Series One recap

07/22/24 • 2 min

Thank you for tuning in to Season 1 Talking Retina. This season, we’ve covered so many things, so a quick recap. Ass Prof Lauren Ayton and I introduced you to the retina and inherited retinal diseases. Prof Andrew Turpin and I discussed vision testing, what AI is and its potential roles and setbacks in eye care. Prof Robyn Guymer helped us understand where research for macular degeneration is at and best practice clinical management. This means, not forgetting to offer clinical trials as an option, if no treatments are currently available to prevent vision loss. Ass Prof Penny Allen took us through the story of bionic eye development in Australia. Prof John Nolan took us through the research for macula protection and the use of macula pigment supplementation. And Ass Prof Anai Gonzalez-Cordero and Dr. Tom Edwards introduced us to the incredible work in vision restoration that is happening now.

It’s been a huge learning journey for me and I hope it’s been one for you as well. As an optometrist, public health practitioner, amateur athlete, globetrotter, and mother in pursuit of living my best life, I set out to create something to make it easier to learn about and put into practice, our most latest understanding of the human eye. A stand out for me recording this season was hearing directly from people who have been affected by vision conditions that we diagnose and treat. I learnt as much from them as I learned from the experts in the field.

So, with this season under my belt and so much learning, not only about the research on eyes, but about podcast creation as well, I’m aiming to bring you something more exciting next season. It’s currently in R&D stage so I can’t say too much, but for Season 2, we will be Talking Cornea. If you’d like to get involved as a contributor or a sponsor, you can reach me on my socials via Instagram and Facebook @Talking Eyes. Follow and share, and subscribe to Talking Eyes to stay updated. I’m Lien Trinh, your host of Talking Eyes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Episode 8: Fixing the Code for Inherited Retinal Diseases

How does Lego relate to Genetics? In our final episode of our Talking Retina series, we have a very interesting chat with Dr. Tom Edwards, head of the Gene Therapy Research unit at the Centre for Eye Research Australia about how gene therapy works, how it might look in people receiving treatment, and the process from research to clinical delivery. According to Dr. Tom, multiple gene therapies are expected to roll out over the next 5 to 10 years, so genetic testing and signing up to registers is more important now than ever.

Dr. Tom Edwards and A/Prof Lauren Ayton work closely with the Australian and global community on Inherited Retinal Diseases.

Research sites specialising in IRDs in Australia are:

The VENTURE Registry is a collaboration between the Centre for Eye Research Australia and the University of Melbourne which collects both clinical and genetic information on people living with IRDs in Victoria. This registry also includes female carriers of X-linked IRDs.
The Australian Inherited Retinal Disease Register and DNA Bank is Australia’s largest DNA ban collecting family history and genetic samples, but not comprehensive clinical data (which is captured by state-based registries – below). The AIRDR has proudly been funded by Retina Australia since its inception in 2009.
The Save Sight Institute IRD Registry is based in NSW and led by an ophthalmologist (Prof Grigg) and geneticist (Prof Jamieson), collecting both clinical and genetic data on people living with IRDs.
The Western Australia Retinal Disease (WARD) study is based at the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, collecting clinical and genetic information on people with IRDs. The Lead Investigator, A/Prof Fred Chen, is also the Head of the Ocular Tissue Engineering Laboratory at Lions, developing new treatments for IRDs.

Additional resources can be found at: