Dr Carolyn Ross

MBBS FRANZCO

Carolyn Ross is an experienced comprehensive adult and paediatric ophthalmologist. She has subspecialty interest in Cornea and External Eye Disease including cross-linking for keratoconus, pterygium surgery, herpetic and allergic eye disease. She manages a broad range of childhood eye conditions such as visual development, progressive myopia, complex childhood eye disorders and strabismus.

Dr Ross attended Medical School at The University of Sydney and subsequently completed a year of general paediatric medical training at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children. Ophthalmology training was undertaken at Sydney Eye Hospital finishing with a year as the Senior Registrar in the Professorial Unit where she gained specific experience in the management of complex paediatric conditions. She then undertook further corneal subspecialty training in Adelaide at Flinders Medical Centre – a world centre of excellence in Corneal and External Eye Disease and Research.

Dr Ross is a Senior Consultant at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and works collaboratively with other ophthalmologists to optimise patient care. Carolyn is a Senior Clinical Lecturer at The University of Sydney and trains the next generations of local and international ophthalmologists. She also lectures and participates in national and international ophthalmology conferences and workshops. Dr Ross is involved in paediatric eye research looking at visual development of premature babies.

Carolyn performs volunteer surgery in Cambodia with Australian Health Humanitarian Aid and will partake in a scheme to improve access to ophthalmology services to rural and indigenous Australians with the charity Foresight Australia.

Dr Ross is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Corneal Society and the Paediatric Special Interest Group of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists as well as the Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, the American Association of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and the World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

Cataract Surgery

Adult and paediatric cataract surgery
Surgery performed at private and public hospitals including Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and The Children's Hospital Westmead

General Ophthalmology

Comprehensive eye care with special interest in external eye disease, corneal disease and paediatric ophthalmology

External Eye Disease

Adult and paediatric patients
Allergic eye disease
Dry eyes
Blepharitis

Corneal Disease

Congenital and acquired disorders
Adult and paediatric patients
Keratoconus
Pterygium surgery
Keratitis

Paediatric Ophthalmology

All general paediatric ophthalmology conditions
Progressive myopia
Amblyopia
Vision assessment
Allergic eye disease
Strabismus

Current Hospital Appointments

Public hospitals

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Senior Consultant (2000 - present)
The Children's Hospital Westmead - Senior Visiting Medical Officer and Head of the Cornea and External Eye Disease Unit (2009 - present)

Private hospitals

NSW Eye Centre, Sydney Private Hospital, Ashfield
Chatswood Private Hospital, Chatswood
Marsden Eye Surgery, Parramatta

Outreach programme to rural NSW

Griffith Base Hospital - Senior Visiting Consultant (2022 - present)

Teaching

Clinical Senior Lecturer: Discipline of Ophthalmology - Save Sight Institute, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney
Lecturer: International Masters of Ophthalmology - University of Sydney
Supervisor: Teaching ophthalmology registrars and medical students - Sydney Eye Hospital, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and The Children's Hospital Westmead
Thesis Examiner: Masters of Medicine, University of Sydney

Qualifications and training

Post-graduate

Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (1997)

Undergraduate

Bachelor of Medicine - University of Sydney (1988)
Bachelor of Surgery - University of Sydney (1988)

Accredited ophthalmology training

Sydney Eye Hospital 1993-1996
Senior Professorial Registrar - Sydney Eye Hospital 1996

Fellowship training

Corneal and External Eye Disease Fellowship with Professor Douglas Coster AO, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide 1998

General medical and surgery training

Intern - Concord Hospital (1988)
Resident Medical Officer - Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children (1989)
Claffy Research Fellow in Human Retinal Development - University of Sydney (1990)
Senior Resident Medical Officer - Concord Hospital (1991-1992) including ophthalmology, neurology, plastic surgery, endocrinology and general medicine.

Professional Registration Membership

RANZCO Fellow
RANZCO Paediatric Special Interest Group
Australian and New Zealand Corneal Society
World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
American Academy of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
American Academy of Ophthalmology
EuCornea

Panel member

Sydney Hospital / Sydney Eye Hospital: Medical and Dental Appointment Advisory Committee (2017 - present)
NSW Health Advanced Eye Trainee Recruitment Panel (2018 - present)
Professional Services Review Panel: Australian Government (2020 - present)

Conferences and Scientific Meetings

Regular attendee of:

RANZCO Annual Scientific Congress
Annual RANZCO NSW Branch Meeting
Annual Australian and New Zealand Corneal Society Meeting
Annual RANZCO Paediatric Special Interest Group Meeting
Bi-annual Sydney Eye Hospital Alumni Meeting

Has also attended:

EuCornea (London, Milan)
World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
World Ophthalmology Congress
Ophthalmology Updates

International Development (charity) work

Volunteer ophthalmologist with Foresight Australia, Papua New Guinea (1995)
Volunteer surgeon and lecturer with Australian Health Humanitarian Aid to Cambodia (2016 - present)

Current Research

Associate Researcher: Neonatal visual outcomes for infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Publications

The Valsalva DCR Bubble Test: A new method of assessing lacrimal latency after DCR surgery. Mulligan NB, Ross CA, Francis IC, Moshegov CN. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 1994
Ocular Disorders in the Elderly: Part 1, Current Therapeutics 1998
Ocular Disorders in the Elderly: Part 2, Current Therapeutics 1998
Acquired Causes of Poor Vision in the Elderly: The Ethical Journal 1998
Corneal Allograft Rejection: Has the time come for intravenous methylprednisolone? A debate. Thiel MA, Ross CA, Coster DJ. Clin Experiment Ophthal. 2000
Current Australian Practice in the prevention and management of corneal allograft rejection. Barker NH, Henderson TR, Ross CA, Coster DJ, Williams KA. Clin Experiment Ophthal. 2000
Corneal Arcus as a presenting sign of familial hypercholesterolaemia in a young child. Lock JH, Ross CA, Flaherty M. AAPOS 2018
Paediatric Microbial Keratitis: Experience from tertiary referral centres in NSW. Hepschke JL, Cabrera-Aguas M, Ross C, Kumar N, Lahra MM, Watson S. Paediatr Infect Dis J 2020