Vision Centre Day Surgery

Dr Welch completed his postgraduate studies in ophthalmology and vitreoretina sub-specialty at the world-renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine in Florida, USA.

ubsequently, he devoted a year to consulting and lecturing in ophthalmology at the University of Auckland’s School of Medicine.

Dr Welch’s interest in refractive surgery saw him gain his C-LASIK diploma in 1996. He was a pioneer of phacoemulsification IOL and vitreoretinal surgery on the Gold Coast. He was also the first local surgeon to use Botox treatment to relieve facial spasms.

Dr Welch is a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Surgeons and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO). He is also a fellow of the Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. He is also a member of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society and an associate member of the Oceania Retina Association.

Dr Welch has served as a Visiting Consultant at Greenslopes Private Hospital in Brisbane, and at the Gold Coast Hospital where he has been President of the Visiting Medical Officers Association. Dr Welch has also been a Founding Director of the Gold Coast’s Pindara Day Procedure Centre and a member of the Pindara Hospital Medical Board of Advice.

Since 1996, when he founded the Moree Eye Service, Dr Welch has provided a regular service to the Moree area, operating on a surgical bus, and now provides eye surgery through the Moree Base Hospital. Since 2007, he has been a consultant to the Pius X Aboriginal Health Care Corporation at Moree.

Dr Welch is an active presenter at Society and College meetings. He is active in registrar and medical student teaching for local Universities.

Dr Theron performs lid procedures for excess skin (blepharoplasty) and for in-turned eyelids (entropion) and out-turned eyelids (ectropion). He also performs minor lid procedures.

Dr Theron is skilled in providing intravitreal injections for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and vein occlusions both in-rooms and in-theatre. He has a keen interest in neuro-ophthalmology.

Dr Theron completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1988.
After completing his time as an intern and medical officer, he began his national service in the South African Defence Force as a lieutenant and medical officer in 32 Battalion (The Buffalo Battalion). He served the soldiers and local civilians and became familiar with the injuries of war gaining, much general medical experience.

Dr Theron started his registrar training at the University of Natal, Durban, where he completed his Master’s Degree in Ophthalmology, as well as his Fellowship of the South African College of Surgeons (Ophthalmology) examinations. During this time, as a consultant, he was involved at a state level in developing outreach programs in rural, under privileged communities for cataract surgery and eye care.

His dissertation for his Masters involved research into the impact of Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus on the eye in HIV positive patients and its correlation to CD4 and CD8 cell counts. He also performed research in areas regarding antimetabolite use in glaucoma surgery.

Dr Theron was awarded a scholarship to complete a Master’s Degree in Ophthalmology at the University College of London. This did not come to pass however, as he moved to Australia when he was offered a position at the Gold Coast Hospital in 1998. This was an area of need and was under-serviced.

Through his efforts, a formal Department of Ophthalmology was established which was accredited for the training of ophthalmology registrars. This department and its registrar training continues today and has expanded significantly since then.

Dr Theron was a site investigator for the multinational FIELD and DIRECT diabetes studies. In 2002, he became a Senior Registrar at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, where he completed a General Ophthalmology Fellowship and his Australian exams (FRANZCO).

Dr Theron then returned to the Gold Coast Hospital and worked as a full-time specialist until becoming a Visiting Medical Officer when he joined the Vision Centre. He has worked for many years in Moree, New South Wales, as part of the Vision Centre Rural Outreach Service.

Dr Theron is still involved with teaching students both from Bond and Griffith Universities, and is in practice at both the Vision Centre in Southport and at the Vision Centre Robina offices.

She completed her ophthalmology training in Queensland, working across several major tertiary hospitals in Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Cairns.

Dr Neha Sharma completed her undergraduate medical degree at the University of Adelaide, where she spent her junior doctor years, before returning home to Queensland. She is involved in outreach ophthalmology clinics, both within Australia and internationally.

Currently, Neha practices publicly at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) and Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) in Brisbane, where she is involved in the teaching and supervision of medical students, junior doctors, and ophthalmology trainees.

Dr Vu’s other areas of expertise include excision and reconstruction of periocular eyelid tumours, thyroid eye disease, tear duct surgery including endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomies (bypassing blockages in the tear drainage system), and orbital surgery.

Following Dr Vu’s graduation from the University of Queensland in 1991, he completed a residence at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and was the eye registrar at the Gold Coast, Newcastle and Brisbane hospitals.

In 2003, Dr Vu completed a clinical fellowship at Exeter. Subsequently, he completed an oculoplastic and reconstructive fellowship at the Queen’s Medical Centre (University of Nottingham) in 2004, and an orbital fellowship at the Academic Medical Centre (University of Amsterdam) in 2005.