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Dr Lewis Levitz Ophthalmologist

Dr Lewis Levitz MBBCh MMed FCS(SA)(Ophth) FRCSEd FRANZCO

Dr Lewis Levitz
MBBCh MMed FCS(SA)(Ophth) FRCSEd FRANZCO

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Expertise

Cataract & lens surgery

Reconstructive eye surgery

General eye health

Dr Lewis Levitz is a highly experienced ophthalmic surgeon, with a special interest in conventional and laser cataract surgery. He offers his patients the latest in lens technology such as toric and multifocal intraocular lenses. Dr Levitz also has a special interest in reconstructive eyelid surgery (oculoplastics), including eyelid correction, repair and reconstruction, and management of eyelid cancers. In addition to these specialty areas, Dr Levitz also treats general ophthalmological disorders. He is the National Medical Director of Vision Eye Institute.

Download a copy of Dr Lewis Levitz’s profile here

Career highlights

Laser cataract surgery

  • Produced a virtual textbook on laser cataract surgery – one of the first instruction manuals to describe the technique
  • Part of an international team that showed that laser cataract surgery is safer than traditional cataract surgery
  • Part of the original team showing the benefit of correcting low amounts of astigmatism during cataract surgery
  • Published a paper validating the safety benchmark of laser assisted cataract surgery and manual conventional cataract surgery

Other professional achievements

  • Regular contributor to the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons annual meetings
  • Published papers and presented lectures on toric and multifocal intraocular lenses
  • Reviewer of articles for the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Journal of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology and Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology
  • Presents audits of lid cancer management at RANZCO meetings to ensure optimal patient care

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) leadership

  • Victorian Branch Committee member 2012–2022
  • Treasurer of the Victorian Branch 2015–2022
  • One of the councillors representing the Victorian Ophthalmologist at Federal Council 2016–2021

Dr Levitz presenting at the AUSCRS meeting in Uluru, 2013.
Dr Levitz presenting at the AUSCRS meeting in Hamilton Island, 2017.

Professional memberships

  • American Society of Cataract and Refractive surgery
  • Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
  • College of Medicine of South Africa
  • Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
  • Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Awards

  • Muthusamy medal for outstanding achievement, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1999/2000)
  • Design Excellence Award from the South African Bureau of Standards – awarded to the consortium who developed the South African orbital implant (2007)
  • Helen Keller Poster Award, International Society of Ocular Trauma (ISOT), Rome Congress (2006)
  • Elie Dahan Ophthalmic Surgical Prize for Registrar of the Year (1999)
  • Stortz (Bausch and Lomb) Achievement Award (1999)
  • Tetje Patterson Bequest for Ophthalmic Research (1998)

Education & training

  • Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBCh), University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
  • Master of Medicine (MMed), University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
  • Ophthalmology training, Johannesburg Hospital teaching circuit, South Africa
  • Fellowship in oculoplastic surgery, University Hospital of Wales, UK

Research & publications

Dr Levitz has been involved in a range of research projects investigating cataract surgery outcomes, intraocular lens technology, glaucoma and eye trauma.

Dr Levitz has presented multiple papers and lectures on the incidence, management and cause of cystoid macular edema (CME). His letter to the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery was the first to suggest no difference between the rate of CME in patients undergoing laser cataract surgery and manual blade cataract surgery.

Dr Levitz is part of the team that published the first papers on low (less than 0.7D) diopter of astigmatism correction with an Alcon intraocular lens. He is also part of the team that published the first paper on the Panoptix trifocal lens.

Publications Congress posters and lectures
Read more publications
  • Unusual presentation of a glass foreign body in the eye

    Levitz LM. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology (RANZCO) Annual Scientific Branch Meeting, Melbourne, March 2023.
  • Lid mass differentiation and lid surgery: A refresher course

    Levitz LM. Australian College of Optometry, Webinar, September 2022.
  • Differentiating the important from the mundane: a look at lid and adnexal pathology

    Levitz LM. Specsavers Congress, 11 September 2022.
  • To ring or not to ring, the role of capsular tension rings and capsular hooks in difficult cataract cases

    Levitz LM. Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Virtual Conference (invited speaker), 23 October 2021.
  • The Vivity versus the PanOptix lens: Single surgeon review of visual acuity and refractive outcomes

    Levitz LM. Australia Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Meeting, Noosa, September 2021.
  • Is there a role for laser cataract surgery in 2021?

    Levitz LM. Victorian RANZCO Branch Meeting (speaker), Melbourne, 27 March 2021.
  • When to treat, when to refer and how to recognise potential life- or sight-threatening conditions

    Levitz LM. Australian College of Optometry 10th Annual Conference (invited speaker), Melbourne, 6 October 2019.
  • Cataract surgery and cystoid macular edema: the evidence base explored

    Levitz LM. Orion Meeting (invited speaker). Sydney, 29 June 2019.
  • Femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery: an evidence based approach

    Levitz LM. Orion Meeting (invited speaker), Sydney, 29 June 2019.
  • Evidence based cataract surgery and LenSx

    Levitz LM. Focus Symposium (invited speaker), Sydney, 6 April 2019.
  • Incidence and progression of pseudophakic cystoid macular oedema following femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery

    Lim C, Levitz LM, Hodge C. Poster presented at Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Congress, Adelaide, November 2018.
  • Eye health. Serious conditions and emergencies.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the General Practice Conference and Exhibition, Melbourne, November 2018.
  • What are the current thoughts on macular edema and why are they so contentious?

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australasian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Conference, Noosa, October 2018.
  • Cataract surgery: Current state of play – What are we still debating about?

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australasian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Conference, Noosa, October 2018.
  • The cost of safety

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australian and New Zealand LenSx users meeting, Sydney, November 2017.
  • How low should you go in managing small levels of astigmatism?

    Levitz LM. Lecture to registrars at the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeon Congress, Hamilton Island, August 2017.
  • Pseudophakic Cystoid Macular Oedema and NSAID-Separating truth from “alternative” truth.

    Levitz LM, Lim C. Presentation at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Victorian Meeting, Melbourne, 2017.
  • Sclerosing (Morphoeic) basal cell carcinoma incidence and management in a suburban practice.

    Levitz LM. Audit presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Congress, Melbourne, 2016.
  • Reaction times and faith in femtosecond laser cataract surgery.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Congress, Port Douglas, 2016.
  • Cystoid macular edema, separating fact from fiction.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the SynergEYES Congress, Sydney, 2016.
  • Unusual presentation of an Uniocular non-Hodgkins B Cell Lymphoma in a young man.

    Riad H, Levitz L, Su C. Lecture presented by H Riad at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Victorian Meeting, 2016.
  • Cystoid macular edema in laser cataract surgery.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Congress, Noosa, 2015.
  • Clinical features and histopathological analysis of primary orbital amyloidosis – a case report.

    Batcha A, Osman E, Abrez H, Levitz L, Newland L. Lecture presented in Wellington, New Zealand, 2015.
  • Recurrence rates of basal cell carcinoma of the lids in a general Melbourne Ophthalmic Practice.

    Levitz LM. Presentation at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Congress, Wellington, New Zealand, 2015.
  • How low should you go in correcting astigmatism?

    Levitz LM. Presentation at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Congress, Melbourne, 2014.
  • Docking Dillemas.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australia and New Zealand LenSx Users meeting, Sydney, 2014.
  • Transitioning to femtosecond cataract surgery: Tips and Pearls.

    Levitz LM. Presentation at the Australia and New Zealand LenSx Users meeting, Auckland, New Zealand, 2013.
  • Approach to lower lid skin tumours.

    Levitz LM. Presentation at the Australasian College of Cutaneous Oncology meeting, Melbourne, 2013.
  • Approach to upper lid skin tumours.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australasian College of Cutaneous Oncology meeting, Melbourne, 2013.
  • Seven steps to confident LenSx laser cataract surgery.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Congress, Uluru, 2013.
  • Shallow anterior chamber and LenSx.

    Levitz LM. Presentation at the inaugural Australian and New Zealand LenSx Users meeting, Sydney, 2013.
  • Latest trends in the management of Astigmatism.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Optimising Cataract Surgery Outcomes meeting, Auckland, New Zealand, 2013.
  • The advantage in using low powered diffractive apodised multifocal intraocular lenses.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Congress, Queenstown, New Zealand, 2012.
  • The lacrimal system and tumours medial to the pupil.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australasian Skin Cancer Congress, Gold Coast, 2010.
  • Ectropion.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australasian Skin Cancer Congress, Gold Coast, 2009.
  • Ocular Melanoma update.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australasian Skin Cancer Congress, Gold Coast, 2009.
  • Approach to Eyelid Tumours.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australasian Skin Cancer Congress, Gold Coast, 2008.
  • Liquid Nitrogen burn to the eye.

    Levitz LM et al. (co-author). Poster presented at the International Society of Ocular Trauma Congress, Rome, 2006.
  • A New Hydroxyapatite Orbital Implant.

    Levitz LM et al. (main author). Poster presented at the International Society of Ocular Trauma Congress, Rome, 2006.
  • Eyeborn Orbital Implant.

    Levitz LM. Presentation at the South Western Ophthalmological Society meeting, Bristol, United Kingdom, 2005.
  • Hydroxyapatite Orbital implants.

    Levitz LM. Workshop presented at the Ophthalmological Society of Southern Africa, Sun City, South Africa, 2004.
  • Latrogenic Cyanoacrylate ocular injuries.

    Levitz LM et al. (co-author). Poster presented at the International Society of Ocular Trauma Congress, Sopron, Hungary 2003.
  • Ostrich injuries to the eye.

    Levitz LM. Poster presented at the International Society of Ocular Trauma Congress, Sopron, Hungary 2003.
  • Piggy-back Orbital Implant.

    Levitz LM. Poster presented at the Ophthalmological Society of Southern Africa Congress, Royal Swazi Sun Valley, Swaziland 2000.
  • Sjambok whip injuries of the eye.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Ophthalmological Society of Southern Africa Congress, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe 1998.
  • Presentation of Ocular Firework Injuries.

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Ophthalmological Society of Southern Africa Congress, Bloemfontein, South Africa, 1997.
  • The Vivity versus the PanOptix lens: Single surgeon review of visual acuity and refractive outcomes

    Levitz LM. Lecture presented at the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Conference, Noosa, 2021.

Affiliations

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