Skip to main content

Consultant interview - Miss Panagiota Founti

Panagiota, Founti

Miss Panagiota Founti is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon specialising in glaucoma and cataract treatments and is the Training Director for the Glaucoma Service at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Moorfields Private Hospital. She is also a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London.

Miss Founti is a member of numerous medical organisations and groups, including The UK and Eire Glaucoma Society (UKEGS) and the European Glaucoma Society (EGS). In the EGS she is the co-chair of the Scientific Committee and the Program Planning Committee, as well as a contributor to the Guidelines for Glaucoma and the recently published Guide on Surgical Innovation for Glaucoma.

What are your areas of expertise?

I manage all types of glaucoma across the whole spectrum of glaucoma severity and complexity. I perform all types of glaucoma surgery, including ‘conventional’ glaucoma surgery (trabeculectomy and aqueous shunts/tube surgery), the PRESERFLO™ MicroShunt, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery and glaucoma laser procedures (laser trabeculoplasty and laser iridotomy). I also perform cataract surgery, including cataract in glaucoma patients, which can be very complex.

Why do patients come to see you?

My patients are often newly referred for cataract or glaucoma-associated pathology, but I also see patients who wish to have a second opinion about the management of their eye condition, including complications which may have happened elsewhere. Other patients come to see me to explore treatment options outside of the NHS, such as special types of intraocular lenses for cataract surgery.

As a clinician, I believe in partnerships with patients. I listen to my patients; I want them to feel comfortable to ask questions and to discuss any concerns they may have. It is important for me to build this trust, which also allows me to guide my patients to the best management option tailored to their needs.

For the same reason, I make sure that I provide all scientific information, no matter how complex it is, in a way that is easy to understand, so that patients can feel comfortable in making joint decisions with me as their clinician.

What are your research interests?

I have an academic background with a PhD on ocular blood flow in glaucoma. Since then, I have been involved in projects across a wide range of research areas in glaucoma. My main research interests include glaucoma epidemiology (member of the Thessaloniki Eye Study, one of the largest population-based studies of ocular diseases in Europe), exfoliation syndrome/glaucoma (member of the International Consortium for the Genetics of Exfoliation) and randomised controlled trials (Associate Principal Investigator in the CONCEPT Study, which explores the safety and efficacy of a laser treatment combined with cataract surgery for the management of glaucoma). As a result of this work, I have co-authored 38 publications in peer-reviewed journals and I am a reviewer for several scientific journals, including the British Journal of Ophthalmology and the Journal of Glaucoma.

I have also supported medical education throughout my career. I previously held the role of Deputy Director for Quality in Teaching and Learning, and I am currently the Training Director for the Glaucoma Service at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, as well as a Royal College of Physicians accredited educational supervisor.