Lay summary
This application is for a keratoconus-based PhD for Lize Angelo, a PGY2 House Officer at Auckland District Health Board. She has done previous research in the form of a summer studentship and other smaller projects. She has a pending publication and has presented at RANZCO congress. She is passionate about research and is committing to a 3-year project, with the aim of expanding academic knowledge and working towards a RANZCO application as an ophthalmology trainee. Aotearoa has one of the highest reported rates of keratoconus, a potentially blinding eye disease, in the world. Māori and Pacific peoples have an increased prevalence of keratoconus and are more likely to progress even when listed to undergo CXL treatment. We aim to assess the current practice and referral patterns of optometrists managing keratoconus, compare the repeatability and agreement of standard corneal topography, and investigate variations in access to determine if Māori are inequitably affected.