Samantha Lee

Dr Samantha Lee is a Senior Research Fellow at the Lions Eye Institute and an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia (UWA Medical School). Her roles include leading research in ocular epidemiology and genetics, with a focus on glaucoma and myopia. She holds editorial roles at BMC Ophthalmology and Scientific Reports, and serves on committees for Australia Vision Research and the Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology.

Dr Lee earned a BSc (Hons) in Optometry from the University of Manchester (2011) and a PhD in Optometry and Vision Science from Queensland University of Technology (2017). Her research bridges clinical and genetic studies, addressing public health challenges in eye diseases.

Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and well-being. Key research areas include genetic risk profiling for glaucoma, myopia progression mechanisms, and choroidal dynamics. Recent publications explore longitudinal retinal changes, polygenic risk scores, and the impact of lifestyle factors on eye health.

Dr Lee has secured over AU$4 million in research funding and received awards including the 2024 Highly Commended Early Career Researcher and the 2020 UWA Research Collaboration Award. She leads major grants investigating glaucoma risk in aging populations and choroidal contributions to myopia.

Her research teams collaborate internationally, with studies published in high-impact journals like JAMA Ophthalmology and Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Media coverage highlights her findings on myopia’s association with computer screen use versus mobile devices.