Advancing Ophthalmology and the Role of AVR

Professor Keith Martin

Professor Keith Martin, Director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia and Head of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne, shares his inspiring career transition from neurology to ophthalmology. He discusses how he found a fulfilling balance of medicine and surgery in ophthalmology, allowing him to make tangible differences in patients’ lives. Professor Martin emphasises the critical role of Australian Vision Research (AVR) in advancing innovative treatments, including gene therapy, for previously untreatable eye diseases. He highlights AVR’s contributions to ophthalmology by funding high-quality, early-stage research that drives significant breakthroughs, from cataract surgery to treatments for macular degeneration. He also underscores the value of supporting research, whether through donations or bequests, which can leave a lasting legacy and make a meaningful impact on the future of eye care.

Video Transcript

Hi, my name is Keith Martin. I’m the director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia and head of ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne.

I came to ophthalmology a little bit late.  I originally trained as a neurologist, but I realised that there was much more that I could do within ophthalmology. I loved the blend of medicine and surgery and the ability to have treatments that actually made a real difference in patients’ lives, and that was something that was at the time lacking in neurology.

(How has Australian Vision Research contributed to ophthalmology?)

I think AVR makes an enormous contribution to ophthalmology.  I think the most important aspect of what it does is supporting work at a relatively early stage with meaningful amounts of money that can then be used to leverage larger amounts of research funding down the line.

(What excites you about the future of ophthalmic research?)

Well, I’m biased, but I think gene therapy has enormous potential in ophthalmology. It’s already revolutionising our treatment of inherited retinal disease and conditions that were completely untreatable when I started my career and are now becoming treatable, which I think is really exciting. And that technology is broadening out to a wider range of ophthalmological indications.

(Where to from here for ophthalmic research?)

Well, I think one of the great things that AVR does is that it has expert review and is able to select quality research. That’s the most important part to me—that we’re funding research, which is actually high quality and which is going to lead to something down the line.

So I would love to see AVR continue to be that guardian of quality for the research programs that come before it. And it’s a real badge of recognition of the quality of the research, which I think helps researchers down the line to gain further funding for their work.

(Why should donors support ophthalmic research?)

 Well, for donors, there are so many different aspects of work in the world that you can support. And I think the fantastic thing about supporting vision and eye research is you can make a real difference to patients’ lives in a meaningful time frame.

We are revolutionising the way that we can diagnose and treat eye disease, and it’s a really fast-moving field, which has an immediate impact for patients.   If you look at some of the great breakthroughs in ophthalmology—from small-incision cataract surgery to our treatments for macular degeneration and the revolution in gene therapy—these are incredibly powerful technologies, and as someone supporting research, you can make a real difference with your investment. So I think that’s, you know, a really key message for our donors.

(Why considering leaving a bequest matters?

Well, bequests are an incredibly important part of what many charities do, and vision and eye research is no different. And the wonderful thing about bequests is that something that you’re interested in can live on beyond your lifetime and continue to support the causes which you care passionately about long into the future.

And for families, this can be a great memorial, but it’s also great to know that you’re doing something for a cause you loved well into the future.  So I think it’s a great way to support vision and eye research.