About Dr Frank Howes
Dr Frank Howes is an ophthalmologist who specialises in cataract surgery and glaucoma surgery, and has dedicated his life to improving the vision and lives of his patients. This humble, yet world renowned ophthalmic surgeon, husband and father is also the proud director of the Gold Coast’s Eye & Laser Centre.
“We pride ourselves on the fact that we're an ISO accredited organisation and enjoy the services that we offer the community,” Dr Howes said.
When Dr Howes isn’t performing life-changing surgery, he’s a busy father of three children and active sportsman.
“I represented South Africa and hold my Springbok colours. I do spend a lot of time surf skiing or water skiing or in the surf. Those are my main pleasures,” he said.
Growing up in Cape Town, Dr Howes studied a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Cape Town. He went on to achieve four other specialist degrees at University of Toronto in Canada, Black Hills Regional Eye Institute in the United States, as well as being a Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
A strong interest in academic medicine prompted him to become a reviewer of ophthalmic journals and to write 15 chapters in the big tome of ophthalmology on cataract surgery – not to mention his textbook writing in the fields of glaucoma, and more specifically, laser procedures.
“I have a strong interest in advanced ophthalmology, and as a result I've spent a lot of time researching new technologies.”
Eye & Laser Centre is home to Queensland’s very first VisuMax – a special femtosecond laser that uses new methods to change the eyesight and lives of his patients.
“We've pushed the boundaries very successfully and have a host of exciting procedures that have benefited our patients enormously. The feedback from the patients is great.”
Dr Howes is very selective about the technologies they employ – and only those that are of great benefit are used at Eye & Laser Centre.
“The procedures that we have used are working wonderfully well.”
His Specialities
- Laser vision correction (LASIK, PRK, SMILE and corneal collagen crosslinking)
- Refractive lens exchange/ICL procedures
- Corneal surgery
- Cataract surgery
- Glaucoma treatment
Background
Dr Howes completed undergraduate medicine in Cape Town in South Africa, and after some time in general practice and in military medicine in the SA Defence Force, completed his Ophthalmic training at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He went on to a Glaucoma fellowship in Toronto Canada and Refractive fellowships in the USA and UK where he spent 10 years working with Professor Emanuel Rosen, Cataract Refractive and Corneal Surgeon in Manchester UK. At the same time he was appointed Director of Ophthalmology services in the Mid-Yorkshire Hospitals NHS trust, allied to the University of Leeds, Yorkshire. He moved to Australia in 2005 and has been in practice in Brisbane and the Gold Coast since.
Professional Credentials
Dr Howes has been lecturing medical and optometry students at QUT and Bond University where he holds an associate Professorship. He still continues with his interests in laser, having produced one of the first studies in the UK on SLT for glaucoma. Dr Howes has continued his interests in the forefront of Glaucoma surgery having been the first in Australia to insert the iStent Inject as part of his interests in the MIGS procedures (Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery). He has also designed and had intraocular lenses made and named after him (FH1000 - Lenstec Inc.) and has been involved in the research of other new intraocular lenses and drugs. He has written many articles and book chapters on glaucoma SLT and cataract surgery (Yanoff and Duker, now currently contributing again to the new 5th Edition). He reviews for the Journals of Cataract and Refractive surgery, Graefe’s archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology and the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. He has also been an external examiner for MPhil degree at the University of Queensland and surgical tutor for Non Penetrating Glaucoma Filtering Surgery at the University of Sydney.