Dr Sohaib Rufai

Dr Rufai is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Ophthalmology, passionate about applied health research and education. His research focus is the application of advanced ocular imaging in paediatric neuro-ophthalmological conditions, including nystagmus, craniosynostosis and paediatric intracranial hypertension. He was awarded a prestigious NIHR Doctoral Fellowship grant of £426,000 to lead a world-first collaborative study (2019-present) between Leicester, GOSH and Oxford, the RIO Study: Recognition of Intracranial Hypertension in Children using Handheld OCT. He has over 80 journal publications and prizes, including the RCOphth Ulverscroft David Owen Prize for leading the world’s first study using handheld OCT to predict future vision in infantile nystagmus (Ophthalmology, 2020), conducted in Leicester, and the European Award in Medicine for Ophthalmology. He has written two best-selling ophthalmology books: A Practical Guide for Aspiring Ophthalmologists (World Scientific, 2021) and MCQs for FRCOphth Part 1 (Oxford University Press, 2022).

Dr Rufai is the Lead Investigator for the RIO Study (Recognition of Intracranial Hypertension in Children using Handheld OCT). Through the RIO Study, he has established partnerships with Great Ormond Street Hospital, London and Oxford Craniofacial Unit. He has been appointed Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the UCL GOS Institute of Child Health and Honorary Fellow at Oxford University Hospitals for this work. As an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow (2016-2019), he led the the world’s first study using handheld OCT to predict future vision in infantile nystagmus (Ophthalmology, 2020), which has been recommended in the Royal College of Ophthalmologists clinical guidelines for Infantile Nystagmus and recognised with numerous awards and prizes.

See Dr Rufai’s Google Scholar page for full list of publications.

Over 45 publications as of 2022, including two best-selling books: A Practical Guide for Aspiring Ophthalmologists (World Scientific, 2021) and MCQs for FRCOphth Part 1 (Oxford University Press, 2022).

Five notable papers

Rufai SR*, Marmoy OR*, Thompson DA, van de Lande LS, Breakey RW, Bunce C, Panteli V, Schwiebert K, Mohamed S, Proudlock FA, Gottlob I, Dunaway DJ, Hayward R, Bowman R, Jeelani NUO. Electrophysiological and fundoscopic detection of intracranial hypertension in craniosynostosis. Eye (Lond). 2023 Jan;37(1):139-145. *Joint first-author
Largest craniosynostosis cohort undergoing invasive ICP monitoring and VEP testing.

Rufai SR. Handheld optical coherence tomography removes barriers to imaging the eyes of young children. Eye (Lond). 2022 May;36(5):907-908.
Invited editorial on the use of handheld OCT in children.

Rufai SR, Bowman R, Bunce C, Panteli V, McLean RJ, Teli S, Gottlob I, Thomas MG, Jeelani NUO, Proudlock FA. Feasibility and Repeatability of Handheld Optical Coherence Tomography in Children With Craniosynostosis. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2021 Jul 1;10(8):24.
World’s first study using handheld OCT in craniosynostosis.

Rufai SR, Bunce C. World leaders' usage of Twitter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a content analysis. J Public Health. 2020 Aug 18;42(3):510-516.
Cited over 300 times including by the World Health Organization.

Rufai SR, Thomas MG, Purohit R, Bunce C, Lee H, Proudlock FA, Gottlob I. Can Structural Grading of Foveal Hypoplasia Predict Future Vision in Infantile Nystagmus? A Longitudinal Study. Ophthalmology. 2020 Apr;127(4):492-500.
World’s first study using handheld OCT to predict future vision in infantile nystagmus.

• Medicine MBChB;
• Biological Sciences BSc;
• Biological Sciences MSc;
• Rotational doctors including Foundation Doctors, Ophthalmology Specialist Trainees, GP Trainees and more.

Dr Rufai sits on the Editorial Boards of Eye and Frontiers in Ophthalmology. He is also an invited reviewer for several journals including the British Journal of Ophthalmology and European Journal of Ophthalmology.

Memberships:

• General Medical Council (GMC),
• Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth),
• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO),
• British Medical Association (BMA),
• Medical Defence Union (MDU)

As of 2023, Dr Rufai has been awarded over 35 prizes for his work, many at international/national level including the European Award in Medicine for Ophthalmology (ranked 1st out of 50 candidates), RCOphth (Ulverscroft David Owen Prize and more), ARVO, UKNOS (Ivor Levy Prize), BIPOSA, BAAPS, MOS and SOC prizes, the Vernon Prize Trophy for Ophthalmological Research, the Bayer ROSES Audit Award and others. In 2023, he received the University of Leicester College of Life Sciences PhD Prize 2021-23. He was the top-ranked candidate for the NIHR Academic Clinical Lectureship in Ophthalmology (Leicester, 2023) and the top-ranked candidate for the NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Ophthalmology (Leicester, 2019-2022).

Dr Rufai volunteers as an Ambassador for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Children’s Charity - he has organised fundraisers in this role. He recently raised over £1000 with a GOSH Charity guitar fundraiser. Dr Rufai is a founding member of the University of Leicester College of Life Sciences Fellows’ Forum, supporting early career researchers through educational and networking events. As the elected Doctors Mess President in Leicester and Southampton, representing over 2000 doctors in total, he organised large fundraisers for both hospital charities. He has also fundraised for other charities including Gift of Sight, Mind, Anthony Nolan (Marrow), HIVE Southampton and Northamptonshire Association for the Blind, many of which involved organising large events and performing as a guitarist. Dr Rufai is also passionate about medical education and is regularly invited to teach at educational events for school students, undergraduates and postgraduates.

Dr Rufai's work has attracted regional, national and global media coverage, including major newspapers, ITV News, Daybreak, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 4, BBC Newsbeat, local newspapers and radio station interviews. In 2020, he became the first ophthalmologist to use handheld OCT in craniopagus twins (conjoined at the skull) treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital – a case covered by global media.

Integrated BMedSc (Honours), University of Southampton, 2013

BMBS, University of Southampton, 2014

MRes (Distinction), University of Leicester, 2020

FInstLM, Fellow of Institute of Leadership and Management, 2022

PhD, University of Leicester, 2023 (awarded College of Life Sciences PhD Prize 2021-23)