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 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 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.
View and search this comprehensive list of Dr Chang's publications in medical journals.
Liu E, Kaidonis G, McComish BJ, Gillies MC, Abhary S, Essex RW, Chang JH, Pal B, Daniell M, Lake S, Petrovsky N, Hewitt AW, Jenkins A, Lamoureux EL, Gleadle JM, Craig JE, Burdon KP. MicroRNA-Related Genetic Variants Are Associated With Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019 Sep 3;60(12):3937-3942. doi: 10.1167/iovs.18-25570.
Liu E, Kaidonis G, Gillies MC, Abhary S, Essex RW, Chang JH, Pal B, Daniell M, Lake S, Gilhotra J, Petrovsky N, Hewitt AW, Jenkins A, Lamoureux EL, Gleadle JM, Burdon KP, Craig JE. Mitochondrial haplogroups are not associated with diabetic retinopathy in a large Australian and British Caucasian sample. Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 24;9(1):612. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37388-8.
Graham PS, Kaidonis G, Abhary S, Gillies MC, Daniell M, Essex RW, Chang JH, Lake SR, Pal B, Jenkins AJ, Hewitt AW, Lamoureux EL, Hykin PG, Petrovsky N, Brown MA, Craig JE, Burdon KP. Genome-wide association studies for diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. BMC Med Genet. 2018 May 8;19(1):71. doi: 10.1186/s12881-018-0587-8.
Whist E, Symes RJ, Chang JH, Chowdhury V, Lim L, Grigg JR, Lin M, Karaconji T, Giblin M, Lim L, McCluskey PJ. Uveitis caused by treatment for malignant melanoma: A case series. Retinal Cases and Brief Reports 2019 June doi: 10.1097/ICB.0000000000000876. Online ahead of print.
Graham PS, Kaidonis G, Abhary S, Gillies MC, Daniell M, Essex RW, Chang JH, Lake SR, Pal B, Jenkins AJ, Hewitt AW, Lamoureux EL, Hykin PG, Petrovsky N, Brown MA, Craig JE, Burdon KP. Genome-wide association studies for diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. BMC Med Genet. 2018 May; 19(1): 71
Hui MM, Wakefield D, Patel I, Cvejic E, McCluskey PJ, Chang JH. Visual Functioning and Health-related Quality-of-Life are Compromised in Patients with Uveitis. Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2017 Aug; 25(4): 486-491
Kaidonis G, Craig JE, Gillies MC, Abhary S, Essex RW, Chang JH, et al. Promoter polymorphism at the tumour necrosis factor/lymphotoxin-alpha locus is associated with type of diabetes but not with susceptibility to sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy. Diab Vasc Dis Res. 2016 Mar;13(2):164-7
Kaidonis G, Gillies MC, Abhary S, Liu E, Essex RW, Chang JH, et al. A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the MicroRNA-146a gene is associated with diabetic nephropathy and sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy in Caucasian patients. Acta Diabetol. 2016 Aug;53(4):643-50.
Burdon KP, Fogarty RD, Shen W, Abhary S, Kaidonis G, Appukuttan B, Hewitt AW, Sharma S, Daniell M, Essex RW, Chang JH, Klebe S, Lake SR, Pal B, Jenkins A, Govindarjan G, Sundaresan P, Lamoureux EL, Ramasamy K, Pefkianaki M, Hykin PG, Petrovsky N, Brown MA, Gilles MC, Craig JE. Genome-wide association study for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy reveals association with genetic variation near the GRB2 gene. Diabetologia 2015; 58(10): 2288-97.
Kaidonis G, Burdon KP, Gilles MC, Abhary S, Essex RW, Chang JH, Pal B, Pefkianaki M, Daniell M, Lake S, Petrovsky N, Hewitt AW, Jenkins A, Lamoureux EL, Gleadle JM, Craig JE. Common sequence variation in the VEGF-C gene is associated with diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema. Ophthalmology 2015; 122(9): 1828-36.
Kaidonis G, Abhary S, Daniell M, Gilles M, Fogarty R, Petrovsky N, Jenkins A, Essex R, Chang JH, Pal B, Hewitt AW, Burdon K, Craig JE. Genetic study of diabetic retinopathy: recruitment methodology and analysis of baseline characteristics. Clin Experiment Ophthalmol 2014; 42(5): 486-93.
Chang JH, McCluskey PJ, Wakefield D. Recent advances in toll-like receptors and acute anterior uveitis. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology 2012 Mar 19. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2012.02797.x
Chang JH, Mills RA, Pater J, Crompton JL. Case series of cat scratch-inflicted full-thickness corneal lacerations and a review of the literature. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology 2012 Mar 7. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2012.02783.x.
Chang JH, Jang JD, Jamieson RV, Grigg JR. Long-term follow-up study of autosomal dominant optic atrophy in an Australian population. Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology March/April 2012; 1(2): 88-90.
Karampelas M, Kopsachilis N, Chang JH, Pal B. [Intravitreal bevacizumab for choroidal neovascularisation in a patient with Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis Type II] Der Ophthalmologe [article in German] Ophthalmologe. 2012 Aug;109(8):791-3.
Chang JH, Landers J, Henderson TR, Craig JE. Prevalence of uveitis in indigenous populations presenting to remote clinics of Central Australia: the Central Australian Ocular Health Study. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology 2012; 40(5): 486-93.
Wakefield D, Chang JH, Amjadi S, Maconochie Z, Abu El-Asrar A, McCluskey P. What is new HLA-B27 acute anterior uveitis. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 2011; 19(2): 139-44
Chang JH, Raju R, Henderson TR, McCluskey PJ. Incidence and pattern of acute anterior uveitis in Central Australia. Br J Ophthalmology 2010; 94(2):154-156
Wakefield D, Gray P, Chang J, Di Girolamo N, McCluskey P. The role of PAMPs and DAMPs in the pathogenesis of acute and recurrent anterior uveitis. Br J Ophthalmology 2010; 94(3): 271-274
Chui JJ, Li MW, Di Girolamo N, Chang JH, McCluskey PJ, Wakefield D. Iris pigment epithelial cells express a functional LPS receptor complex. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2010; 51(5): 2558-67. Epub 2009 Dec 17
Badenoch PR, Mills RA, Chang JH, Sadlon TA, Klebe S, Coster DJ. Pythium insidiosum keratitis in an Australian child. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology 2009; 37(8): 806-9
Chang JH, McCluskey PJ, Missotten T, Ferrante P, Jalaludin B, Lightman SL. Use of ocular hypotensive prostaglandin analogues in patients with uveitis: Does their use increase anterior uveitis and cystoid macular edema? Br J Ophthalmology 2008; 92 (7): 916-921
Sallam A, Comer RM, Chang JH, Grigg JR, Andrews R, McCluskey PJ, Lightman S. Short-term safety and efficacy of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for uveitic macular edema in children. Arch Ophthalmol 2008; 126 (2): 200-205
Chang J, Girgis L. Clinical use of anti-TNFα biological agents: A guide for GPs. Australian Family Physician 2007; 36(12): 1035-1038
Chang JH, Hampartzoumian T, Everett E, Lloyd A, McCluskey PJ, Wakefield D. Changes in Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 and TLR4 expression and function but not polymorphisms are associated with acute anterior uveitis. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2007; 48(4): 1711-1717
Chang JH, McCluskey PJ, Grigg JR. Recurrent hypopyon in chronic anterior uveitis of pauciarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. British Journal of Ophthalmology 2006; 90(10): 1327-1328
Chang JH, O’Donnell BA. Secondary tarsoconjunctival flap following previous lower eyelid Hughes repair. Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2006; 22(2): 105-108
Chang JH, McCluskey PJ, Wakefield D. Toll-like receptors in ocular immunity and the immunopathogenesis of inflammatory eye disease. British Journal of Ophthalmology 2006; 90: 103-108
Chang JH, O’Donnell BA. Medial canthal tendon release and lower eyelid retractor plication for Centurion syndrome. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology 2006; 34(3): 284-285
Chang JH, McCluskey PJ, Wakefield D. Acute Anterior Uveitis and HLA-B27 (Major Review). Survey of Ophthalmology 2005; 50(4): 364-388
Chang JH, McCluskey PJ. Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid: manifestations and management. Current Allergy & Asthma Reports 2005; 5(4): 333-338
Chang JH, McCluskey PJ, Wakefield D. Paediatric uveitis in Sydney. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology 2005; 33(3): 336
Wakefield D, Chang JH. Epidemiology of uveitis. International Ophthalmology Clinics 2005; 45(2): 1-13
McCluskey P, Chang JH, Singh R, Wakefield D. Methotrexate therapy for ocular cicatricial pemphigoid. Ophthalmology 2004; 111(4): 796-801
Chang JH, McCluskey P, Wakefield D. Expression of toll-like receptor 4 and its associated lipopolysaccharide receptor complex by resident antigen presenting cells in the human uvea. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2004; 45(6): 1871-1878
Chang JH, Wakefield D. Uveitis - a global perspective. Ocular Immunology & Inflammation 2002; 10(4): 263-279
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.