Prof Charles McGhee
MB, BSc(Hons), PhD, FRCS(G), FRCOphth, FRANZCO, FR
Special interests
- Corneal and external eye diseases
- Corneal Transplantation
- Cataract surgery
- Post-traumatic and complex anterior segment surgery
Scottish born, Charles combined undergraduate medical and science degrees (1976-1983) at the University of Glasgow , with a secondment to Harvard University 's Howe Laboratory, Boston . Entering ophthalmology in 1986, he held training posts in Glasgow and undertook advanced Fellowship training in corneal and anterior segment eye diseases in Perth , Western Australia . In 1993 he was appointed Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Professor of Ocular Therapeutics in Sunderland , England . Subsequently, in 1996 he was appointed Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Dundee, Scotland. He was invited to take up the newly established post of Maurice Paykel Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Auckland in September 1999.
Charles holds fellowships in ophthalmology and ophthalmic surgery from the Royal College of Ophthalmology ( UK ), the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow ( Scotland ). In addition to his Professorial roles, Charles is a busy Senior Ophthalmic Surgeon at Auckland City Hospital and his clinical practice is therefore primarily based in the public sector, however, he is available for private consultation and surgery at Eye Institute on a weekly basis.
His clinical interests include corneal diseases such as keratoconus, inherited corneal dystrophies, corneal transplantation, cataract surgery and complex anterior segment surgery following trauma. He is one of the most experienced corneal surgeons in New Zealand and has performed more than 500 corneal transplantation procedures and Chairs the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists special interest group in cornea, contact lenses, and cataract and refractive surgery. Since 1999 he has been the Clinical Director of Ophthalmology for Auckland District Health Board that employs some 26 Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeons providing services to the greater Auckland region. He has developed multi-disciplinary approaches to the delivery of ophthalmic care and is directly involved in teaching and assessment of the Therapeutic Optometry course provided by the University of Auckland .
His ongoing research has a clinical bias towards aspects of corneal disease and cataract and refractive surgery. He has written or co-authored two books and more than 150 scientific papers, chapters and review articles on aspects of: infective keratitis, corneal transplantation, cataract surgery, ocular pathology, refractive laser surgery, in vivo confocal microscopy, and ocular therapeutics. He completed his PhD on aspects of excimer laser refractive surgery and corneal topography. He is Editor of the journal Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.
Charles lives with his Australian wife Jane, two demanding Burmese cats and a large moggie named MacTum. He pursues electric blues guitar, sculpting, painting, photography, DIY, and more recently, sailing - whenever he can avoid the siren call of ophthalmology.
