atory ▁of ▁O ph th alm ology ▁( N LO ), , ▁the ▁academic ▁o ph th alm ology ▁out station ▁of ▁Oxford ▁University ' s ▁N uff ield ▁Department ▁of ▁C lin ical ▁Neu ros ci ences , ▁which ▁is ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁Medical ▁Sciences ▁Division ▁and ▁based ▁in ▁the ▁John ▁Rad cl iffe ▁Hospital . ▁ ▁Mac L aren ▁is ▁described ▁as ▁' one ▁of ▁the ▁stars ' ▁of ▁the ▁developing ▁inter - dis cipl inary ▁field ▁of ▁o ph th al mic ▁transl ational ▁medicine ▁( TM ). ▁This ▁comb ines ▁practical ▁skills ▁in ▁eye ▁surg ery ▁with ▁clin ical ▁academic ▁application ▁in ▁research , ▁to ▁investigate ▁the ▁dise ases ▁of ▁the ▁eye ▁' from ▁ben ch ▁to ▁bed side ': ▁aim ing ▁to ▁improve ▁patient ▁out comes , ▁at ▁least ▁by ▁arrest ing ▁or ▁slow ing ▁the ▁progress ▁of ▁a ▁disease , ▁or ▁– ▁ide ally ▁– ▁by ▁revers ing ▁the ▁effects , ▁partially ▁or ▁totally . ▁Once ▁the ▁processes ▁of ▁the ▁dise ases ▁are ▁understood , ▁new ▁surg ical ▁techn ologies ▁are ▁further ing ▁the ▁options ▁for ▁a ▁surg ical ▁solution ▁and ▁new ▁o ph th al mic ▁techn ologies ▁have ▁created ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁impl ants , ▁such ▁as ▁electronic ▁ret inal ▁devices ▁for ▁prost h esis . ▁Furthermore , ▁the ▁en hanced ▁precision ▁of ▁surg ery ▁allows ▁additional ▁inter vent ions , ▁with ▁the ▁application ▁of ▁gene ▁ther apy ▁and ▁stem - cell ▁ther apy ▁to ▁ret inal ▁d yst roph ies ▁( in her ited