Professional head and shoulder photo of Professor Tom smiling in a dark blue suit

Prof Tom Williamson

MD MBChB, FRCS(Glas), FRCOphth

Prof Tom Williamson is a Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist with a full-time vitreoretinal sub-specialist practice at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London. He has extensive experience in managing patients with disorders of the retina and the vitreous, and performs all types of retinal surgery (with the largest international single surgeon dataset of over 16,000 operations), including new innovative techniques. He also has extensive experience in managing patients with a wide variety of other conditions, including cataracts.

Education & Training

Professor  Tom Williamson studied medicine at Glasgow University Medical School, qualifying in 1984 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB). He subsequently proceeded to train in ophthalmology in Aberdeen, Cambridge, Glasgow and London specialising in vitreoretinal disorders from 1995 to the present day.

Centre for Sight Consultant professor Tom Williamson

Teacher, Board Member and Founder

Professor Williamson is extensively involved in the training and teaching of future generations of ophthalmic surgeons and has trained approximately 40 vitreoretinal fellows as part of a highly sought-after, international fellowship programme at St Thomas’ Hospital, London.  Many of these fellows have gone on to be appointed Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeons either in the United Kingdom or abroad.

He has been a board member of the Vail Vitrectomy Meeting in the USA for nine years and is regularly on the faculty for another meeting such as Floretina or training for international organisations such as ESASO.

In 2007, Prof Tom Williamson was one of three Consultant Ophthalmologists who founded the Eyehope charity, which aims to continue supporting research, teaching and training in diseases of the eye.

He is also a founder of the innovative medical device company Infinite Medical Ventures, through which he is digitising the ophthalmic examination ready for artificial intelligence diagnosis in which he has exploited in his research since the 1990s.

Sheraz Daya inspecting a patients eye at Centre for Sight

Interests & Specialty Research Interests

Prof Tom Williamson has extensive experience in undertaking most types of general ophthalmic procedures, including modern techniques in cataract (phacoemulsification) surgery.

Speciality

Retinal Detachment Surgery

Retinal detachment is a serious condition of the eye in which the retina stops receiving oxygen. The retina pulls away from the back of the eye, often causing sudden vision loss. Surgery is needed urgently to repair the retina and prevent any permanent damage. Depending on the type and severity, treatments can include laser surgery, a gas bubble, or a vitrectomy to restore vision.

Cataract Surgery

Cataract eye surgery is a quick, painless procedure that replaces your eye’s cloudy natural lens with a clear artificial one to restore your vision. We have performed over 30,000 successful cataract procedures, using advanced technology to gently remove the cataract and insert a new lens tailored to your lifestyle and visual needs.

Research and Publications

As a Visiting Professor in Biological Sciences and Engineering at the University of Surrey, and a Clinical Lecturer at Kings College London, Professor Tom Williamson also has a strong track record of research and development in the area of retinal disease. 

He has produced over 247 publications as books, book chapters and papers in national and international scientific journals. A list of all Professor Williamson’s publications is available here. 

Professor Tom Williamson has also written the highly acclaimed Vitreoretinal Surgery textbook, which is now in the 3rd edition. This book is widely considered to be the preferred surgical manual for vitreoretinal surgeons internationally. In addition, he has also written an instructional textbook entitled Intraocular Surgery, which is designed to provide trainee ophthalmic surgeons with guidance in the methodology required to undertake intraocular surgery. 

His book is Vitreoretinal Disorders in Primary Care is intended to guide those at the front line on how to diagnose and refer these complex patients. This book draws on his extensive experience as an expert witness. He is co-editor of Suprachoroidal Space Interventions. In 2016, Professor Williamson was elected President of the British and Eire Vitreoretinal Society (BEAVRS).

Tom Williamson: Additional Information

Memberships

Tom Williamson is involved in a number of national committees, which implement standards for all ophthalmologists. These include:

  • Member of the British and Eire Association of Vitreoretinal Surgeons (BEAVRS)
  • Member of the European Retina, Macular and Vitreous Society (EURETINA)
  • Member of the Gonin Society of Viteoretinal Surgeons
  • Member of the American Society of Retinal Surgeons
  • Member of the British Medical Association (BMA)
Awards
  • Author of Vitreoretinal Surgery (Springer, ISBN 978-3-642-31871-9) the premier international text for training in vitreoretinal surgery
  • Invited Speaker, Dutch Ophthalmological Society, 125th Anniversary, Maastricht, Netherlands (2017)
  • Faculty Member Advanced Vitreous Surgery course, 20th Anniversary, Duke University, NC, USA (2017)
  • Commissioned trainer, Hong Kong University, (2013)
  • North of England Ophthalmological Society Medal (2012)
  • Published over 170 publications on clinical topics in vitreoretinal surgery and ophthalmology, making him one of the premier opinions in vitreoretinal surgery internationally
Affiliated Insurance Companies

Centre for Sight is recognised by a number of private medical insurance companies and Mr Tom Williamson is a registered provider to:

  • AllianceP
  • April
  • AXA PPP
  • Aviva
  • Bupa
  • Cigna
  • CS Healthcare
  • Exeter Friendly
  • Freedom
  • General Medical
  • Groupama
  • Healix
  • Health-Online
  • Legal & General Insurance
  • National Assurance
  • PruHealth
  • Saga
  • Simple Health
  • Vitality
  • WPA
Publications by Tom Williamson
  • Author of Vitreoretinal Surgery (Springer, ISBN 978-3-642-31871-9) the premier international text for training in vitreoretinal surgery
  • Numerous book chapters including for The Atlas of Clinical Ophthalmology, winner of the best medical text book in the British Medical Association 2005 awards
  • Published over 170 publications on clinical topics in vitreoretinal surgery and ophthalmology, making him one of the premier opinions in vitreoretinal surgery internationally
  • Author of Intraocular Surgery (Springer, ISBN 978-3-319-27988-6, 2016) a text of the fundamentals of ophthalmological surgical technique
  • The management of macular hole retinal detachment and macular retinoschisis in pathological myopia; a UK collaborative study. Laviers H, Li JO, Grabowska A, Charles SJ, Charteris D, Haynes RJ, Laidlaw DAH, Steel DH, Yorston D, Williamson TH, Zambarakji H; COllaboration of British RetinAl Surgeons (COBRA) study group. Eye (Lond). 2018 Nov;32(11):1743-1751. doi: 10.1038/s41433-018-0166-4. Epub 2018 Jul 16.
  • Vitreoretinal surgery on the fellow eye: A retrospective analysis of 18 years of surgical data from a tertiary center in England. Fajgenbaum MAP, Wong RS, Laidlaw DAH, Williamson TH. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2018 May;66(5):681-686. doi: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_1176_17.
  • THE ROLE OF INTRAOCULAR GAS TAMPONADE IN RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT: A Synthesis of the Literature. Neffendorf JE, Gupta B, Williamson TH. Retina. 2018 Sep;38 Suppl 1:S65-S72. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000002015