Professor Robert MacLaren

Professional statement

Professor Robert MacLaren is a consultant ophthalmologist at Nuffield Health Oxford, The Manor Hospital, as well as at the renowned Oxford Eye Hospital. He also holds the position of Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford in the UK. He specialises in cataract surgery, retinal surgery, retinal diseases and genetic eye disorders.

In relation to his roles in the NHS, he trains ophthalmologists in retinal surgery and cataract surgery. His previous research has optimised biometric calculations for cataract surgery in extremely long and short eyes. He is experienced in the implantation of all varieties of intraocular lenses used in cataract surgery.  These include toric lenses, extended depth of focus lenses, multifocal lenses and in rare cases black diaphragm lenses. Internationally he trains surgeons in retinal gene therapy surgery and he has led many operations in the USA and across Europe.
 
In addition to his roles at Oxford, he holds the position of Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and served as an honorary consultant vitreoretinal surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital. With a reputation for excellence and dedication to advancing the field of ophthalmology, he has been recognised as an NIHR Senior Investigator and NHS Gold Clinical Excellence Award. Professor MacLaren's contributions to the medical community are commendable, and his numerous fellowships are a testament to his expertise and commitment to the profession.
 
Professor MacLaren is a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and he is one of only a handful of UK ophthalmologists also to be a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.Furthermore, he served as the former King James IV Professor of Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. His academic achievements have been recognised through his election as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, as well as being appointed as a Bodley Fellow of Merton College Oxford.

He is one of the first surgeons in the world to have made a successful retinal implant for visual prosthesis, sometimes described as creating: a 'bionic eye'. In 2016 he performed the world’s first eye operation using a remotely controlled robot. Key events of his work include world's first choroideremia gene therapy trial (2011), electronic retinal implant trials (2012/2015), robot-assisted eye surgery trial (2016), X-linked retinitis pigmentosa gene therapy trial (2017) and the world’s first gene therapy treatment for targeting the mechanism of age related macular degeneration (2019).
 
In the realm of clinical excellence, Professor MacLaren has been recognised with various prestigious awards. Notably, he has received the ARVO Camras Award for translational research, the RP Fighting Blindness Scientist of the Year award, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Keeler Medal, and the Macular Society Clinical Service of the Year award. Such accolades underscore his commitment to advancing patient care and his exceptional contributions to the field of ophthalmology.