Mr Rupert Bourne
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon specialising in glaucoma care and cataract surgery
FRCOphth BSc MD
"Spire Cambridge Lea offers excellent outpatient and operative facilities and is easily accessible. Its professional staff and supportive atmosphere for staff and patients is the reason I work there."
Specialises in
I am Professor of Ophthalmology and Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Cambridge University Hospital, where I direct the Cambridge Eye Research Centre. I trained at Moorfields Eye Hospital and undertook two Glaucoma fellowships, one there and another at the Shiley Eye Centre/Hamilton Glaucoma Center in San Diego, California.
I specialise in the care of patients with glaucoma or at risk of glaucoma. I am also an experienced cataract surgeon, particularly in more challenging cases that often co-exist in patients with glaucoma. I have more than 15 years experience as a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and utilise the most advanced diagnostic instruments for glaucoma detection and monitoring. I am part of the Faculty of the World Glaucoma Association and as such, am involved in developing glaucoma care guidelines internationally. This gives me insight into the best evidence-based approaches to eye care and treatments that may include phatmaceutical agents, laser treatments, Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgeries and glaucoma implant devices (commonly called 'tubes').
To date, I have performed many thousands of cataract surgeries. My NHS practice involves more complicated and challenging cases of cataract and I utilise these skills across the range of cataract operative complexity. I have also performed thousands of laser procedures and more than a thousand trabeculectomy procedures (the most common invasive glaucoma surgery). I have experience of performing the novel Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery techniques such as iStent and Xen implant and shortly the Preserflo device.
I am the Clinical Lead of the Glaucoma Service at Addenbrooke's Hospital (Cambridge University Hospital).
I have a strong research interest, particularly in advanced techniques of Glaucoma diagnosis and progression and the management of Glaucoma in the community, along with overseas ophthalmology which has involved design and analysis of several large population-based surveys of eye disease, several national in scope, eg. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Trinidad. I am the Chair of the National Institute for Health Research Ophthalmology Specialty Group, responsible for NHS research delivery. I lead the Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study.
In addition to my clinical work I am proud to be Professor of Ophthalmology at Anglia Ruskin University, since 2007. I run a research group at the Vision and Eye Research Institute there and for several years have been the most highly cited researcher at the university. In 2016 and in 2020, I was awarded the Vice Chancellor's Award for Research Exellence and Innovation.
My international work as lead for the Vision Loss Expert Group has involved the coordination of this group of more than 100 ophthalmologists and optometrists with an interest in eye disease at population level. This is the World's foremost independent epidemiology reference group for eye disease and our Global Vision Database has for 13 years been providing the global estimates for vision impairment and blindness, used by the World Health Organization and other agencies. In 2020, I was awarded the Vision Excellence Award by the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness in recognition of my work.
Treatment information
Some of the principal treatments carried out by Mr Rupert Bourne at Spire include:
Ophthalmology
- Cataract removal surgery
- Eyelid cyst surgery
- Laser eye treatment (yag laser capsulotomy)
- Refractive lens exchange surgery
Other treatments
- Glaucoma surgery - laser
- Glaucoma implant devices
- Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery
- Trabeculectomy
Get in touch
Important information about Covid-19 tests
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital is only able to provide Covid-19 tests to patients undergoing surgery at our hospital. Covid-19 testing or antibody tests are not available as a standalone service.
Additional information
Clinical interests
Corneal and external eye disease
Glaucoma treatment
Qualification and professional memberships
MB BS, BSc, FRCOphth, MD / University of London / 1994
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. Bachelor of Science, Fellow Royal College Ophthalmologists
MBBS is a degree given to physicians at the basis of their training’. MD is a postgraduate degree (glaucoma)
Professional memberships
Fellow of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists
Medical Defence Union
The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
Member of European Glaucoma Society and UK and Eire Glaucoma Society
Member of Grant Assessment Panel for Fight for Sight
Professional leadership
National Specialty Lead for NIHR Ophthalmology Clinical Research Network
World Health Organization: Technical Working Group member
Professor of Ophthalmology, Vision and Eye Research Institute (VERI), Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), Cambridge, UK
Research and publications
Invited reviewer for 10 other journals including: British Medical Journal, Acta Scandinavica Ophthalmologica, Ophthalmic Epidemiology, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Eye, American Journal of Ophthalmology, Public Library of Science (Academic Editor), British Journal of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmic Physiol Opt
Articles
I am Associate Editor for the journal 'Eye' (Nature journals), & review for several others
My research metrics: 61,783 citations since 2015, h index 65, Published >160 papers. Between 2015 and 2020, I published 81 papers in international peer-reviewed journals, eg Jonas J, Aung T, Bourne R, et al. Glaucoma. Lancet 2017;390(10108):2183–2193, Bourne et al.. Trends in prevalence of blindness, Global Burden of Disease Study, Lancet Glob Health Dec 2020
Current NHS posts
Cambridge University Hospital (Addenbrooke's). Also Professor of Ophthalmology at Vision & Eye Research Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.
Contact information
| Telephone | 01223 266990 |
| Website | http://www.rupertbourne.co.uk |
| Private secretary | Julie Wright |
| Private secretary telephone | 07854188732 |
| Private secretary email | eyesecretary.cpm@gmail.com |