Dr Brian Harrisberg is an enthusiastic and dedicated ophthalmologist with 30+ years of experience. He performs routine and complex omphalic surgery and has pioneered many innovative new surgical procedures in Australia.
His clinical expertise is matched by his unwavering commitment to patient outcomes. He is the Founder and Principal Surgeon of Central Sydney Eye Surgeons. He is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Save Sight Institute – University of Sydney, and holds the position of Honorary Visiting Medical Officer in Ophthalmology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Brian is known for delivering personalised, and clinically excellent care that reflects both his humanity and clinical acumen.
He has vast experience in the treatment of diabetic eye disease and for over 30+ years he has been actively involved in both clinical practice and research at the Diabetes Centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Brian’s special interests are in refractive surgery, corneal laser eye surgery and cataract surgery using implantable devices to enhance vision. He is a leading expert in surgery to correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or presbyopia, using the latest refractive surgery techniques.
Brian has pioneered several surgical procedures in Australia and is highly respected by his peers. Brian was the first surgeon in Australia to use the SML magnifying lens (an inbuilt magnifying system) for the treatment of severe macular disease. This facilitates reading in patients who have lost vision. He has performed over 30,000+ cataract procedures, with the principal aim of individualised care in a customised patient-centric manner. Patients can choose between distance, near or combination vision correction. The optimal lens will be carefully selected and implanted.
During his career at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital he has seen extensive systemic disease involving the eye. It is this experience that enables him to diagnose complex neurological, immunological and endocrine diseases.
Brian works within the RPA Hospital as part of a multidisciplinary clinical team.
I find the eye to be extraordinarily complex and interesting, as it is an extension of the brain and is involved in multi-organ medical disorders including vascular disease, endocrine disease and neurological disease. The eye serves as a window and allows doctors to visualise vessels and nerves and as a result many systemic disorders can be diagnosed by studying the eye.
My favourite operation is cataract surgery as I have developed expertise in this field, and I am able to deliver excellent visual outcomes for my patients by customising their needs. This gives me great job satisfaction. Through my experience and surgical approach, I can comfortably attempt the difficult cases with the utmost safety.
I remember being called in to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital to see a young person showing signs of dementia with hearing and visual loss. It was at this time I diagnosed a rare disorder called Susac’s syndrome which affects the brain, eye and hearing. Once the diagnosis was made, appropriate treatment restored most of his visual and hearing functions and stabilized his disease.
Kappagoda
Kappagoda was an ophthalmologist who had a Buddhist approach to medicine. He was able to take the ego out of being a medical practitioner and worked with humility and respect.
Prof. Peter McCluskey
Prof. Peter McCluskey has a wholistic approach to medicine, with an emphasis on the eyes and the systemic nature of eye disease and integrative medicine across various disciplines.
Dr James La Nause
James taught me techniques of using both hands when performing cataract surgery, creating precision and efficiencies with surgical techniques.
RPAH Medical Centre
Suite G8, 100 Carillon Avenue
Newtown, NSW, 2042
Monday to Friday
8:00am-5:00pm
