Seeing through the smoke

Understanding the impact of bushfire smoke exposure on the ocular surface

Suki’s research is both innovative and a strikingly understandable subject to pursue from the perspective of any Australian who has lived through a bushfire crisis. Her current investigations are centred around how exposure to bushfire smoke can cause ocular surface disease, an underreported side effect for the local communities that endure these natural disasters. Given the prevalence of bushfires in Australia and the current limitations of published literature concerning the ocular impacts of bushfire smoke, Suki’s research will provide valuable knowledge on how smoke can interfere with the delicate mechanics of the ocular surface microenvironment resulting in a range of ocular discomfort symptoms. She is developing novel methods to study how ocular surface immune cells respond when exposed to smoke, paving the way for clinical trials to develop guidelines to treat smoke induced ocular surface disease, which has been her goal from the beginning.

Suki and the UNSW team are currently attempting to simulate bushfire conditions in a controlled environment to directly study the effects such conditions can have on eyes and contact lenses with varying levels of exposure. This is with the hopes of providing a head start on preventative care.