Old Novo Eye Surgeons

Left to right: Graham Kirkby (60-70), Alistair Laidlaw (74-80), David Cottrell (60-70) and David Steel (79-84) Below: Craig Goldsmith (84-92)

Four ON members of the British and Eire Association of Vitreo-Retinal Surgeons (BEAVRS) were present at its annual scientific meeting recently in Canterbury. Another, Craig Goldsmith, was unable to attend the dinner and is pictured separately.

Vitreo-retinal surgery is a fascinating subject that involves microsurgical procedures on the inside of the back of the eye to treat conditions such as retinal detachment, severe eye trauma and the later stages of the effects of diabetes on the eye (photos and diagram). Many of the conditions would cause blindness if left untreated. Operations are done mostly under local anaesthetic. (The patient is awake but the eye is numb).

Vitreo-retinal (VR) surgery is a subspeciality of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmologists are qualified doctors that specialise in the medical and surgical management of eye diseases. Optometrists/Opticians are different: they are not medically qualified and largely prescribe spectacles and contact lenses. The commonest operation in the UK is cataract extraction (removal of the misty lens of the eye) with around 350,000 procedures annually. There are only 1135 Consultant Ophthalmologists in the UK and of these about 110 are Vitreo-retinal specialists, so it is truly remarkable that five of these are ONs.

Pictured, from left to right, are:

Graham(AKA Reg) Kirkby (60-70) I qualified in Medicine at Newcastle University in 1975 and after junior posts in Newcastle joined the RAF as a medical officer serving in the UK and Germany. After five years, I re-joined the NHS and did more ophthalmic training in London and Leeds before being appointed as a Consultant at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital, in Birmingham, in1986. I was at the first meeting of BEAVRS in 1986 when there were only about 12VR surgeons in the UK. As someone who could never be described as particularly academic at school, I have rather surprised myself by managing to publish 55 papers (one collaboratively with Alistair, see below) in peer reviewed journals and even a chapter in a textbook. I am currently Vice President of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and Chair of the Professional Standards committee.

I married Vivienne (nee Dalzell, ex Church High) in 1975 and we have

two sons: Mark 34, an Accountant and Alistair 32, a Dentist. We also have two lovely grandchildren. We still visit the North East regularly as we have a cottage near Embleton on the coast. We keep in touch with Alan Suggett (64-70) and Roger Smith (57-67). Roger is also an Ophthalmologist, in Carlisle. I will be retiring in May 2012 and, though we will continue to live in Birmingham, I am looking forward to playing more (uninspiring) golf at Bamburgh, where I am a member.

Alistair Laidlaw (74-80) I studied medicine at Newcastle University between 1980 and 1985. My ophthalmology training was initially in Newcastle for two years, where I worked for David Cottrell. Following this I trained in Bristol for six years which included a research higher degree. My training continued with three years at Moorfields Eye Hospital where I learned retinal surgery. In 1998 I was appointed as Consultant Vitreo Retinal Surgeon at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

I also have an academic bent expressed through ongoing clinical research and am involved in Medical Politics as Honorary Secretary of the British and Eire Vitreo Retinal Society. Retinal surgery is a small world and I’m pleased to number Graham Kirkby and Davids Steel and Cottrell among my professional friends. Graham and I have jointly published the world’s biggest series of a very rare eye condition, a study conceived in the bar at a research conference to which we were both invited in 2002. One of the highlights of the most recent meeting of that research group was being guided round the slopes of Wengen by David Steel: three of the approximately seventy invited members of that international Society are ONs!

I married Fiona in 1987, we have two children: Ben is now 20 and in his final year of Physics at Bristol and Claire aged 18 is hoping to study medicine after A levels.

Fiona’s sister is married to my RGS sixth form Physics and Chemistry classmate Ian Reed (88-90) with

David G Cottrell (60-70) I went to OxfordUniversity – BA (Physiological Sciences) First class honours 1974, and then qualified in Medicine at NewcastleUniversity in 1977. I trained in ophthalmology in Sheffield, Sunderland and Newcastle and was appointed as Consultant Ophthalmologist at Newcastle GeneralHospital then RVI, 1984 onwards. I Trained in Vitreo-retinal surgery in 1987 and was later President of the North of England Ophthalmological Society in 1999. I was also Vice-President and Chairman of Education, Royal College of Ophthalmologists, 2005-9 and for ten years have chaired the subcommittee there which has rewritten the training curriculum in a modern, web-based format.

I am a veteran of 26 Great North Runs between 1983 and 2011 (times between 1.34 and 2.18) – not bad for someone who was lousy at sport at school!

I married Sheila in 1981 and we have three sons (Jonathan, 28, doing a PhD in philosophy in New York, Thomas, 25, doing a PhD in pure maths in Sheffield, and Jack, 19, in the first year of a history degree at Oxford. Dare I say it, they all went to the local comprehensive school and yet each got four A grades at A-level (but I’m sure they benefited by proxy from my time at RGS!) I recently started coming to ONA dinners in Newcastle and find them great fun.

I’m really lucky as I can’t think of a better career than being a retinal surgeon! – but it’s hard work so I am looking forward to retiring in the next couple of years.

David Steel (79-84) I studied medicine at Newcastle from 1984-89 and then trained in Ophthalmology at Sunderland, Newcastle, Bristol and Melbourne. I was appointed as a Consultant Vitreoretinal surgeon at Sunderland Eye infirmary in 1999 and am also a Senior Lecturer in Retinal Regeneration at the Institute of Genetic Medicine at the Centre for Life, Newcastle. I am a board member and revalidation lead for the British and Eire Association of Vitreo Retinal Surgeons and meet up with my fellow “Vitreo-retinal Novocastrians” at the legendary annual meetings each year . I live with my wife Claire, son Ben (15) and daughter Rachael (17) in Northumberland where we enjoy running, walking, mountain biking and sea kayaking. I am no longer pole vaulting, which I did at School, but have attended the English schools cross country championships with my daughter Rachael on several occasions where we’ve seen Paul Ponton (PE teacher during my time at school) marshalling the course –he looked exactly as I remember him 27 years ago!

Craig Goldsmith (84 -92) I was extremely lucky to follow my brother, Paul, into the RGS, being inspired by the shiny looking textbooks and multiple rugby pitches. My years there set me up nicely for medical school at Cambridge, despite my overwhelming desire to study English. Not sure what went wrong there. I’ve actually just been looking at my school reports, which feature quotes such as “medicine may be too much for him” and “not Oxbridge material”.

After Cambridge I spent my junior doctor years in East Anglia, with a year of A&E and medicine back in Newcastle, before heading back south to train in ophthalmology. I have been a consultant VR surgeon in Norfolk now for five years, still very much on the learning curve which started when Headmaster Alister Cox gave me that RGS assisted-place.

I am married to Ailsa, a GP, and have three children – Lara (5) and twin boys Toby and James (4). I still run with great enthusiasm, if not speed, but miss the hills of the North East and my daily run around the Town Moor that I used to do throughout Sixth Form, emboldened by the legendary Gerry Keating.