Corneal Fellowship

The corneal department has two consultants and two pre-consultant fellowship training posts.

The unit provides a comprehensive fellowship training curriculum covering all aspects of both adult and paediatric external diseases, keratoplasty (including high risk, femtosecond and lamellar), keratoprosthesis, and ocular surface reconstructive surgery (stem cell allografts and autografts, amniotic membrane), keratoconus management (collagen crosslinking, DALK, Femtosecond Intacs, toric phakic lenses) and Refractive (LASIK, PRK, PTK).

Educational purpose of training and intended goals

• To improve diagnostic skills, decision making process and surgical acumen of participants in the areas of cornea, external diseases and refractive surgery. A strong emphasis is placed on understanding of the disease process from the basic science/cellular level.
• To influence candidates to consider a career in academic medicine specializing in cornea, external diseases and refractive surgery.
• The fellowship programme includes the diagnosis and medical management of diseases of the lids, conjunctiva, cornea/sclera and anterior ocular segment, as well as recognition and treatment of posterior segment disease that may affect the anterior segment. Surgery of the conjunctiva, cornea/sclera, anterior segment, lens, and anterior vitreous, with special emphasis on corneal transplantation and related procedures in adults and children. Principles and practice of keratorefractive surgery. Principles of contact lens fitting and management of complications of contact lens wear.

Basic curriculum overview

Clinical and research components

Fellows train in both medical and surgical aspects of corneal disease and refractive surgery.

Fellows also involve themselves in many of the research projects conducted by our clinical and laboratory science faculty. This allows fellows to further enhance their knowledge of eye diseases and of newly developed clinical and surgical treatments.

Participant’s supervisory and patient care responsibilities

The fellows will be responsible for the examination and treatment of all cornea patients at the Corneo Plastic unit, both outpatients and inpatients, under the supervision of the corneal consultants.

Didactic components

Fellows are asked to provide interesting cases for discussion at teaching conferences on Thursday mornings and to give lectures and journal club conference.

Evaluation

Fellows are continuously informally assessed and given feedback. Every six months, each fellow is evaluated on medical and surgical skills, administrative duties, relationships with staff and patients, research and teaching at a formal appraisal.

Full curriculum

Private: Mr Samer Hamada

Specialist interests: Management of adult and children’s corneal disease, corneal transplantation (graft) in adults and children, complex corneal and anterior segment surgery; stem cells transplantation; cataract surgery; glaucoma surgery; primary and secondary intraocular lenses implantation including special intraocular lenses, and laser eye surgery.

Mr Samer Hamada is a highly trained and experienced corneal surgeon with 18 years’ experience in ophthalmology both in the UK and internationally. He has completed cornea and anterior segment fellowships at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre, Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary, and QVH’s Corneoplastic Unit and Eye Bank. He also completed a fellowship in paediatric ophthalmology at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.

Mr Hamada devotes a lot of time to developing new innovations for managing patients with cornea and ocular surface diseases. He has special interest in managing corneal problems in children including corneal transplantation for babies born with congenital eye diseases and looked after babies and children with complex cornea and ocular surface diseases at Great Ormond Street before joining QVH.

Mr Hamada regularly lectures at international conferences and teaches new techniques in corneal transplant surgery to international colleagues. His articles have been published in many peer-reviewed journals and he has written many book chapters on cornea and cataract. He has chosen as a reviewer for several renowned ophthalmology journals including the American Journal of Ophthalmology and British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Mr Hamada is respected and liked by his patients and colleagues who praise him for his professionalism, expertise, and kindness.