Heart over head? A selective review of a career in research

This paper supports the award of the 2024 H. Barry Collin Research medal and gives an overview of my pathway through a research career. First, I recount my early clinical and research experiences in the United Kingdom. On moving to Australia, I was engaged in clinical studies aimed at developing silicone hydrogel contact lenses. A particular research interest in this regard was to determine the causes of contact lens-induced ocular redness and to investigate the reasons why silicone hydrogel lenses are able to solve this problem. This led me to develop more accurate objective methods for assessing ocular redness, where it became apparent that redness grading is predominantly a morphometric task, rather than a colourimetric one. Other research included resolving the apparent discrepancy between ocular redness induced by hypoxia created by a gas goggle versus a contact lens; understanding end-of-day contact lens discomfort; exploring alternative contact lens designs for correcting presbyopia; developing better methods for measuring visual performance using presbyopia-correcting contact lenses; and rethinking clinical criteria for assessing dry eye. In conclusion, my career has benefitted from interaction with colleagues in academia, industry and clinical practice, as well as with my fantastic students, both past and present.