David (Ted) Garway-Heath
The Power List 2019 – Mentors
David (Ted) Garway-Heath
IGA Professor of Ophthalmology for Glaucoma and Allied Studies, Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
Who have been your mentors?
Many people have influenced my way of thinking and have guided me, but I’m particularly grateful to Roger Hitchings and Michael Miller, my mentors in the Glaucoma Service at Moorfields, and to George Spaeth for his wisdom and friendship.
What was the luckiest break of your career?
My luckiest break happened when, as a junior ophthalmologist at Moorfields, I obtained a research fellow position with Roger Hitchings, at a time when quantitative imaging devices were just entering clinical practice.
What would be a piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
The advice I would give to my younger self is to seek a primary mentor who will find the time to understand your strengths and weaknesses, share their experience, guide you to prioritize your ambitions, and advise you not to take on too much! I would also advise them to listen and respectfully evaluate all advice, whoever it comes from, as one can always learn from others.
What’s the best part of being an ophthalmologist?
It is being able to make a difference to patients’ quality of life, by improving vision if possible, preventing visual impairment, or reducing anxiety about losing vision.
