𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐫 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐒𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐂, 𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡. From her early days in Geraldton to senior leadership roles at BHP and Woodside, Dr Smyth was renowned for her exceptional intellect, integrity and commitment to advancing Western Australia’s scientific and community landscape. Her contributions extended across minerals, energy, biodiversity, and medical research, reflecting a lifetime dedicated to improving knowledge, sustainability and public health. The Lions Eye Institute was privileged to have Dr Smyth serve on our Board until her retirement in early 2024. She brought a sharp strategic mind, deep scientific understanding and a genuine passion for supporting world-class eye research and clinical advancements. Her guidance strengthened our mission and left a lasting imprint on our organisation. In recognition of her extraordinary service to Australia, Dr Smyth was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2018. On behalf of the Lions Eye Institute, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Erica’s family and friends, and we honour her life, her remarkable achievements, and her enduring impact on Western Australia and beyond. 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞, 𝐃𝐫 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐒𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐂.
About us
The Lions Eye Institute is a not-for-profit centre of excellence that combines world class scientific research into the prevention of blindness with the highest level of eye care delivery. It incorporates one of Australia’s largest ophthalmic practices, including a Day Surgery and a Laser Vision Centre. The Institute also houses the Lions Eye Bank, Lions Optics, Lions Outback Vision and the Lions Save Sight Foundation WA. The Lions Eye Institute actively participates in numerous clinical trials which enable scientists, ophthalmologists and pharmaceutical companies, both nationally and internationally, to develop new treatments for eye diseases. As a not-for-profit organisation, the Lions Eye Institute relies on community support to continue its quest to save sight.
- Website
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https://www.lei.org.au/
External link for Lions Eye Institute
- Industry
- Research Services
- Company size
- 201-500 employees
- Headquarters
- Nedlands, WA
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 1983
- Specialties
- Medical research, ophthalmology, clinical trials, and day surgery
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
2 Verdun Street
Nedlands, WA 6009, AU
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Get directions
Suite 24 Murdoch Medical Clinic
100 Murdoch Drive
Murdoch, WA 6150, AU
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Get directions
81 Yelverton Dr
Midland, Western Australia 6056, AU
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Get directions
45 Frederick St Broome WA 6725 (enter from Walcott St)
Broome, WA 6725, AU
Employees at Lions Eye Institute
Updates
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One-year-old Cooper is a cheeky, happy little baby boy who loves banging on his keyboard and listening to the Beatles. ‘A little ray of sunshine’ to his parents, Ally and Claire, who are so proud of their son. 🎄 But this Christmas, Cooper will not be able to watch in delight as the tree lights up and colourful parcels pile up underneath. He will never ‘see’ Christmas like other children can. Cooper was born blind because of an extremely rare inherited disease called Norrie disease, which primarily affects vision but could also lead to hearing loss as Cooper gets older. Your gift could help change the future for children like Cooper. 🔗 Donate now: https://lnkd.in/gFNUFTNa 🔗 Read Cooper’s full story: https://lnkd.in/gp8NtKJB #SupportSight #InheritedRetinalDisease #CoopersCrew
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Congratulations, Associate Professor Fred Chen!
AAMRI WA is pleased to welcome Adjunct Associate Professor Sandra Bellekom of Ear Science Institute Australia as its new Chair. Sandra brings significant leadership experience across Western Australia’s research community and will guide AAMRI WA’s next phase of growth - strengthening collaboration, supporting excellence, and championing the conditions needed to improve health outcomes for the State. We warmly thank Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM of The Kids Research Institute Australia for his outstanding leadership as AAMRI WA’s inaugural Chair. Jonathan played a pivotal role in establishing the WA Chapter and driving major advocacy achievements, including securing State Government support and contributing to planning for the Perth Health and Biomedical Precinct. His impact has set the foundation for long-term success. We are also pleased to welcome new representatives to the AAMRI WA Chapter Committee: - Professor Andrew Whitehouse of The Kids Research Institute Australia - Professor Moira Clay of Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research - Sarah C. of Institute for Respiratory Health - Dr Rebekah Puls of Perron Institute - Professor Fred Chen of Lions Eye Institute AAMRI WA looks forward to continuing its work with government, including Minister for Science and Innovation; Medical Research Hon Stephen Dawson MLC (as below), universities and health services to build a strong, connected and sustainable medical research sector for Western Australia. More at: https://lnkd.in/gYxZ95sr
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Professor David Mackey AO spoke with Chief Executive and Director of The Group of Eight, Vicki Thomson, about the importance of supporting sight saving research. Watch the video at https://lnkd.in/gJCS4g6W
Amazingly, exposure to sunlight can reduce the chances of kids developing myopia. But of course it’s no nearly as straight-forward as that, which is why renowned international researcher into the genetics of eye disease, Professor David Mackey AO from The University of Western Australia, put in an application for a Medical Research Future Fund grant for research that would help predict which children in Australia were at higher risk of developing the condition - and provide simple but effective mechanisms to avoid it and the serious complications that can result from it, like blindness. But his MRFF grant application was rejected. In this Debate@Go8 Mini podcast episode, Professor Mackey tells Go8 CE Vicki Thomson that the loss of this research will cost Australia much more than the cost of the MRFF grant, due to the expense of interventions that will be needed to deal with the effects of myopia on kids' eye health as they grow up. He also says that with myopia occurring in children at very different levels in different parts of the world, the loss of research into myopia in Australia could mean we fall behind in our understanding of the risk factors for children in this country. We spoke with Professor Mackey at Parliament House in Canberra earlier this month, where medical research leaders from across The Group of Eight joined Federal Member for Kooyong Dr Monique Ryan and other stakeholders to advocate for an end to the $650 million per year cap on funding from the MRFF. Since its introduction in 2022, this cap has led to the fund underspending by nearly $1 billion—a missed opportunity that could have delivered an estimated $4 billion in economic benefits and funded life-changing health projects. The Group of Eight urges the Australian Government to act now. Let the fund (projected to reach nearly $27 billion by 2028–29) do what it was created to do: support life-saving research, empower communities, and deliver the economic and social benefits that come with investing in health innovation. The cost of inaction is measured not just in missed opportunities, but in lives and futures left behind. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gwpt4chz Lions Eye Institute Lexine Stapinski Simon Craig Raina MacIntyre Georgios Karystianis Adam McKay Amanda Poprzeczny Trisha Peel Mark Butler National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) Australian Society for Medical Research Burnet Institute The George Institute for Global Health #releasethefullmrff #MedicalResearch #MRFF #mypoia #EyeHealth
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Congratulations, Dr Samuel McLenachan!
Meet Dr Samuel McLenachan, co-founder and Senior laboratory scientist of the Ocular Tissue Engineering Laboratory at the Lions Eye Institute, and a 2025 MDFA Research Grant recipient. Dr McLenachan is investigating genetic variations associated with retinal dystrophies – inherited retinal conditions that affect the retina resulting in progressive vision loss. His research focuses on using stem-cell models from people with PRPH2-associated retinal dystrophy, the third most common inherited retinal disease in Western Australia, to explore how different mutations influence the clinical features of this condition. Dr McLenachan’s work may lead to improved diagnosis and prediction of disease progression, contributing to the development of new therapies for PRPH2-associated retinal dystrophy. Read more about Dr McLenachan’s research: https://lnkd.in/gqerZhta #eyeresearch #retinaldystrophy #FightforSight #MDFA
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✨ “Imagine giving a Christmas gift that can make such a massive, life-changing difference,” said Ally, Cooper’s Dad. This Christmas, you can help shine a light on blindness caused by rare inherited diseases like Norrie disease and give families like Cooper’s answers and hope. 🎁 Donate today to support vital sight-saving research: https://lnkd.in/gFNUFTNa 🧡 Read Cooper’s full story: https://lnkd.in/gp8NtKJB #GiveHope #LionsEyeInstitute #ChristmasAppeal #CoopersCrew
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Over the weekend, a team of our researchers, led by Professor Chandra Balaratnasingam, attended a Diabetes & Health Expo organised by PDC Health Hub by Perth Diabetes Care. The event was a great opportunity to connect with members of the community impacted by diabetes and to provide education around diabetic retinopathy, which can have a debilitating effect on vision 👀 We spoke to attendees about the importance of regular diabetic retinopathy screenings, as well as lifestyle modifications that can reduce the risk of complications ✅ A huge thank you to PDC Health Hub for inviting us and to all the people who spoke to us! #DiabeticRetinopathy #PDCHealthHub #LionsEyeInstitute
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Stanford University has recognised eight Lions Eye Institute researchers among the top two per cent of scientists globally for 2025. The list identifies the world’s leading scientists whose work has made a significant impact through their research and citation influence. We are proud to acknowledge the following researchers from the Lions Eye Institute who have been included in the list : - Professor David Mackey AO - Professor Mariapia Degli-Esposti - Professor Dao-Yi Yu AM - Professor Chandra Balaratnasingam - Associate Professor Fred Chen - Professor Ian McAllister - Professor Andrew Turpin (andrew turpin) - Professor Allison McKendrick 🔗Read more at https://lnkd.in/dzgWpN-U
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👁️ Earlier this month, Dr Benjamin Host, paediatric ophthalmologist at the Lions Eye Institute spoke to the ABC, Channel 9, Channel 10 and The West Australian on retinoblastoma — a rare but serious eye cancer that affects young children. He raised awareness on early detection, which can make all the difference in saving a child’s sight and even their life. 🎥 Learn how Lions Eye Institute researchers and clinicians are working to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for families impacted by retinoblastoma. Together, we can help ensure every child has the chance to see a bright future. 💛 #WorldSightDay #RetinoblastomaAwareness #EyeHealth #LionsEyeInstitute #VisionForAll
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What a day at the Telethon Channel 7 Family Festival! 👀🎉 A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by the Lions Eye Institute booth at the Telethon7 Perth Family Festival! We loved chatting with families about eye health, sharing tips on protecting vision, and seeing so many curious young visitors try out our fun eye-themed activities. It was wonderful to be part of such a vibrant community event supporting children and families across WA. A special thank you to our volunteers, researchers and staff who made the day possible — your energy, enthusiasm and dedication helped us share the importance of eye health with the community. And of course, a big thank you to Telethon Channel 7 for your continued support in helping us advance better eye health and research for all kids in Western Australia. 💛
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