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Mr Cornelius Rene

Cornelius is an experienced ophthalmic surgeon specialising in oculoplastic surgery (eyelid plastic surgery), lacrimal (tear duct) surgery and orbital (eye socket) surgery.

Cornelius Rene

He joined CUH as a consultant in 1998 after working at famous eye hospitals including Moorfields in London. He is a founder member, former treasurer and past president of the British Oculoplastic Surgery Society (BOPSS).

Cornelius is also a visiting consultant on the Lifeline Express Teaching Programme in China and a faculty member of the Lifeline Express International Academy of Eye Health. He is a trustee of the Cambridge Eye Trust, a charity dedicated to supporting and funding eye research programmes.

In this series, he undertakes a number of delicate procedures including the removal of a cancerous eye, which was replaced with a prosthetic eye, and the treatment of a patient with severe facial infection, together with maxillofacial surgeon, Mr Malcolm Cameron.

When not in theatre Cornelius likes to unwind by gardening, cooking, spending time with friends and family, and listening to music. He also loves photography and plays the drums and guitar.

Cornelius and his colleague Malcolm Cameron being interviewed for The Face Doctors

Link: https://youtu.be/RVZY8ZXwitM

Video Transcript

The most enjoyable part of The Face Doctors filming was a young man

0:04
who'd come back to the clinic after falling off his e-scooter.

0:07
He had a pretty torn up face

0:10
but when he came back to the clinic,

0:11
I was just so delighted with how good he looked.

0:13
He was happy and his mother was happy.

0:15
So that was the most lifting moment throughout the whole series.

0:18
One of my favorite moments was actually seeing the patient who had her eye removed.

0:23
It was amazing to see the transformational change

0:25
when she had her first prosthesis fitted.

0:28
I see lots of patients here, but most of them won't know that at home

0:31
and around the farms, in the fields where I live, I keep lots of beehives

0:35
and it is the most wonderful hobby.

0:37
I don't quite often broadcast this,

0:39
but I'm the first black consultant ocular plastic surgeon in the UK.

0:43
There are only about 2% of ophthalmologists who identify as black

0:47
in the UK, and about 6% of doctors in general identify as black.

0:52
To be the first black ocular plastic surgeon is a great privilege

0:56
and I'm hopeful that I've had the opportunity

0:59
to be a trailblazer and to inspire the next generation.

This document was correct at the time of printing - 03-07-2024 04:38