Mr Matthew Edmunds

I am a full-time Consultant Ophthalmic & Oculoplastic Surgeon at Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust with a private practice based in Newmedica Worcester & Bromsgrove. As well as managing general ophthalmic problems (sore, gritty, itchy, painful eyes, visual loss, double vision), and undertaking cataract surgery, I have a particular specialist interest in the assessment and management of all oculoplastic (eyelid), lacrimal (tear system) and orbit (eye socket) conditions.

Areas of particular expertise:

• Benign eyelid cysts, lumps and skin tags
• In-turned (entropion) and out-turned eyelids (ectropion)
• Droopy eyebrows (brow ptosis) and eyelids (upper lid ptosis)
• Upper lid skin 'hooding', 'eye bags' and excess (requiring upper lid blepharoplasty)
• Eyelid tumours (including cancers) requiring excision and reconstruction
• Facial 'twitching' (blepharospasm or hemifacial spasm) requiring Botulinum toxin (Botox) treatment
• Thyroid Eye Disease (also known as Graves' orbitopathy)
• Facial (‘Bell's') palsy
• Watery eyes
• Artificial eyes, painful, blind eyes and socket issues in those who have previously had eye removal

Background and Education:

Originally from South Wales, I graduated from the University of Birmingham with Honours in 2002, gaining the 'Queen's Scholarship' for overall joint first place my medical school graduation year, as well as an intercalated First Class Honours medical science degree in Pharmacology.

I have an excellent grounding in general and emergency medicine having initially trained in Auckland, New Zealand and at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (2003 - 2006). This included rotations in Neurosurgery at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham as well as wide-ranging experience in such areas as Rheumatology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Respiratory and Renal medicine and Infectious Diseases and HIV. I became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) in 2006.

Specialist Ophthalmic & Oculoplastic Training:

I trained in Ophthalmology on the West Midlands Deanery Ophthalmic Specialist Training programme (2007 - 2017) and went on to undertake extra advanced sub-specialty training in Oculoplastics at the Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre, as well as further specialist Oculoplastic surgery fellowships at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. I spent a period as a visiting scholar in Oculoplastics at the Kellogg Eye Center, Michigan, USA.

Professional Affiliations & Memberships:

I am a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (FRCOphth) and European Board of Ophthalmology (FEBO) and a member of the British Oculoplastic Surgical Society (BOPSS) and European Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (ESOPRS).

Research & Academia:

I have published numerous research abstracts and articles in peer-reviewed journals and regularly present my work at national and international academic meetings. In particular, I gained a prestigious Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellowship and undertook cutting-edge laboratory-based research (2010 - 2013) into the immunological basis of Thyroid Eye Disease (also known as Graves' Orbitopathy) at the University of Birmingham, gaining my doctorate (PhD) in 2015.

From 2014 to 2017 I was the University of Birmingham Academic Clinical Lecturer in Ophthalmology, undertaking further clinical research projects and regularly teaching medical students. During this time I co-authored the ‘Orbit' and ‘Ocular Trauma' chapters of the Oxford Handbook of Ophthalmology and was lead organiser of the OCULUS FRCOphth Part 2 course at Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre.

Professional Prizes, Scholarships & Awards:

I have attained a range of prestigious regional, national and international awards during my training, including the Richard Collin European Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Junior Award (2013), the Midland Ophthalmological Society Junior Award (2013 & 2014), the Royal College of Ophthalmologists John Lee Award (2014) and Sir William Lister Award (2014), the Roper-Hall Prize Medal (2014), the Ian Fraser Cup of the Oxford Ophthalmological Congress (2016) and the Kestrel Ophthalmics Challenge Cup (2018).

Ethos:

My aim is to use my training to provide a modern, comprehensive and individualised service for my patients. I always endeavour to provide the type of personal care that I would expect for one of my own family.