Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon & Paediatric Ophthalmologist
BMBCh (Oxford, 1992), FRCOphth (1996) and PhD (University of Manchester, 1999), Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Paediatric Ophthalmologist, Honorary Chair at the University of Manchester.
Manchester and Nationwide
Professor Jane Louise Ashworth BMBCh FRCOphth PhD is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Paediatric Ophthalmologist at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, where she has been a consultant since 2007.
She provides both a general ophthalmic service and a tertiary referral service in clinical and surgical paediatric ophthalmology, with a particular focus on complex eye disorders in children and young people. She is Honorary Chair in Paediatric Ophthalmology at the University of Manchester and is actively involved in clinical research, education and service development at the regional and national levels.
Her areas of expertise include childhood strabismus and amblyopia, congenital cataract and glaucoma, paediatric uveitis, retinopathy of prematurity, cerebral visual impairment, neurometabolic disease affecting the eye and genetic eye disorders. She has authored or co‑authored more than 80 peer‑reviewed publications, multiple book chapters and has co‑edited a textbook on genetics for ophthalmologists, with ongoing involvement in portfolio and industry‑funded research in paediatric eye disease. She plays a leading role in postgraduate training, having served as Head of School of Ophthalmology for Health Education North West and Training Programme Director, and continues to supervise registrars, fellows and research trainees.
Professor Ashworth has undertaken medico‑legal work in ophthalmology since 2016 and now receives a high volume of instructions each year in her specialist areas. Her workload is approximately 55% claimant, 40% defendant and 5% single joint instructions, and she has given oral evidence in court on several occasions. She holds the Cardiff University Bond Solon Expert Witness Certificate and has been on the GMC medico‑legal expert witness list since 2021, as well as providing expert opinion to the Irish Medical Council in fitness to practise cases.
She accepts instructions in clinical negligence and personal injury cases involving paediatric ophthalmology and ophthalmic trauma, and is able to offer timely, balanced reports informed by extensive frontline clinical practice and academic leadership.
Trained in ophthalmology in the North West Deanery, completing higher specialist training in paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, followed by a clinical fellowship in paediatric ophthalmology at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.
Member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, American Association for Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, British Irish Paediatric Ophthalmology Society and Strabismus Association, British Medical Association and UK Eye Genetics Group.