ARVO is the world’s largest organisation dedicated to eye and vision research, bringing together researchers and clinicians from across the globe to advance the understanding and treatment of visual disorders. The Board of Trustees helps shape the strategic direction of the organisation and oversees its scientific and professional activities.
Professor Yu Wai Man was elected as Trustee for the EY section during the 2026 ARVO elections. This section focuses on conditions affecting eye movement, eye alignment and the connection between the eyes and the brain.
Alongside this role, Professor Yu Wai Man is Chair of Ophthalmology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Clinical Vision Laboratory. His research focuses on inherited optic neuropathies (genetic disorders affecting the optic nerve) and the mechanisms that lead to sight loss. Using a combination of patient tissues, stem cells and laboratory models, he works to better understand disease progression and develop new therapies.
Since joining Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2014, Professor Yu Wai Man has been supported by the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). In 2021, he was awarded an NIHR Advanced Fellowship to study patient outcomes and potential therapies for inherited optic nerve diseases. This included gene therapy approaches for Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), a rare genetic condition that can cause severe vision loss.
Working closely with collaborators across Cambridge, Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Professor Yu Wai Man has helped build a national referral network for patients with mitochondrial eye diseases and improve access to specialist expertise and research studies.
His election to the ARVO Board of Trustees recognises his international leadership in inherited eye disease research, as well as his longstanding contributions to the global vision
research community.
Commenting on the appointment, Professor Yu Wai Man said:
Congratulations Patrick, we are proud to support research that is helping to develop new treatments for inherited eye conditions and prevent sight loss.