Spotlight on Professor Anthony Khawaja

On the occasion of his Inaugural Lecture on 17 April 2024, we spoke to Anthony Khawaja, Professor of Ophthalmology.

Tell us a bit about your work

Glaucoma is the commonest cause of irreparable blindness in the world and once vision is lost, it cannot be restored. We have good treatments to prevent or slow down the disease, but many patients arrive to us too late, as the early stages of glaucoma do not have symptoms. The huge number of patients with glaucoma is also stretching our healthcare services and we are struggling to ensure safe care. My data science research group aims to innovate the way we detect and manage glaucoma to reduce blindness and develop a sustainable care system. We are world leaders in genetic discovery research for glaucoma and are developing tools which can predict which people in the general population should be screened for glaucoma based on their genetic code. We are also combining genetic data with clinical care data at scale to develop tools which identify the glaucoma patients at the highest risk of blindness and identify the treatments that will work best for them.

Why is your research important?

If successful, we will reduce blindness and its related costs as well as ensure we can safely look after the rapidly growing numbers of people with glaucoma in the long term.

What inspires you in your work?

My major inspiration is the chance to make a big difference. I very much enjoy caring for my patients, and that can make a huge difference to individuals. The opportunity to change the way glaucoma is managed across the world will obviously have a much bigger impact; while challenging, I find this very exciting.

What has been your most memorable career moment so far?

The most memorable things in science are often the unexpected findings we make along the way. When we made the leap-change progress in our discovery of the genetic causes of glaucoma, we also realised we could start to predict who will develop glaucoma as an adult just from markers in their genetic code which are measurable at birth. This was a real game-changer, and I don't think any of us expected we would reach there so quickly.

What do you like to do outside work?

Music is a real passion of mine. These days it is mainly casual listening, though I still like to catch some live music when I can. I used to enjoy composing, but rarely find the time these days.

What book is currently on your bedside table?

I only read non-work books on holidays, and I find it a great way to zone out. So, the last book on my bedside table was from my holiday in Jamaica - Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I loved it. You'd be better off asking me what album I'm currently listening to right now (that would be Four Tet's latest, Three).