Research interests

Professor Efron’s current research involves an investigation of novel non-invasive ophthalmic markers of diabetic neuropathy. Specifically, he monitors deterioration and regeneration of the structure and function of nerve fibres in the cornea and retina of diabetic patients suffering from neuropathy, by using state-of-the-art ophthalmic technology such as

• corneal confocal microscopy
• non-contact corneal aesthesiometry
• optical coherence tomography
• flicker-field perimetry.

Research highlights

Anterior Eye Laboratory

Grants

At QUT, Professor Efron has received funding from:

• the National Health and Medical Research Council
• the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
• the George Weaber Foundation Trust.

Awards

Professor Efron has won a number of prestigious awards, including:

• 1997: the Optician journal’s ‘Contribution to Optics’ award (UK)
• 2001: the Gold Medal of the British Contact Lens Association (UK)
• 2003: the Max Schapero Award (USA).

Publications

He lectures extensively world-wide, particularly in the field of the ocular response to contact lens wear. He has published over 650 scientific papers, abstracts and textbook chapters, and has written/edited 9 books — his most recent being Optometry A-Z (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007).

Articles about Professor Efron

• Efron Profile (PDF, 52KB) (Reproduced with permission Clinical and Experimental Optometry 2005; 88: 6: 430-433)
• Efron the Entertainer (PDF, 745KB) (Reproduced with permission Optician 2006; 6034(231): 19-20)
• Efron the Book Author (PDF, 1.45MB) (Reproduced with permission Optician 2002; 5869(224): 14-15)
• Efron the Debater (PDF, 625KB) (Reproduced with permission Optometry Today 2008; 48(22): 20-21)
• Efron the Academic (PDF, 1.1MB) (Reproduced with permission Ver y Oir 2008; 25(230): 562-565)

Background

Professor Efron completed his Bachelor of Science (Optometry) and PhD at the University of Melbourne in 1981, and after two years of post-doctoral studies in Berkeley, USA and UNSW, he returned to Melbourne as lecturer, then senior lecturer responsible for contact lens education.

In 1990, he:

• took up the foundation Chair of Clinical Optometry at the University of Manchester, England
• established a contact lens research and consultancy unit known as Eurolens Research.

University of Manchester

• 1992 – 1997: Head of Department
• 1995: admitted to the degree of Doctor of Science.
• 2001 – 2004: Dean of Research

Professor Efron returned to Australia in 2006 and joined the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and the School of Optometry at QUT as Research Professor.