Mr. Kirk Stephenson

Additional Services

Retinal detachment. Vitrectomy. Cataract surgery. Macular degeneration. Diabetic retinopathy. Retinal imaging. Genetic eye diseases. Paediatric retinal disease. Visual electrophysiology.

Areas of Expertise

Mr. Kirk Stephenson is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Mater Private Network, Dublin. He specialises in inherited and acquired disorders of the retina, vitreous and choroid, as well as ophthalmic genetics and visual electrophysiology.

About

Education & Experience

Mr. Kirk Stephenson is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Retina Specialist in both Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street and Mater Private Network, Dublin. 

He graduated from University College Dublin School of Medicine in 2010 [MB BCh BAO (Hons)] and completed his ophthalmic surgery training through the Irish College of Ophthalmologists and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (FRCSI). He completed two post-graduate research degrees in the field of inherited retinal diseases – MD (UCD, 2018) and MSc (University of South Wales, UK, 2024) exploring diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for people with rare eye conditions. 

Mr. Stephenson undertook three years of international subspecialty fellowship training in Canada. He completed two years of intensive training at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in medical and surgical retina, uveitis, genetics and ocular oncology, followed by a year at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto where he gained expertise in ophthalmic genetics, inherited retinal degenerations and visual electrophysiology. 

Mr. Stephenson has been appointed as a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Children’s Health Ireland (Temple Street Hospital) where he leads the paediatric retina, genetic eye disease and electrophysiology services. In 2025 he joined Mater Private Network in Dublin.

Qualifications

• 2010 MB BCh BAO (Hons) – Medical Degree, University College Dublin
• 2017 FEBO – Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology
• 2018 MD – Doctor of Medicine research degree University College Dublin
• 2021 FRCOphth – Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, UK
• 2022 FRCSI (Ophth) – Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
• 2024 MSc – Master of Science in Genomic Medicine and Healthcare, University of South Wales
• 2024 DRCPSC – AFC (Retina) – Diplomat of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada – Area of Focused Competency (Retina)

Special Interests  

Mr. Stephenson’s primary interests are adult and paediatric diseases of the retina, vitreous and choroid including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, epiretinal membrane and macular hole surgery. He is a clinician-scientist whose main interest is in optimising diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for people affected by rare eye diseases, such as inherited retinal degenerations. 

Subspecialties 

• Vitreoretinal Surgery
• Cataract surgery
• Medical retina
• Paediatric retinal disorders
• Ophthalmic Genetics
• Visual Electrophysiology
• Ophthalmic imaging

Clinical Research, Teaching & Advocacy

Mr. Stephenson has over sixty peer reviewed publications focusing primarily on ophthalmic genetics, retinal disease and ophthalmic imaging. He has also acted as a peer reviewer for more than 100 publications in twenty-five renowned journals. He has presented on the national and international level in his specialist area and personally been awarded funding in excess of €150,000 (awards and grants) for his research thus far. He has been a co-investigator on clinical trials in Ireland and Canada. He is actively involved in the training of the next generation of ophthalmologists and retina specialists. He regularly participates in educational events and research updates for patients and families affected by rare eye diseases.

His professional memberships include the Irish College of Ophthalmologists, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and the International Society for Genetic Eye Disease and Retinoblastoma (ISGEDR).  He is also a member of the European Reference Network for Rare Eye Diseases (ERN-EYE), the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) and International Society for the Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision, British Division (BrISCEV).

Selected Awards and Honours

Mr. Stephenson was awarded the John Gaby Prize for Best Fellow Presentation at the University of Toronto Ophthalmology Research Day 2025, in addition to the University of British Columbia (UBC) Fellow Teacher Award 2024 and UBC Research Day 2024 Best Fellow Presentation.  In 2022 he was awarded Best Paper (Ophthalmology Division) at the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland Research Awards, and the 2020 Dublin Research Foundation Clinical Prize at the Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital.