Medico-Legal Experience

Dr Louis Clearkin is a Consultant Ophthalmologist and Expert Witness in Ophthalmology with a special interest in Neuro-ophthalmology. He accepts claimant, defendant and joint instructions in civil litigation matters within his sphere of expertise, and aims to provide prompt, high-quality, stand-alone medical reports.

He is listed in The UK Law Society’s Directory of Expert Witnesses and is a practising member of The Academy of Experts. He is a Tier 1 Expert with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a Data Protection Officer.

Dr Clearkin’s expert witness service includes reports completed within four weeks of accepting instructions and receiving all relevant documents, with faster turnaround possible in urgent cases. He has access to a full range of diagnostic services, including refraction, visual fields, photography, retinal and corneal imaging, ocular electrophysiology, orthoptics and biometry.

His medico-legal work includes detailed assessment and documentation of contentious or disputed visual injury. He attends conferences in person, by telephone and online, and provides advisory reports in professional disciplinary proceedings and challenges to decisions.

Dr Clearkin has acted as an adviser to the General Medical Council and frequently provides reports for investigations by regulatory bodies, including the Association of Optometrists, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the General Optical Council, the Ombudsman and the General Medical Council.

Clinical Experience

Dr Clearkin worked until 2026 as a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. His specialisms include neuro-ophthalmology, uveitis and retinal disease. His ophthalmology training was undertaken in Leeds and at St Paul’s Eye Hospital, with post-CCT fellowships at Moorfields Eye Hospital, the Wilmer Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School.

Dr Clearkin has held consultant ophthalmology posts across several NHS and international settings, including Barnsley, Jerusalem, Wirral, Liverpool, Nottingham, Oxford and London. He has long-standing academic links in the UK and USA, including roles with the University of Sheffield, University of Liverpool, Ohio State University, St George’s University Grenada, Gresham College London and the University of Liverpool Institute for Risk and Uncertainty.

He has worked with ORBIS International and has experience in India, Sudan, Mali, China and Haiti. He is principal or co-author on more than 60 peer-reviewed publications on ophthalmology and his thesis on homeostasis in retinal vein occlusion was accepted by the University of Sheffield in 1992.

Special Interests

• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Uveitis
• Retinal disease
• Retinal vein occlusion
• Disputed visual injury
• Visual loss assessment
• Ocular electrophysiology
• Visual fields
• Retinal and corneal imaging
• Ophthalmology expert witness reports
• Professional disciplinary proceedings
• Regulatory investigations
• Medical retina
• Risk and uncertainty in diagnosis

Memberships of Professional Bodies

• General Medical Council
• Irish Medical Council
• Royal College of Surgeons of London
• Royal College of Ophthalmologists
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
• American Academy of Ophthalmology
• British Medical Association
• North of England Ophthalmological Society
• Oxford Ophthalmological Congress
• United Kingdom Intraocular Implant Society
• Academy of Experts
• British Ophthalmic Anaesthesia Association
• American Society of Retina Specialists
• Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine
• Functional Neurological Disorders Society
• UK Psychological Trauma Society
• The Institute for Addressing Strangulation
• General Optical Council Advisor
• The Balint Society
• ORBIS International
• Institute for Risk and Uncertainty, University of Liverpool
• TARGET Consortium, Leeds Institute for Data Analytics s

Further information

Download Dr Clearkin’s CV to learn more about his qualifications, ophthalmology training, consultant appointments, academic roles, medico-legal experience, professional memberships and publications.