Professor Lauren Ayton has been named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2025 Australia Day Honours List in recognition of her significant service to optometry, to ophthalmology, and to public health as a clinician and researcher.
A clinician-scientist and researcher, Prof Ayton said she was honoured and humbled by the award.1
“Research is a huge team effort, and this award is a credit to the efforts of the many teams I work with to raise the profile of eye health and find new ways to stop vision loss,” she said.
Prof Ayton currently holds dual appointments at with Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), and the University of Melbourne, and her current research focusses on inherited retinal diseases – the leading cause of blindness in working-aged adults.
At CERA she co-leads the Retinal Gene Therapy Unit and VENTURE inherited retinal diseases registry, alongside Dr Tom Edwards.
As well as pioneering clinical trials for gene therapy, her work also connects families who have a history of genetic vision loss with clinical trials for new treatments as they emerge.
She is a passionate advocate for the low vision community and holds a number of leadership positions, including on the board of UsherKids Australia, the scientific and medical advisory committee of Retina Australia, and the board of the Australian College of Optometry.
“I had a brother who was blind due to a brain injury, so efforts to restore vision are both deeply important and personal to me,” Prof Ayton said.
With advances in gene therapy and new treatments beginning to enter clinical trials, she said many people who would previously have experienced irreversible vision loss now have reason to hope.
“It is such an exciting time to be researching eye diseases, especially inherited retinal diseases.
“There is a wave of treatments on the horizon that will soon be entering clinical trials – I’m excited to be a small part of the clever and passionate teams helping lead this work.”
CERA Deputy Director Professor Robyn Guymer AM congratulated Professor Ayton on the award.
“We’re thrilled to see Professor Ayton recognised in this year’s Australia Day honours.
“She has worked tirelessly to help those with poor vision in the community, especially those with inherited retinal disease.
“We all offer our hearty congratulations.”
Reference
- Centre for Eye Research Australia, Professor Lauren Ayton named Member of the Order of Australia (media release, 26 Jan 2025). Available at cera.org.au/professor-lauren-ayton-named-member-of-the-order-of-australia [accessed 28 January 2025].
