Through the Eyes of a Child

Lola Solebo is a scientist and paediatric ophthalmic surgeon. Her interest is in how we predict, and what decides outcomes for children with blinding eye diseases, and how we use this information to best help affected children. Her PhD involved a longitudinal cohort study (watching for outcomes over a period of time for a defined group) on children affected by one of the most important causes of childhood blindness: cataract. Study findings have changed clinical practice and impacted on national policy. She is about to start another study to examine how best we measure disease, and how best we use this information, for another important, rare, blinding childhood eye disease: uveitis. The work is supported by a prestigious National Institute of Health Research Clinician Scientist award, and a national clinical collaborative group she has co-founded, the Paediatric Ocular Inflammation Group. It's also supported by the affected children and their families, who have helped her every step of the way. Lola is also (alongside her partner, Mark) a parent to two girls, aged 4 and 5, who when asked what mummy does says 'She fixes children's eyes'.