I have been a Consultant Ophthalmologist at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) since 2015. My special interests are medical retina including macular degeneration, diabetes and vein occlusion and small incision sutureless cataract surgery.

I am specialised in general ophthalmology. I am an expert in the management of macular diseases, including Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Diabetes (DMO) and Vein Occlusion (RVO) either with AntiVEGF Intravitreal injections (Avastin, Eylea or Lucentis) or steroids implant (Ozurdex or Iluvien), PDT (cold laser) or Argon (hot laser). My main surgical interest is small incision cataract phacoemulsification including multifocal lens implant. I also have experience in external eye diseases and glaucoma diagnosis and management.

I trained in Italy and completed my specialist ophthalmology training at the University Hospital of Palermo, Italy, in 2004 with first-class honours and an MD for research into Diabetic Retinopathy. I also worked in GP practices as primary care and A&E across Italy and abroad, including Africa and South America. After completing a further year in a dedicated centre for surgical and medical retina in Trapani, Italy, I moved to the UK in 2005. I worked for 10 years at Consultant-level at Kingston Hospital, contributing to the design, set up and management of one of the first AMD services in the UK and responsible for the Imaging diagnostic area. At UHS I am also the Lead for the Intravitreal Treatment Service and the Medical Retina Mobile Unit. I am Clinical Governance Lead and Appraiser.

I am the Lead for the Intravitreal treatment service and for the Medical Retina Mobile Unit. I am also The Clinical Governance Governance for Ophthalmology at the University Hospital Southampton. I am on of the appraiser of the department.

A charity project in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID), Tropical Health & Education Trust (THET) and the VISION 2020 LINKS Programme was launched in 2015 between the Coast Ophthalmology Caucus, Mombasa, Kenya and the Ophthalmology department of University Hospital Southampton with the aim to improve standards of infection prevention and control (IPC).

The Coast Caucus consists of four eye units - Lighthouse for Christ Eye Centre, Kwale District Eye Centre, Coast Provincial General Hospital and Lions Eye and Blood Centre. Reciprocal visits were carried out between 2014 and 2016. I lead the last two visits to Mombasa for the implementation of infection prevention protocols across the four hospitals. In those occasions I offered support providing cataract surgery which still represent the main cause of blindness in such underdeveloped areas.