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Prof Colin Chan Ophthalmologist

Prof Colin Chan MBBS(Hons) MPhil FRANZCO

Prof Colin Chan
MBBS(Hons) MPhil FRANZCO

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Expertise

Cataract & lens surgery

Laser eye surgery

Keratoconus

Professor Colin Chan is an internationally recognised expert in vision correction procedures, including laser eye surgery (LASIK, SMILE® and ASLA/PRK), refractive lens exchange and laser cataract surgery. Prof Chan also has expertise in the treatment of keratoconus and pterygium. He has more than two decades experience as an eye surgeon and has performed over 9,000 eye surgery procedures.

Prof Chan is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra, a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the Program Director of the Graduate Diploma in Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the Ophthalmology CPD Program at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney.

Download a copy of Prof Colin Chan’s profile here

Find out more about laser eye surgery in Sydney and New South Wales.

In Focus

Prof Colin Chan on ABC news – one in three children now shortsighted

One in three children are now shortsighted or unable to see things in the distance clearly according to a global analysis.
Prof Colin Chan encourages kids to spend time outdoors to reduce their risk of myopia. Watch the video now.

Career highlights

Career firsts

  • One of the first surgeons in the world to perform laser cataract surgery
  • One of the first surgeons in the world to perform collagen cross-linking to treat keratoconus
  • One of the first surgeons in Sydney to perform SMILE laser eye surgery

Teaching

  • Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra 
  • Clinical Associate Professor, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney
  • Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • Program Director, Diploma in Cataract and Refractive Surgery, University of Sydney
  • Program Director, Continuing Professional Development Modules in Ophthalmology, University of Sydney

Committee/board memberships

  • Convenor, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Satellite Congresses
  • Congress standing committee, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology
  • Selection Board, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
  • Human Ethics and Research committee, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
  • CPD committee, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
  • Board Director, SEE Together

Other professional achievements

  • Convenor for Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Satellite Congresses in Vietnam (2018), Mongolia (2019) and Iran (2023)
  • Invited chairman and speaker for the World Ophthalmology Congress
  • Masterclass in collagen cross-linking for keratoconus at the Asia Pacific Association for Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Congress
  • Masterclass in corneal rings for keratoconus at the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Congress
  • Author of a book on dry eye treatment (Springer Publications) 
  • Graduate of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Leadership Development Program 
  • Reviewer for leading ophthalmology journals, including Ophthalmology, Cornea and Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

Professional memberships

  • Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
  • Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Faculty
  • New South Wales Medical Board

Community involvement & charitable work

From 2008–2018, Prof Chan was actively involved in fundraising for The Eye Foundation and then became an advisory committee member from 2016–2018. He is currently a Board Director of SEE Together, a charity devoted to giving people in remote Mongolian communities better access to basic eye care such as glasses. Prof Chan also sits on several pharmaceutical advisory boards and donates his honoraria to various charities such as The Eye Foundation, Australian College of Optometry, Red Cross Australia, and Eyes for Everest.

Awards

  • RTP Scholarship for Master of Philosophy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney (2020)
  • Achievement Award for scientific contributions and teaching, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (2015)
  • Best Paper of Session, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Congress (2006 and 2007)
  • Young Investigator Award, Neuro-Ophthalmology Society of Australia (2003)

Education & training

  • Master of Philosophy, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney
  • Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with Honours, University of Melbourne, Victoria
  • Ophthalmology training, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Victoria and Sydney Eye Hospital, New South Wales
  • Fellowship in Corneal and Laser eye surgery, Boxer Wachler Vision Institute, Beverly Hills and University of California, Irvine, USA

Research & publications

Prof Chan has participated as an investigator and medical monitor in 12 clinical trials and published 40 peer-reviewed articles in medical journals. He is a member of the RANZCO Human Ethics and Research Committee. He was awarded a scholarship for his Master of Philosophy research into medical student selection at the Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney.

Personal website

To find out more about Prof Colin Chan, visit drcolinchan.com

To see his ‘Birds of Australia, Asia and the World’ photographic collection, visit aneyefordetails.com

SMILE®/SMILE® pro are registered trademarks of Carl Zeiss Meditec
Publications Congress posters and lectures
Read more publications
  • Pros and cons of AI in cataract surgery: debate

    Lawless M, Chan C.
    Lecture delivered at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology (RANZCO) Congress, Adelaide, 2024.
  • A case-driven audit transforming infection control in SMILE surgery

    Sutton G, Bennett K, Chan C, Lam J.
    Poster presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology (RANZCO) Congress, Adelaide, 2024.
  • Fewer follow-ups, fewer footprints: estimating carbon savings from reduced post-op eye clinic visits

    Chan C, Hodge C, Lawless M, Sutton G.
    Poster presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology (RANZCO) Congress, Adelaide, 2024.
  • Cornea clear and measured: A reference population for optimal patient care

    Lawless M, Hodge C, Zhou L, Sutton G, Chan C.
    Poster presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology (RANZCO) Congress, Adelaide, 2024.
  • Taming the tremors: examining the link between preoperative emotions and surgical discomfort in a refractive surgery setting

    Lawless M, Shih Shih T, Chan C, Sutton G.
    Poster presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology (RANZCO) Congress, Adelaide, 2024.
  • Invited Faculty

    AAO, 2006, 2009, 2010
  • Invited Faculty and Chairman

    APAO, 2010–2016
  • Masterclass on corneal rings

    AUSCRS, 2010.
  • Invited Faculty

    World Cornea Congress, 2010.
  • Invited Faculty

    ASCRS, 2005–2007, 2010.
  • Invited Faculty

    ISOHK, 2006.
  • Invited Chairman

    World Congress of Ophthalmology, 2008, 2012, 2018.
  • Refractive surgery expert panel

    APAO, 2007.

Affiliations

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