Eye Diseases And Their Possible Prevention

When we are gifted sight we can easily take it for granted but there are many reasons that vision can diminish or even be lost entirely. In this talk we will hear about the conditions that can affect our eyes, their causes, and how they can be prevented or treated.

Dr Piyasena is the Deputy Director of the Vision and Eye Research Institute at the Anglia Ruskin University School of Medicine in Cambridge. He is a Public Health Ophthalmologist from Sri Lanka, with experience in clinical ophthalmology including vitreo-retinal surgery, eye health research, evidence synthesis and health policy review.

Dr Piyasena graduated his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya and entered the In-Service Training Programme in Clinical Ophthalmology at the National Eye Hospital of Sri Lanka, under the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine of University of Colombo. He also earned a Diploma in Science at the Post Graduate Institute of Science of the University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka.

He went on to pursue an academic and research career pathway in ophthalmology and completed a Masters and a Doctorate in Public Health Ophthalmology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine United Kingdom. He was the first Sri Lankan scholar funded by the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust (QEDJT) and the Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium (CEHC).

Dr Piyasena’s research focuses mostly on retinal diseases and conducted a pivotal situational assessment on vitreo-retinal diseases and contributed to establishment of the first dedicated Department of Vitreo-Retina at the National Eye Hospital of Sri Lanka.

In October 2019 he was invited and recognised as a research fellow in eye health by HM The Queen Elizabeth II at a Commonwealth Reception held at Buckingham Palace. He is a recipient of the Membership through Distinction from the Faculty of Public Health, United Kingdom for his impactful contributions to public eye health.

Under Professor Shahina Pardhan and Dr Piyasena's strategic leadership, supporting a multinational and multidisciplinary team of researchers in clinical and public health research, VERI has received World Leading status through its publications and impact.

VERI's work has benefitted patients and policy makers and attracted collaborations from the World Health Organisation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. VERI researchers also lead and collaborate on various projects for the Global Burden of Diseases.

Refreshments will be available from 30 minutes before the advertised start time.

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