The Louisa Wickham episode

Alongside her clinical and leadership roles, Louisa is an active researcher with a long-standing interest in retinal disease, healthcare innovation, and artificial intelligence (AI) in ophthalmology.

When speaking to Louisa for The OT Podcast, she shared her journey into ophthalmology and her early research experience in genetics, while also discussing the future of AI in healthcare, and balancing leadership with being a clinician.

Here are four things we learned about Louisa, and the work of Moorfields Private Eye Hospital, when recording The OT Podcast.

1 The best of both worlds

As a trainee doctor, Louisa struggled to decide which pathway to take: medicine or surgery... so she picked both.

“I really loved medicine, and I really loved surgery,” she said.

Louisa described how ophthalmology appealed to her as it provided the best of both disciplines: “Ophthalmology is one of those true crossover specialties.”

What is exciting for Louisa is that ophthalmology combines detective work with incredibly precise surgery.

“The surgical part of ophthalmology is really challenging; it’s really precise and it's always evolving,” she said.

2 Genetics and a gap year

During medical training, Louisa decided to take a year out to focus on research, and worked on a project investigating genetics and immunology at University College London.

While Louisa noted that the project was not directly focused on vision and the eyes, it provided her with a valuable foundation of research, something that has remained a reoccurring theme throughout her career.

“It really sparked what, for me, has been a lifelong interest in research and asking questions,” she said.

Louisa shared that, while most clinicians complete research at one stage of their career, she never really stopped and today continues to “actively participate in research.”

Currently she is investigating new approaches to treating diabetic eye disease.

“I’ve just received funding to look at diabetic retinopathy,” she shared.

Overall, Louisa sees research as a tool for asking clinical questions and developing better treatments, pathways, and standards of care.

3 The importance of patients

Louisa currently balances senior leadership responsibilities with hands-on clinical work.

“I still do two days a week of clinical practice,” she told OT, explaining: “It’s something I love.”

Louisa said that she believes maintaining direct clinical practice is important for healthcare leaders because it keeps them connected to the real-world impact of policy and organisational decisions.

She explained that working with patients allows her to observe first-hand how systems and services affect care quality.

“I think it’s a very privileged position to be a clinician,” she added.

4 Embracing change and AI

Louisa feels AI could have a big impact on healthcare and, while she acknowledges the hype, emphasised that she sees genuine potential, particularly in ophthalmology.

“I think AI will definitely transform the way in which we’re able to deliver care to larger numbers of patients in the years to come,” Louisa said, adding it’s not just about helping clinicians manage workloads, but that AI could relieve the burden of large-scale checking.

She believes AI can help clinicians manage large numbers of patients by identifying those who need urgent specialist attention while safely monitoring others.

Louisa highlighted that emerging research is already reporting that retinal scans may help identify signs of diseases such as Parkinson’s and cardiovascular disease years before symptoms appear.

Future gazing, Louisa predicts that eye scans will become part of routine health screening, enabling earlier intervention and disease prevention. However, she stressed that regulation, safety, accessibility, and patient-centred design must remain central to implementation.

5 Moorfields Private: connected to the NHS

A distinctive feature of Moorfields Private Eye Hospital is its close integration with the NHS services delivered by Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Louisa explained that private and NHS teams can collaborate on treatment developments, innovation, and patient care. They have close links with researchers, NHS clinicians, and academic partners, which supports them in translating scientific discoveries into patient treatments.

She added that clinical information can be shared appropriately between services, helping to ensure continuity of care if patients require additional support or urgent treatment, creating a connected patient experience.

“One of the big advantages of Moorfields Private is that those patients who perhaps might not be eligible to come and see us through the NHS route have access to the new innovations and treatments,” Louisa said.

She highlighted that within Moorfields Private Eye Hospital there are leading specialists across multiple subspecialties under one roof.

“Patients can be certain when they come to us that they will be able to see some of the world’s leading experts,” she added.

The OT Podcast

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