A/Prof Smita Agarwal

MBBS, MS (Ophthalmology), Grad Dip in Refractive Surgery (USyd); FRANZCO
Ophthalmic Surgeon

Dr Smita Agarwal is a senior comprehensive ophthalmologist. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Graduate Medicine, University of Wollongong and also lectures at the University of Sydney. Smita is a member of the Specialist International Medical Graduate Committee of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO).

Smita provides comprehensive ophthalmology services to her patients. She conducts clinics from her rooms in Wollongong, Nowra and Warilla and also works at several public and private hospitals located at Wollongong, Warilla, Shellharbour and Nowra. She specialises in cataract and refractive surgery and has special interest in corneal cross-linking for progressive Keratoconus, Glaucoma and age related macular degeneration. She has been instrumental in establishing Wollongong Refractive Laser Eye Institute, the only facility on the South Coast of NSW that offers laser vision correction procedures like SMILE, LASIK and PRK and boasts of the latest state of the art equipment.

Her other passion is being actively involved in the teaching and mentoring of medical professionals and students. Smita teaches medical registrars and interns at public hospitals and regularly conducts continuing medical education seminars for doctors and Optometrists. She has taught eye surgery including cataract surgery, to ophthalmology registrars at Westmead Eye Hospital, Sydney and Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne.

Born in India, Smita graduated from King George’s Medical College in Lucknow, India with a Bachelor of Medicine degree. She completed her first post graduate degree, Master of Surgery in Ophthalmology from the University of Allahabad, India. Smita completed her ophthalmology training at Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia gaining FRANZCO fellowship in 2006. She went on to do an advanced fellowship for another year in Melbourne before moving back to Sydney. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Refractive Surgery from the University of Sydney.

Smita is dedicated to the field of ophthalmology. She has developed a new technique to manage epithelial cell ingrowth and has also invented an instrument related to that technique. She produced a film on her inventions which was awarded second prize (Runners-up Trophy) in the New Techniques category at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS) Film Festival held in April 2024 at Boston, USA. Smita has published several research papers in peer-reviewed journals locally and overseas. She is an invited guest speaker at prestigious ophthalmology conferences and seminars nationally and internationally. Her more recent speaking assignments include:

  • Course session presenter at RANZCO Annual Meeting (Perth) October 2023
  • Panelist at Foresight meeting: Alcon (Bangkok) August 2023
  • Panelist and Speaker: AUSCRS conference Port Douglas (Alcon Symposium), July 2023
  • Speaker/Presentation: Early Results on a new monofocal non-constant aberration Intraocular lens;
    AUSCRS Port Douglas; July 2023
  • Pod-Ophthalmology: RANZCO conference Brisbane October 2022
  • Panelist and Invited speaker: Focus Alcon meeting Brisbane 18th June 2022
  • Panelist and Invited speaker: Focus Alcon Meeting Sydney 4th June 2022
  • Podcast for Alcon on Presbyopia correction Intraocular lenses, 23rd April 2022
  • Chaired Breakfast session for Alcon Presbyopia Breakfast meeting at 52nd RANZCO Virtual Congress, 26th February 2022
  • Panelist for Topcon SCC online series: Glaucoma and the Anterior Eye: Glaucoma: Not Silent Always (2021)
  • Invited Speaker APAC VIVITY ®User Meeting (2021)
  • Invited speaker Glaukos Webinar Education: Istent inject W in a cataract refractive practice (2021)
  • Alcon Clareon Advisory Board Meeting (2021)
  • Invited Speaker/Presenter: Early results with Presbylasik using Schwind PresbyMAX for the treatment of presbyopia, Virtual presentation at ESCRS Amsterdam (2020)
  • Invited Speaker/Presenter: Research Paper – Cataract category, APACRS, Kyoto, Japan (2019)
  • Invited Speaker RANZCO Symposium: 20 Years down the track with Refractive Surgery Judgement Day (2019)
  • Invited Speaker/ Presenter, Oleep Specsavers (2019)
  • Invited Speaker/ Presenter, AUSCRS Queenstown New Zealand (2019)
  • Invited Speaker Zeiss Visumax User meeting, AUSCRS Queenstown New Zealand (2019)
  • Invited Speaker, DR Insight Education Meeting (2019)
  • Tackling Presbyopia for Cataract Surgeons, RANZCO Sydney (2019)
  • Alcon Focus Symposium, Brisbane (2019)
  • Wollongong Eye Specialists Optometrists Education Evening, biannual event, Wollongong and Nowra (2011 – Current)
  • South Coast Medical Forum (2016 – Current)

Smita has a deep sense of responsibility to the under privileged communities. She regularly donates her time providing free ophthalmology services to such communities in Fiji, India, Peru and Cambodia. Her last visit to Cambodia was as a part of Cambodia Vision charity team of medical professionals.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, Australia
  • Graduate Diploma in Medicine (Refractive Surgery), University of Sydney, Australia
  • Master of Surgery (Ophthalmology), University of Allahabad, India
  • M.B., B.S., University of Lucknow, India

Hospital Positions

A/Prof Agarwal works at the following hospitals:

  • Wollongong and Shellharbour Public Hospitals (VMO)
  • Wollongong Private Hospital (VMO)
  • Nowra Private Hospital (VMO)
  • Shoalhaven Public Hospital (VMO)
  • Victoria Street Private Hospital (VMO)

Laser Refractive Surgery (LASIK)

A/Prof Smita Agarwal preforms all laser procedure including:

  • PRK

    PRK is a fast and effective, touch free laser surgical procedure that can correct for short-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism. This procedure is most suited to people who are ineligible for LASIK or SMILE, due to a thin or irregular corneal surface because it maintains corneal integrity. Read more

  • LASIK (Laser Refractive Surgery)

    LASIK is a precise surgical procedure which uses two different lasers to correct near sightedness, far sightedness and astigmatism. This common procedure, which aims to reduce dependency on glasses or contact lenses, has been performed over10 million times globally. Read more

  • SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction)

    SMILE is a fast, accurate, keyhole procedure that aims to correct a high degree of short-sightedness and astigmatism. This minimally invasive laser procedure has been performed over one million times worldwide. Read more