Dr. LAI Yuk Yau Timothy 賴旭佑副教授
Honorary Clinical Associate Professor
MBBS(Sydney), MD(CUHK), MMedSc(HK), FRCS (Edin), FCOphth (HK), FHKAM (Ophth)

Biography

Dr Timothy Lai is Honorary Clinical Associate Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and is the Coordinator of the Medical Retina and Uveitis service at the Hong Kong Eye Hospital. Dr Lai graduated from the medical school of the University of Sydney and was later awarded the postgraduate Doctor of Medicine degree by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has been awarded the Li Po Chun Charitable Trust overseas training scholarship and received further training in vitreoretinal diseases in the United States. He has published more than 120 papers in international peer-reviewed journals. Dr Lai has received a number of awards including the Nakajima Award of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology in 2008 and Hong Kong’s Ten Outstanding Young Person Selection in 2008. Dr Lai serves in the editorial boards of 5 journals and is an active reviewer in more than 20 ophthalmic and visual sciences journals and 3 research grants. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Hong Kong Journal of Ophthalmology, the Regional Secretary representing Hong Kong in the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, and is an international council member representing China in the International Ocular Inflammation Society.


Research interests

  1. Medical Retina and Macular Diseases
    Main research areas include the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGF) in the treatment of various macular diseases including age-related macular degeneration, myopic choroidal neovascularization, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and central serous chorioretinopathy. Other main research areas include surgical treatment of macular hole and epiretinal membrane, and the evaluation of genetic mutations in patients with various hereditary retinal or macular diseases.

  2. Visual Electrophysiology
    Main research areas include the application of various visual electrophysiological techniques including electrooculography (EOG), full-field electroretinography (ffERG), multifocal electroretinography (mfERG), pattern electroretinography (PERG), and visual evoked potentials (VEP), in particularly the role of multifocal electroretinography in the assessment of retinal toxicity associated with different pharmacological therapies.

  3. Uveitis
    Research areas include the study of intraocular inflammation more prevalent in Chinese patients such as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, and the evaluation of genetic variations in Chinese patients with uveitis.


Representative publications

  1. Lai TY, Wong VW, Leung GM. Is ophthalmology evidence-based? A clinical audit of the emergency unit of a regional eye hospital. Br J Ophthalmol 2003;87:385-90.

  2. Lai TY, Chan WM, Lam DS. Transient reduction in retinal function revealed by multifocal electroretinogram following photodynamic therapy. Am J Ophthalmol 2004;137:826-833.

  3. Lai TY, Chan WM, Li H, Lai RY, Lam DS. Multifocal electroretinographic changes in patients on hydroxychloroquine therapy: a longitudinal study. Am J Ophthalmol 2005;140:794-807.

  4. Lai TY, Leung GM, Wong VW, Lam RF, Cheng CO, Lam DS. How evidence-based are publications in clinical ophthalmic journals? Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2006;47:1831-1838.

  5. Lai TY, Chan WM, Li H, Lai RYK, Liu DT, Lam DS. Safety enhanced photodynamic therapy with half dose verteporfin for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy: a short term pilot study. Br J Ophthalmol 2006;90:869-874.

  6. Lai TY, Chan WM, Lai RY, Ngai JW, Li H, Lam DS. The clinical applications of multifocal electroretinography: a systematic review. Survey of Ophthalmology 2007;52:61-96.

  7. Lai TY, Ng TK, Tam PO, Yam GH, Ngai JW, Chan WM, Liu DT, Lam DS, Pang CP. Genotype-phenotype analysis of Biett’s crystalline dystrophy in patients with CYP4V2 mutations. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2007;48:5212-5220.

  8. Lai TY, Chan WM, Liu DT, Lam DS. Ranibizumab for retinal angiomatous proliferation in neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Graefe Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2007;245:1877-1880.

  9. Lai TY, Chan RP, Chan CK, Lam DS. Effects of the Duration of Initial Oral Corticosteroid Treatment on the Recurrence of Inflammation in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease. Eye. 2008 Mar 28. [Epub ahead of print]

  10. Lai TY, Chan WM, Liu DT, Luk OJ, Lam DS. Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) with or without photodynamic therapy for the treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Br J Ophthalmol 2008;92:661-666.

Academic Faculty