Associate Professor Darren Ting is a UK-accredited, dual-trained, clinical academic Consultant Ophthalmologist with a subspecialty expertise in Cornea, Ocular Surface, Cataract and Refractive Surgery. His career is distinguished by a unique blend of clinical and surgical excellence, cutting-edge research, and a commitment to training, education and mentorship.

Medical Journey

Mr. Ting began his medical journey at a young age of 16 at International Malaysia University (IMU), Malaysia, and subsequently earned his medical degree (MBChB) from the University of Edinburgh in 2009. He went on to complete his 7-year Ophthalmology Specialist Training at the Northern Deanery, UK, in 2018 (with double gold medals in UK national exams), and later obtained his PhD in 2021, funded by the prestigious Medical Research Council, Fight for Sight and RCOphth Fellowships. Further honing his expertise, he completed an advanced Cornea, Ocular Surface and Cataract Surgery Fellowship under the tutelage of Professor Harminder Dua and Mrs. Dalia Said in Nottingham, UK. In 2023, he was appointed as an academic Consultant Ophthalmologist position in Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre (BMEC), one of the UK largest ophthalmic tertiary referral centres, and the Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) Clinician Scientist Fellow at the University of Birmingham. In that same year, he successfully completed the Certificate in Laser Refractive Surgery (CertLRS) accreditation exam by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (UK), which enables him to work in the field of laser refractive surgery. He also holds the position of Honorary Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at both the University of Nottingham, UK, and the Duke-NUS, Singapore, in recognition of his significant contribution to research and teaching. 

Clinical & Surgical Expertise

Mr. Ting is well known for his holistic approach to patient care and his diverse skillsets in managing complex acute and chronic corneal and ocular surface diseases. So far, he has performed more than 5000 ophthalmic surgeries/procedures, including >4000 cataract surgeries and >100 corneal transplantations. He is an efficient and safe high-volume cataract surgeon, with a posterior capsular rupture (PCR) of ~0.40% (well below the national average standard of 1.1%). He had set records of performing 100 cataract surgeries in four consecutive days with 0% complication. He is also proficient in performing a wide range of corneal and anterior segment surgeries, including corneal transplantations [e.g. penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK), Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK)], amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT), pterygium surgery, anterior segment reconstruction, pupilloplasty (repair of iris defects), corneal cross-linking (CXL), corneal fine needle diathermy for corneal vascularisation, intraocular lens (IOL) exchange, secondary sulcus/scleral-fixated IOL implantations, YAG capsulotomy, and many others. 

Research & Academic Achievements

As a dedicated clinical researcher, he has secured ~£1 million as the Principal Investigator and has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications (~100 first or last-authored papers; https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=KbrpC8cAAAAJ&hl=en), including in BMJ, Nature Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Microbe, Lancet EClinicalMedicine, PRER, Ophthalmology, and others. His research interests span fundamental / translational research, clinical research, and evidence synthesis, with a primary focus on corneal and ocular surface diseases, cataract (and cataract surgery), antimicrobial drug discovery and development, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital health innovations. His academic achievement has been recognised by >30 academic awards, including the University of Nottingham (UoN) Vice Chancellor Medal (one of the University's highest academic accolades) for research excellence, UK & Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (IISCRS) Best Poster and Oral Prizes, RCOphth Crombie Medal (gold medal in FRCOphth exam), and RCOphth Cornwall Prize (gold medal in DRCOphth exam), amongst others. He is a regular speakers at international and national ophthalmology conferences, and is ranked among the top 0.1% of global experts (out of >20,000 authors) by Expertscape in  “Keratitis” (corneal infection/inflammation) research   (https://expertscape.com/ex/keratitis). He also serves as the Associate Editor of Eye Open journal (affiliated with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, UK) and Frontiers in Ophthalmology journal and as an Editorial / Review board member of Frontiers in Medicine (Ophthalmology), Ophthalmology Research, Annals of Translational Medicine, and Microorganisms journals.

Leadership & Mentorship

Mr Ting is deeply committed to training the next generation ophthalmologists and scientists. He has mentored and supervised over 20 trainees, junior doctors and medical students in research, with many leading to peer-reviewed publications. During his ophthalmology specialist training in Northern Deanery (UK), he served as the Chief Resident (Trainee Representative) for several years and co-founded the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Trainee Research Network (NETRiON). He also plays an active role in the University where he supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students.

He has forged strong research collaborations with many world-leading institutes, including University of Cambridge, University College London, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, Singapore National Eye Centre / Singapore Eye Research Institute (SNEC/SERI), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Pennsylvania, Proctor Foundation (UCSF), Harvard Medical School, University of British Columbia, University of New South Wales, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre (China), Cochrane and Eye Vision Group, and many others. He serves on the steering committees of several national and international working groups/organisations, including the RCOphth Cornea & Ocular Surface Disease Electronic Patient Record Standardisation Working Group and the Collaborative Community in Ophthalmic Innovation – Cornea and Cataract section (https://cc-oi.org/). 

Personal Interests & Languages

Outside of medicine, Mr. Ting has a diverse interest in life, including singing, music, playing piano (Grade 8 practical and theory in ABRSM), badminton, skiing, photography, and travelling. As a multi-linguistic doctor fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, he can effectively communicate with patients from diverse backgrounds, ensuring a personalised and inclusive experience.