID-19 has exacerbated these difficulties whilst they work towards finishing school or university or start their career. The move to spending more time online, face masks which fog glasses and obscure lip movements and facial expressions, have all had an impact."
Read the full article here
Educational Videos on Herpes Simplex Keratitis
Save Sight Institute
September 2020
Diagnosis of Herpes Simplex Keratitis
Treatment of Herpes Simplex Keratitis
KeraClub 2020
mivision News
11 August 2020
The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted almost every aspect of our lives and KeraClub was no exception. This year, the fifth annual community event for people with keratoconus, ‘KeraClub 2020’, was organised solely as a webinar.
Read the full article here
At the frontier of medicine: clearing corneas and restoring vision
12 December 2019
Professors Nick Di Girolamo and Stephanie Watson were one of the first research groups to use stem cells to repair the damaged cornea and are now improving the protocols so that one day the treatment can be offered to more patients.
2019 Premier's Award: Leadership in Innovation in NSW
October 2019
Stephanie’s innovations have placed NSW and Australia on the global ophthalmology map, including an internationally recognised world-first stem cell therapy. Her research has also established NSW as the national frontrunner in clinical trials, leading to real-world evidence that has directly improved patient outcomes. She developed the first local surveillance report and guidelines for corneal infection – work which has changed practice in NSW Health.
Read about the Category Winners here
Read the University of Sydney article here
News - University of Sydney
13 August 2018
Prof Watson was featured in The University of Sydney's celebration of National Science Week.
"STEMM is an exciting and rewarding vocation for women. We can transform lives by discovering and applying knowledge to complex problems. At times the journey can seem long, but in my experience the different paths you take and what you learn along the way is the most interesting part of all."
"I use research to bring innovation into the eye clinic, preventing vision loss and restoring sight. I also teach and mentor the next generation of eye experts, clinicians and scientists. Both priorities are impactful because the burden of eye disease in Australia and across the world is growing. My career has made a difference to the lives of people, and this is something I’m very proud of."
Read the full article here
Women making an impact in STEMM
News - University of Sydney
13 August 2018
Prof Watson was featured in The University of Sydney's celebration of National Science Week.
"STEMM is an exciting and rewarding vocation for women. We can transform lives by discovering and applying knowledge to complex problems. At times the journey can seem long, but in my experience the different paths you take and what you learn along the way is the most interesting part of all."
"I use research to bring innovation into the eye clinic, preventing vision loss and restoring sight. I also teach and mentor the next generation of eye experts, clinicians and scientists. Both priorities are impactful because the burden of eye disease in Australia and across the world is growing. My career has made a difference to the lives of people, and this is something I’m very proud of."
Read the full article here
Golden Graduates Luncheon Keynote Address
News - Save Sight Institute
1 May 2018
Prof Stephanie Watson from the Save Sight Institute (University of Sydney) was the guest speaker at the Golden Graduates luncheon at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 28 March 2018.
In her speech, she talks about the events that lead to her breakthrough research on growing artificial corneas on contact lenses using stem cells, and finally how she has established an international keratoconus registry.
See your way to a healthy diet
Vitamania the Movie
Screen Australia
2018 Expert adviser to the film
Sight is precious, most people would rather die earlier or lose a limb than their vision. Vitamins can keep your eyes healthy. Vitamin A deficiency for example is the most common form of malnutrition leading to eye disease and the leading cause of childhood blindness worldwide.
Most children with Vitamin A deficiency live in developing countries but recently I reported cases in Australia in children on a diet of chips and coke. Supplementation with Vitamin A is only needed if there is dietary deficiency. Care must be taken with Vitamin A supplements as in excess Vitamin A can have toxic effects on vision, the bones and skin. In pregnant women excess Vitamin A can harm the baby’s eyes, skull, lung and heart.
Read the full article here
Conjunctivitis treatment gets $13m from Brandon Capital for local trial
The Australian Financial Review
February 28, 2018
There is currently no effective treatment for viral conjunctivitis, which comprises about 80 per cent of all conjunctivitis cases in adults, according to Professor Stephanie Watson, an opthalmic surgeon at Sydney Eye Hospital whom Okogen has hired to run the trial.
Photo: Louise Kennerley. Sourced from The Australian Financial Review
"Conjunctivitis is very common and highly contagious. Once you've got it, you're infectious for two weeks and you've go a 50 per cent chance of passing it on to somebody else," she said.
Read the full article here
Eyesight experts issue warning on diet which can lead to blindness
The Sydney Morning Herald
October 15, 2016
"We were terrified that he was going to lose his sight," Ms Moore said. "It seemed to be getting worse."
But when Professor Watson examined Cian, she diagnosed him with a condition much more banal than the rare disease his mother anticipated. Professor Watson had become familiar with the phenomenon from her time working in Kenya as a medical student, and it was the fourth case she had encountered in Australia.
Read the full article here
The eye of a 14-year-old child suffering from vitamin A deficiency. Photo: Medical Journal of Australia
Top 5 Eye Myths
Studio10 - youtube channel
Apr 19, 2016 - Professor Stephanie Watson joins us to bust the most common myths we hear about our eyes and eyesight!
Sight for Sore Eyes
UNSW - youtube channel
Dry eyes affect 3.15 million Australians. This UNSW innovation is a new eye drop that treats the underlying cause of blepharitis, an extremely painful dry eye condition.
iPad tantrums: Experts say parents should limit kids’ technology use
The Sunday Telegraph
February 10, 2016 - Jordan Baker
" Each of my sons has their own iPad. We restrict them to an hour at a time, no more than two or three times a week."
"But I hear that surgeons who play computer games actually have better hand-eye coordination. Plus, the promise of the iPad will prompt them to tidy up."
Read the full article here
Prof Stephanie Watson with her three sons. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.
Sight for Sore Eyes
UNSW - youtube channel
In a world-first breakthrough, UNSW medical researchers have used stem cells cultured on a simple contact lens to restore sight to sufferers of blinding corneal disease.
Corneal Stem Cells
Catalyst - ABC, 24 March 2011
"The cornea has a very unique architecture to ensure that it remains transparent. And so when that architecture is disrupted such as in stem cell failure it becomes hazy" - Dr Stephanie Watson
Watch at the ABC
Hands Off Your Eyes
Save Sight Institute - Sept 2, 2015
“According to Professor Stephanie Watson from the Save Sight Institute, “Eye rubbing is often caused by allergies, and this can become a problematic habit. In chronic eye rubbers, more severe keratoconus often corresponds with the dominant hand.”
Tips to stay safe and out of the hospital emergency department this festive season
The Daily Telegraph - Dec 19, 2014
Laura Aubusson
During summer Stephanie Watson, professor at Sydney Eye Hospital, notices a spike in the number of people presenting with eye problems due to poor eye care.
“We see many young people at this time of year who have gone out partying and forgot to take their contact lenses out before falling asleep, or who have gone swimming in contact lenses,” she said.
“This leads to an increase in the number of cases of eye infection which can result in loss of vision and corneal scarring.”
A Debatable Fix for Young Eyes
The New York Times - Nov 3, 2014
Sindya N. Bhanoo
“One recent report in the journal Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology found that infections from ortho-k lenses led to corneal scarring and permanent vision loss in four children in Australia.”
Save Sight Launches Keratoconus Registry
mivision - Aug 11, 2014
According to Prof. Watson, “many therapies, devices and surgical procedures have been developed to treat Keratoconus, but few have been evaluated using post -market surveillance, and there is no system in place to collect such data nationally. Keratoconus tends to affect young adults and has a significant public health impact”.
Pride of Australia: Prof Stephanie Watson is changing people’s lives one pair of eyes at a time
The Daily Telegraph - Aug 3, 2014
Jordan Baker
“It struck me you could make a difference. You can change people’s lives, you can restore vision in people who can’t see,” she said.
Watching out for work dangers
7 News report - July 30, 2014
Dr Andrew Rochford
Most of us take our sight for granted, but our eyes are extremely vulnerable. Interview with Prof Stephanie Watson.
Young Worker Blinded Cleaning Beer Lines
mivision - July 29, 2014
Professor Stephanie Watson from the Sydney Eye Hospital and Save Sight Institute, said many young workers in particular don’t fully understand the dangers of working with chemicals and are unaware of the need to wear protective eyewear. She is calling on eye care professionals to advise their patients on the importance of eye safety.
“Alkali is worse than acid because it penetrates the eye, whereas acid sits on the surface,” said Professor Watson, adding that alkaline chemicals can be found in products such as commercial cleaners and liquid concrete.
Healing Corneas and Building Robots
Diffusion Science Radio - Dec 9, 2013
Professor Stephanie Watson spoke with Ian Woolf about how she heals corneas with stem cells.
Surgical Glue Made from Crab Shells
MedIndia - March 30, 2010 - Rajshri
In a welcome development, Australian scientists have developed a surgical glue from crab shells, which could be used to replace sutures in eye surgeries.
Stem Cell For Eye Repair - Winner and People's Choice
New Inventors - ABC, Episode 30 - 26 August 2009
"When ready, an eye surgeon removes damaged cells from the patient's eye before inserting the cultured contact lens and within two weeks, the healthy cells re-colonise the damaged eye surface and restore the patient's eyesight "
- Prof Stephanie Watson
Prof Stephanie Watson
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