PROFILE
INTRODUCING THE
RANZCO PRESIDENT From individual patients to national eyecare systems, Tasmanian ophthalmologist Professor Nitin Verma has made it his mission to improve visual outcomes in developing countries. Now he’s bringing his unique knowledge to the RANZCO presidency.
T
hirty-five years ago, while on his fellowship as a young ophthalmologist in Germany, Professor Nitin Verma co-developed one of the world’s first foldable intraocular lenses (IOL) made from silicon.
Under the guidance of the renowned Dr Günter Fromberg, the lens signalled a new generation in IOL technology that could be produced at a much cheaper price, while also being conducive with the emergence of smaller incision cataract surgery. Importantly for Verma – who was born and raised in India where he also conducted his medical training – the Fromberg-Verma (FV) silicone IOL created a new pathway for developing countries to access advanced, western-developed ophthalmic technology. Back then, in 1985 when cataract surgery wasn’t common in developing countries, Verma implanted his FV IOL in a young Indian boy with significant ocular trauma. Last year – 34 years on – he met with a surgeon from that same hospital who informed him the boy is now a successful engineer, with the same IOL still in place. For Verma – who assumes the RANZCO presidency this month – this anecdote encapsulates his reasons for choosing ophthalmology, leading to a career that’s made a difference on a much larger scale across the Asia-Pacific region. “I was initially drawn to ophthalmology because it’s a fine art that can produce spectacular results. Cataracts are often the benchmark when you’re talking about outcomes in ophthalmology, and even though I’ve done plenty of procedures in my time, that’s still something that continues to fascinate me,” he says. “Closing the gap between the developed and developing world, the haves and have nots, has always been a passion of mine. Throughout my career I’ve been interested in how we can adopt technology from advanced countries for those living in poorer countries.”
Professor Nitin Verma carries a patient called Rosita from Baucau, Timor Leste, to the operating table. She was blind and only weighed 32kg at the time.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Northern Territory and providing remote emergency eyecare to people stationed in Antarctica. For the past 18 years till now, he and his wife Anu have lived in Tasmania. Verma practises privately at Hobart Eye Surgeons, while also fulfilling roles as a Clinical Professor at the University of Tasmania School of Medicine, and Clinical Associate Professor in Ophthalmology in the University of Sydney. He recently stepped down as head of ophthalmology at the Royal Hobart Hospital, but still continues to practise there. FIRST EXPOSURE TO OPHTHALMOLOGY
Verma takes over the presidential reins from Associate Professor Heather Mack, the first female to hold the position in RANZCO’s 50-year history, and whom Verma has praised for improving governance standards, her attention to detail, collegiality and work ethic.
The son of an army engineer, Verma’s childhood was spent in different parts of India, with his father sent on different postings throughout the country. His father was also involved with water management projects and non-government organisations (NGOs).
Verma himself has had a long affiliation with the college as a Council member and long-term Board member, while also serving as vicepresident between 2018-19.
“To a large extent I learned a lot from my parents, and my father was also an Olympian. He represented India in sailing at the 1972 Munich Games.”
He’s also left an indelible mark on many eyecare programs across the world. The most notable include practising oculoplastics on leprosy patients in India, founding the East Timor Eye Program, overhauling the public ophthalmology service in Papua New Guinea, working with
Verma went to medical school at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, South India, and in his fourth year became enamoured with ophthalmology. “The exact nature of ophthalmology appealed to me. Those days we
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