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Rene Cheung

Rene Cheung

PhD candidate

Research title: Barriers to multimodal retinal imaging in primary eye care.

Supervisors:  Dr Lisa Nivison-Smith, Dr Angelica Ly. 

Research abstract            

Advancements in retinal imaging technology have led to the development and commercialisation of numerous imaging modalities into clinical applications, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography, and fundus autofluorescence. Previous research shows that multimodal imaging improves early detection of retinal disease, however there is a limited understanding of clinician attitudes towards retinal imaging and potential barriers to accessing these services in the patient community. The increasing number of biomarkers detectable on new retinal imaging modalities also adds to the complexity of image interpretation.

The aim of my research to understand potential barriers to using and accepting retinal imaging services among primary eye care providers and patients in community practices and investigate novel image processing techniques that may improve retinal disease detection.

My research will include a nation-wide survey of optometrist attitudes toward retinal imaging, a patient survey on barriers to eye care services, and diagnostic accuracy studies to evaluate the performance of new retinal image processing and interpretation techniques.

Biography

Rene Cheung graduated from BOptom/BSc(Vision Science) with honours in 2013 and MOptom (with Excellence) from UNSW in 2020. She worked in full-scope optometry practices in regional NSW for eight years with a special interest in diagnostic ocular imaging and therapeutic management of eye disease. Her experiences inspired her to explore retinal imaging accessibility in primary eye care and novel approaches to improving ocular imaging interpretation for retinal disease detection.

Education

  • PhD (Vision Science) (2021- ) UNSW Sydney, Australia.
  • Master of Optometry (2016-2020) UNSW Sydney, Australia.
  • Bachelor of Optometry/Bachelor of Science (2009-2013), UNSW Sydney, Australia.

 
Email

rene.cheung@ad.unsw.edu.au

Cheung R, Ho S, Ly A. Optometrists’ attitudes toward using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) lag behind other retinal imaging types. Ophthalmic Physiological Optics 2022 July (in press).

Cheung R, Ly A, Katalinic P, Coroneo MT, Chang A, Kalloniatis M, Madigan MC, Nivison-Smith L. Visualisation of peripheral retinal degenerations and anomalies with ocular imaging. In Seminars in Ophthalmology 2022 Mar 8 (pp. 1-29). Taylor & Francis.

Long J, Cheung R, Duong S, Paynter R, Asper L. Viewing distance and eyestrain symptoms with prolonged viewing of smartphones. Clinical and Experimental Optometry. 2017 Mar;100(2):133-7.

  • Awards

    • Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (2021-2024).

    Grants

    • Australian Human Rights Institute UNSW – Small Grants Funding Scheme (2021).
    • HDR Development and Research Training Grant (DRTG) (2022).
    • HDR Development and Research Training Grant (DRTG) (2021).
    • Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2023. 
    • XXV Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Eye Research (ISER 2023).
    • 12th Health Services Research Conference 2022.
    • Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2022. 
    • Centre for Eye Health 2021-
    • Optometry Australia (2013 -)
    • The International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) 2022.
    • UNSW Optical and Photonics Society 2022.