Radio Interviews & Community Eye Health Education
Since 2015, Dr Neil Sharma has been a regular guest speaker on radio, appearing with broadcasters including Deborah Knight, Michael McLaren, Chris Smith, John Stanley and Lucy Zelić to discuss eye health topics and raise community awareness of important eye health issues.
In addition to his regular radio appearances, Dr Sharma has been consulted by media organisations for expert comment on eye health issues, public eye health matters, advances in ophthalmology and conditions affecting vision and eye health.
Topics raised by listeners over the years have included cataract surgery, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, retinal disorders, floaters and flashes, dry eye disease, children's vision, laser eye surgery, driving vision standards and other common eye health concerns.
🎙 Featured Radio Interviews
The interviews below represent a selection of radio appearances discussing eye health topics, listener questions and developments in ophthalmology since 2015.
2GB Afternoons: Protecting Your Sight: Ocular Health with Dr Neil Sharma
June 2025 | Presenter: Lucy Zelic
Featured discussion
Current treatment options for macular degeneration and the significant impact of uncorrected refractive errors in children
Topics discussed
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Leading causes of vision loss across age groups: Uncorrected refractive errors in children and adolescents, and the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy as a primary cause of permanent vision impairment in the 20 to 60 working-age demographic.
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Age-related eye conditions: The vulnerability of the elderly population to conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, and how vision loss impacts independent living.
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Cataract surgery and timing: Understanding cataracts as a natural clouding of the lens, and identifying when it is visually significant enough to warrant highly successful corrective surgery.
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Screen time management: Strategies to alleviate ocular strain from digital devices, including the 20-20-20 rule, regular short breaks to promote blinking, and managing late-night screen exposure.
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Nutritional support for eye health: The roles of vitamins A, C, and E, alongside antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, found in green leafy vegetables, oily fish, and nuts to preserve macular health.
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Preventative ocular protection: The long-term importance of proper UV sun protection to minimize skin cancers and ocular melanomas around the eye, and the critical use of safety glasses during home renovations to avoid ocular trauma.
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2GB Afternoons JulEYE Interview with Dr Neil Sharma
July 2024 | Presenter: Michael McLaren
Featured discussion
The critical importance of early detection and proactive screening for preventable eye diseases, the insidious nature of glaucoma, and clarifying common public inquiries regarding astigmatism and cataract surgery.
Topics discussed
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The Stealth Progression of Glaucoma: Explaining glaucoma as progressive, asymptomatic damage to the optic nerve that quietly degrades peripheral vision. Because human visual fields overlap, individuals rarely notice early deficits until severe "tunnel vision" sets in, making timely clinical screening essential before permanent vision loss occurs.
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Proactive Public Health Interventions: Emphasizing that up to 90% of blindness and visual impairment in Australia is preventable or treatable if caught early, necessitating routine comprehensive checkups even in the absence of noticeable symptoms.
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Demystifying Astigmatism: Outlining astigmatism as an asymmetrical curvature of the refractive surface of the eye. Using the analogy of a spherical soccer ball versus an elongated rugby or AFL ball, Dr. Sharma noted that this structural variance focuses light unevenly, causing blurred vision that often may be success corrected with spectacles, contact lenses, or laser/lens-based refractive procedures.
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Cataracts and Associated Systemic Conditions: Evaluating a query from a 49-year-old patient with rheumatoid arthritis suffering from recurrent iritis (intraocular inflammation). Dr. Sharma clarified that both chronic iritis and the prolonged use of corticosteroid eye drops can accelerate cataract formation, requiring surgery even in younger age groups if visual symptoms impair daily activities.
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2GB Afternoons: World Glaucoma Week Interview with Dr Neil Sharma
March 2024 | Presenter: Michael McLaren
Featured discussion
The asymptomatic nature of glaucoma, the importance of early diagnosis before permanent damage occurs, and a global look at how this irreversible condition impacts millions of families worldwide.
Topics discussed
Focus on glaucoma, including :
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Asymptomatic Peripheral Field Loss: Glaucoma stands as a leading cause of irreversible blindness that systematically destroys peripheral vision without early noticeable symptoms because the visual inputs of both eyes subtly overlap.
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Frontline Screening Interventions: Because noticeable changes like "tunnel vision" only manifest once profound, irreversible optic nerve damage has occurred, objective eye health screening every 1 to 2 years is vital for everyone over 40.
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Genetic and Modifiable Risk Factors: A family history of glaucoma in a first-degree relative elevates an individual's personal risk tenfold, meaning managing modifiable factors like intraocular pressure (IOP) is key to slowing progression.
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Sustainability of Topical Drop Therapy: For the vast majority of patients, simple adherence to daily prescription eye drops or SLT laser controls the intraocular pressures to protect long-term sight.
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Anatomic Risks for Angle-Closure Glaucoma: Angle-closure glaucoma typically develops as the internal crystalline lens naturally thickens with age, creating an anatomical crowd that can trigger sudden, painful spikes in eye pressure.
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2GB Nights: Presbyopia, Refractive Interventions, and Retinal Advancements Interview
October 2023 | Presenter: John Stanley
Featured discussion
The structural classification of cataracts, the universal onset of presbyopia, multi-focal and EDOF lens implants, and the ongoing evolutionary changes in medical retina therapy.
Topics discussed
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Lifespan Distribution of Ocular Pathologies: Juvenile or congenital anomalies often present in childhood, diabetic retinopathy often emerges in middle age, and degenerative pathologies like glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) dominate the demographic over 60 years.
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Clear Lens Extraction and Intraocular Innovation: Dr Neil Sharma detailed the use of multifocal intraocular lenses and Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) lenses. He discussed the monovision strategy, where a patient's dominant eye is surgically corrected for distance focus while the non-dominant eye is targeted for reading focus.
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Discussion regarding the use of eye injections for the treatment of wet macular degeneration and advancements in retinal imaging including high-resolution scanning (OCT).
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Ocular Protection: Emphasizing the importance of proper sun protection to combat Australia's elevated rates of sun-related eye diseases and periocular skin cancers for adults and children.
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2GB Afternoons: Tuesday Check-Up with Dr Neil Sharma
March 2023 | Presenter: Deborah Knight
Featured discussion
Host Deborah Knight highlights that World Glaucoma Week serves as a critical prompt for routine eye checkups, as roughly half of the estimated 300,000 Australians living with the condition are unaware they have the condition.
Topics discussed
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Glaucoma targets and damages the optic nerve, initially causing a progressive loss of peripheral vision. Because an individual's visual fields overlap, the brain dynamically compensates for early deficits, meaning noticeable "tunnel vision" manifests once profound, irreversible damage has occurred.
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Congenital Forms of Glaucoma: While the risk of developing glaucoma increases with age, it can also present as a rare congenital condition. This means some newborns are born with the disease and must navigate it as a lifelong challenge.
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Sturge-Weber Syndrome and Intractable IOP: Dr Neil Sharma addressed a listener's query regarding his 25-year-old daughter, who has glaucoma secondary to Sturge-Weber syndrome.
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Spectacle and Patching Interventions for Strabismus: Responding to a query regarding a 6-year-old child with crossed eyes (strabismus) in the Philippines, Dr Neil Sharma noted that while spectacles with prisms or surgery may correct alignment, patching the dominant eye is often crucial.
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Presbyopia and Premium Intraocular Lens Tech: Reflecting on a caller's previous laser refractive treatment, Dr Neil Sharma noted that age-related reading decline (presbyopia) is a natural change to the lens. Discussion regarding modern multifocal or EDOF implants to reduce the need for reading glasses.
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