Rate My Professor Andrew Blaikie

Dr Andrew Blaikie serves as Clinical Senior Lecturer in Ophthalmology in the School of Medicine at the University of St Andrews, with extensive research contributions featured in the University of Dundee Research Portal through collaborations in undergraduate medicine and ophthalmology studies. He earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Pathology from the University of Edinburgh in 1993 and 1991, respectively, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of St Andrews in 2025 on evaluating the Arclight as a low-cost tool for eye care in low-resource settings. Blaikie completed a Fellowship in Paediatric Ophthalmology at the Royal Children's Hospital, Queensland, in 2006 and holds Fellowship status with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists since 2004. As Consultant Ophthalmologist with NHS Fife, he leads the Arclight Project, pioneering solar-powered frugal diagnostic devices such as ophthalmoscopes, otoscopes, and retinoscopes. These innovations support training embedded in health worker curricula across Africa and Asia, advancing primary eye care, early diagnosis, and management of conditions like retinopathy of prematurity, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and visual impairment in low- and middle-income countries. He also spearheads CVI-SIM, a patient-co-designed virtual reality simulation to enhance understanding and management of cerebral visual impairment.

Blaikie's career includes honorary lectureships at Hasanuddin University in Indonesia since 2019 and the School of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Rwanda since 2017, as well as an Honorary Professorship at the International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. His accolades encompass the Alastair Fielder Prize for Best Paper on Diabetic Retinopathy Imaging in Uganda (2019, shared), First Prize for Best Oral Presentation on the Arclight Otoscope at ENT Scotland Winter Meeting (2018), and First Prize for Best Research Project on Retinopathy of Prematurity Screening in Indonesia (2016). Notable publications include 'Assessment of decision-making with locally run and web-based large language models versus human board recommendations in otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery' (2025), 'Clinical examination of the macula' (2025, Community Eye Health Journal), and 'Decolonising the 'red' reflex test: transitioning from terminology based on colour to anatomy' (2025, Eye). He contributes to the field as a Board Member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness since 2024 and Editorial Board Member of the Community Eye Health Journal since 2025, alongside delivering invited lectures on topics like 'Technological Use in Retinal Imaging: The Arclight Project' (2024) and newborn eye screening (2024).