Rory Dowdall is a member of our 2019 Annapurna Base Camp team. Learn a bit more about this ambitious optometrist!

I’m an Optometrist at My Eye Care Centre, a new optometry practice within the My Medical & Dental group and Mullein Pharmacy group. The practice has a strong focus on Dry eye management and co-management of ocular diseases and general health outcomes with our General practitioners, but we also provide a very personalised service to all of our patients with every step of the journey carried out by our Optometrist, and I also do outcalls to local Nursing homes near the practice too.

A first year graduate from QUT school of Optometry who is brave/stupid enough to try to run a new practice as my first job out from University. Prior to studying Optometry I completed my Bachelor of Science at Griffith University and worked as a Sleep Scientist for a couple of years, but decided night shift was definitely not for me.  

I’ve had some hiking experience mainly to the hinterland region in the Sunshine Coast and a few “Great Walk” treks that involved very mild trekking and excess consumption of Gatorade, Museli Bars, Spam in a can and red wine while camping.

During my student years I managed to do a few placements in regional Queensland which showed the amazing impact we can have as practitioners in rural areas in need, however it was my placement in 2017/8 in India that was a real “eye-opener” (pardon the pun), seeing some of the work that was carried out by the LV Prasad Eye Hospital and the Brien Holden Vision Institute in regional India to those less fortunate really inspired me to volunteer my spare time helping those that need it most. This is why I’ve joined Eyes4Everest this year.

My training for the trek was recently set back by nearly breaking my ankle while playing social sport, however being off crutches and back into the gym has been great, and I’m looking at doing a few more treks around the Samford region along with some personal training at Shape Up fitness in Newstead along with taking up cycling for cardio-vascular fitness.