The Retinal and Eye Disease Research Group at the Centre for Vision Research has conducted some of the largest and most significant epidemiology studies of eye diseases in the world, such as the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES), Sydney Childhood Eye Study, the Sydney Myopia Study and Sydney Adolescent Vascular Eye Study, Sydney Paediatric Study and Australian Heart Eye Study. These which has provided much-needed data on the prevalence, incidence, risk factors, and impacts of common eye conditions.
Current projects include the Australian Eye and Ear Hearing Survey, from 2022-2024, that will determine contemporary prevalence and severity of eye diseases nationwide; OCT-Angiography in Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopath; and blood biomarkers of macular diseases.
Several PhD project opportunities are available for prospective students.
Recent Achievements
- Set up and conducting the Australian Eye and Ear Hearing Study (2022-2024)
- Completed recruitment at 9 NSW and 3 Queensland sites for the AEEHS
- Presented first nationwide hearing loss data
Recent publications

Proportion of people with diabetic retinopathy and macular oedema varies by ethnicity in a tertiary retinal clinic in Australia: findings from the Liverpool Eye and Diabetes Study (LEADS). BMJ Open. 2023 Feb 22;13(2):e055404
February 2023

Thirty-Year Time Trends in Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2022 Oct 1;45(10):2247-2254. doi: 10.2337/dc21-1652
October 2022

Retinal Vasculature Fractal and Stroke Mortality. Stroke (IF 6.1). 2021;52:1276–1282Burlutsky
April 2021

Acylcarnitine abnormalities implicate mitochondrial dysfunction in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. IOVS 2020: 61(8):32
July 2020

Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Lancet Seminar. Lancet. 2018 Sep 29;392(10153):1147-1159.
September 2018
NAME | ROLE |
Professor Emeritus Paul Mitchell | Group Director |
Associate Professor Gerald Liew | Group Co-Director |
Mr George Burlutsky | Biostatistician |
Dr Richard Kha | PhD Student |
Ms Mayuri Indrakumar | Research Assistant |
Dr Helen Nguyen | PhD Student |