Vision Centre
Professor Lawrence Hirst
Professor Lawrence Hirst's clinical achievements are well known and include corneoscleral grafts
for patients with severe infections of the front of the eye; a new method for removal of pterygium which has
resulted in only few recurrences and a good cosmetic appearance; and new techniques for the application of tissue
adhesives in perforated eyes that have saved eyes in elderly patients who previously would have lost their eyes
because of infection.
Graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland in 1969 with first class
honours, Professor Hirst undertook a clinical fellowship in cornea and external disease at Johns Hopkins Hospital,
Baltimore, USA, during 1976-77. Following this he was assistant director of the corneal service at the Johns
Hopkins Hospital for five years and then the director of the corneal service at the Bethesda Eye Institute, St
Louis University for three years.
He returned to Australia in 1986 as chair and executive director of the Queensland division of
Australian Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness (now the Prevent Blindness Foundation) and has devoted his
practice entirely to anterior segment diseases and surgery.
Professor Hirst has written a personal note for this website:
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P.E.R.F.E.C.T. for PTERYGIUM®
For the past
20 years corneal transplantation has been my main clinical practise. However,
during the same 20 years one of my major research projects has been pterygium with
a special emphasis on designing an effective and safe surgery.
As of the 1st January 2009, I have stopped all surgery apart from surgery for
pterygium.
I believe that I am the first corneal surgeon in Australia
to restrict their practise exclusively to the treatment of pterygium. Although this
may seem strange to some, in fact, it is just an extension of my 20 years research
into the treatment of pterygium.
In October 2008, Ophthalmology published my first series on
P.E.R.F.E.C.T.
for
PTERYGIUM® in 250 primary
pterygia¹. This peer-reviewed article in one of the premier journals for clinical
ophthalmology, supports my continued enthusiasm for this procedure.
In July 2009, Ophthalmology published my series on P.E.R.F.E.C.T. for
PTERYGIUM® in 111 recurrent pterygia2. This peer-reviewed article
demonstrates that not only does this technique work equally well for the
troublesome problem of recurrence but also results in an excellent cosmetic
appearance.
With an
increasing demand for this surgery by referral sources and patients, it was a
natural extension to focus on this area of surgery which I have pioneered.
I am happy to offer this surgery to your patients in the knowledge that it produces
the very lowest (by a large margin) recurrence rate in the world's literature.
In the largest
single surgeon prospective series in the history of pterygium surgery, of 1000
consecutive pterygium removals, there has been one true recurrence (0.1%) which is
by far the lowest recurrence rate in the world’s literature.
The cosmetic
appearance of the eyes after this surgery is usually so good that patients forget
which eye had the surgery and most eyes look as though they have had no surgery a
normal eye. Because of this, I am now prepared to remove pterygia, if the patient's
principal concern is about their appearance.
However, all patients must be aware that to achieve this result of close to no
recurrence, and a good cosmetic result, major surgery is required and that there
will be some post-operative pain and transient diplopia, and I will need to see
them for one year of follow-up.
Please call my
office on (07) 3010
3360 if you would
like to schedule an appointment for a patient or receive some patient information
brochures. I also work at the Vision Centre, Nerang Street, Southport but
appointments are still made through the phone number above. If surgery is required,
I operate at the Vision Centre as well as in Brisbane.
1. Hirst L W. Prospective Study of Primary Pterygium Surgery using Pterygium
Extended Removal Followed by Extended Conjunctival Transplantation. Ophthalmology
2008;115(10): 1663-1672.
2. Hirst L W.
Recurrent Pterygium Surgery Using Pterygium Extended Removal Followed by Extended
Conjunctival Transplant: Recurrence Rate and Cosmesis. Ophthalmology 2009;116:
1278-1286.
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