Dr John Chang

Consultant Eye Surgeon

Dr John Chang wearing a suit and red tie smiling

Cataract, Medical Retina & General Ophthalmology

BSc(Med) MBBS(Hons 1), PhD(UNSW), FRANZCO

Dr Chang is the director of Eastwood Eye Specialists. He is an experienced consultant ophthalmologist who provides holistic, patient-centered eye specialist care with an emphasis on unparalleled attention to detail and clinical precision.

Dr Chang always strives for the highest standard of medical and surgical treatment. He takes great care in listening to his patients and taking that extra time for communication so that they obtain a tailored understanding of their diagnosis and treatment options.

Dr John Chang specialises in complex cataract surgery in eyes with macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma or uveitis. Such patients require highly individualised treatment plans that may include intraocular anti-VEGF injection therapy, intravitreal slow-release steroid implant, micro-invasive glaucoma surgery, or retinal laser.

Dr Chang takes pride in being meticulous at every step of the surgical journey of his patients, including comprehensive pre-operative clinical eye assessment using the latest technology, choice of intraocular lens implant, and of course the dexterity and confident surgical precision for the eye surgery itself. Dr John Chang also consults at Strathfield Eye Surgery.

Dr John Chang performing eye surgery
Community Service & Teaching

Dr John Chang has been a passionate educator, supervisor and mentor of medical students, junior doctors, optometrists, nurses and other doctors such as GPs for many years. He has held academic positions in recognition of this including as Conjoint Associate Senior Clinical Lecturer at School of Medicine, UNSW, honorary fellow at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, and as a board member of Korean Australian Medical Society.

Dr Chang is also actively involved in teaching and training the next generation of eye surgeons. He is one of the supervisors of the accredited training program (Northern Sydney Private post) for eye registrars of Sydney Eye Hospital. This is also part of MediAid charity work that is supported by the generous donation of Dr Knight. This charity program provides free cataract surgery for uninsured pensioners who would otherwise have to await very long public hospital waitlist in order to receive much needed sight-saving eye surgery. As well as providing supervision to training eye doctors, Dr Chang is able to provide his patients in need, appropriate access to such charity funded cataract surgery.

Dr John Chang and Dr Tim Henderson visiting remote indigenous communities
Clinical Research

Dr Chang is a clinician-scientist with a PhD in Ocular Immunology, which complements his clinical qualifications as an eye surgeon that includes international subspecialist fellowship training in the field of Medical Retina and Uveitis. It is this unique background in academic rigour and continual pursuit of knowledge that drives Dr Chang’s ethos of delivering eye care of the highest standards for his patients.

Keeping up with the latest knowledge and technology allows Dr Chang to provide the best possible care for his patients that is backed up by research data and evidenced based medicine. Dr Chang and his collaborative team has been awarded highly competitive research grants for their work and he has been involved as an investigator on various national and international clinical trials in the treatment of retinal diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

His active and ongoing contribution to the progress of medical knowledge is evident by authorship of peer-reviewed research journal publications and conference presentations spanning over the past two decades.

Dr John Chang presenting at RANZCO 2024 in Adelaide
Publications

View and search this comprehensive list of Dr Chang's publications in medical journals.

Awards & Scholarships

Dr Chang has been the recipient of multiple NHMRC grants and scholarships for his research as well as academic prizes during his medical and specialist training.

  • The Eye Foundation, Royal Australian & New Zealand Colllege of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) / Novartis Ophthalmics Medical Retina Research Scholarship: Research project on “Genome-wide association study of diabetic macular oedema” (2011)
  • National Health & Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) Research Project Grant: “Role of toll-like receptors in the pathogenesis of ocular inflammation” (2007-2009) Investigators: Peter McCluskey, John Chang, Denis Wakefield.
  • Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia (ORIA) Research Grant: “The role of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of uveitis” (2007). Investigators: John Chang, Peter McCluskey, Denis Wakefield.
  • NH&MRC Medical Postgraduate Research Scholarship: “The role of pattern recognition receptors in the pathogenesis of acute anterior uveitis” (2003-2006).
  • Best Research Presentation (by poster) Award, 38th Annual Scientific Congress of RANZCO, Sydney: “Long-term Australian follow-up study of the visual outcome in autosomal dominant optic atrophy” (2006).
  • NH&MRC Traveling Research Grant: “Use of prostaglandin analogues in the treatment of glaucoma in uveitis” (2005). Clinical research conducted under the supervision of world renowned uveitis specialist, Professor Sue Lightman, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
  • School of Medical Sciences Postgraduate Travel Grant, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney (2003-2005).
  • Prize for Best Oral Research Presentation at the annual scientific meeting of Department of Ophthalmology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney (2004).
  • John Hirschman International Health Scholarship, School of Public Health, University of NSW: To present in Fred Hollows Foundation eye camp in rural Dhading, Nepal (1999).
  • The G.R. Cameron Memorial Prize for first place & the highest aggregate mark in Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney (1997).
  • The W.E. Glover Prize for Physiology for best performance in Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney (1997).
Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO)
  • Completed RANZCO specialist ophthalmology training in Australia, including at the major teaching hospitals in Adelaide, Sydney, and Fred Hollows Foundation outreach eye services in Central Australia
  • Additional international sub-specialist (Medical Retina & Uveitis) qualification attained at the prestigious Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. Moorfields is the largest and oldest eye hospital in Europe
  • PhD in Ocular Immunology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney
  • Graduated Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery (MBBS) with First Class Honours, The University of NSW, Sydney
Professional Memberships

  • Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO)
  • Australian & New Zealand Society of Retina Specialists (ANZSRS)
  • Clinical adjunct lecturer, The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney
  • Uveitis Special Interest Group of RANZCO
  • Australian Medical Association (AMA)
  • Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA): Full specialist registration, MED0001107400
  • Korean Australian Medical Society (KAMS)