Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Dr. Stephen McIntosh provides a high-level overview of Age-related Macular Degeneration, Including modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors, basic treatment approaches, a scientific explanation for the cause of the disease, and thoughts on why the disease etiology is complicated and not completely understood.

About the Guest:

With international experience in eye care, cross-disciplinary research, and healthcare philanthropy, Dr. McIntosh brings a broad perspective to small-town eyecare, spending the past decade practicing optometry in small communities of rural Newfoundland.

His interests include disease prevention and health promotion through primary eye care, optics and the optical industry, as well as bioethics and health care philosophy.

His research background ranges from eco-toxicology and fish embryology to childhood hyperopia epidemiology.

His approach to oculo-visual health is that of behavioural optometry, maximizing quality of life while balancing visual functioning, natural history of vision, and lifestyle demands.

He is active in international outreach initiatives that deliver eyecare and eyewear to areas with unmet need. He founded Seeing Well, an organization that distributes donated glasses. He also assisted in creating the first prison-based glasses recycling program in Eastern Canada to process locally donated glasses for distribution in developing countries

He was the lead consultant and designer of novel electronic medical record software that statistically analyzes diagnoses and generates epidemiological insights about patient populations and clinician diagnostic trends (beta testing, March 2021).

As an overarching philosophy, Dr. McIntosh’s professional mission is to improve quality of life without expanding the human ecological footprint on the earth or jeopardizing quality of life for others, both spatially and temporally.

Current interests include locally preparable contact lens solution, eyelid soap, and artificial tears, as well as decreased reliance on single-use containers in eye care.

-Licences in NL, ON, BC

-Invited speaker and presenter at international conferences in biology, optometry, and environmental toxicology.

-Various academic, research, and business awards. -altMBA, BScH, MSc, OD