David Williams - Contributor Profile

Bio

Qualifying as a veterinary surgeon thirty years ago, David knew from then that he wanted to devote his professional career to ophthalmology. The fascination of the eye in health and disease has never ceased to captivate him and it is this abiding interest that he aims to pass on to his audience, whether a seminar group of veterinary surgeons, a lecture theatre of basic scientists or a classroom of primary school children. 

David has lectured both nationally and internationally with visits to the USA and Canada, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Sudan, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, France and Germany. In both clinical work and research, he seeks to integrate an understanding of the mechanisms of vision in the normal eye with new treatments for eye disease in animals and humans. 

His research has particularly focused on ocular immunology and inflammation (the subject of his PhD and an American text for which he was guest editor) and age-related cataract (the subject of his VetMD and ongoing studies) although an abiding interest in wildlife and exotic pet species also leads him into studies in species as diverse as amphibians and zebrafish. 

His interest in ophthalmology also extends into the history of the subject, and especially the life and work of the Canadian ophthalmologist and ornithologist Casey Albert Wood. Having spent over twenty years in veterinary ophthalmology, he has, over the past ten years, reawakened a long-standing interest in animal welfare and ethics. Having obtained his RCVS certificate in animal welfare science ethics and law he provided, until recently, a lecture course in veterinary ethics as well as teaching in the animal welfare course at Cambridge and has recently become a Diplomate of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behaviour Medicine. 

David also has an abiding interest in veterinary education and especially in the use of animals in teaching veterinary students, the subject of his dissertation in the Masters in Education he completed in the Faculty of Education in Cambridge. The doctorate he is currently undertaking looks at how we teach ethics to veterinary students and to what degree this teaching equips new graduates to cope with ethical dilemmas encountered in their first years after qualifying.

Published Papers

• Faulkner J, Williams DL, Mueller K. Ophthalmology of clinically normal alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in the United Kingdom: a cross-sectional study. Veterinary Record 2020;186(16):e7. doi:10.1136/vr.105758
• Williams DL. Animal models of scarring control. Eye (Lond). 2020;34(2):263‐270.
• de Oliveira JK, Williams DL, Bollmann C, de Seabra NM, Bortolini M, Montiani-Ferreira F. Comparative efficacy of topical oclacitinib 0.1% and tacrolimus 0.01% in canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Veterinary Ophthalmology 2019;22:633‐643
• Rajaei SM, Williams DL. Corneo-conjunctival microflora of clinically normal Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine. 2019 28: 205-208
• Williams DL. From axolotl to zebrafish: a comparative approach to the study of thyroid involvement in ocular development. Eye (Lond). 2018 Nov 27. doi: 10.1038/s41433-018-0288-8. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30482907.
• Williams DL. Ocular Surface Biology and Disease in Amphibians. Veterinary Clinics of North America Exotic Animal Practice. 2019;22(1):97-107. 
• Williams DL. Ocular Surface Biology and Disease in Fish. Veterinary Clinics of North America
• Exotic Animal Practice. 2019;22(1):81-95. 
• Kovalcuka L, Boiko D, Williams DL. Tear production and intraocular pressure values in clinically normal eyes of whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus). Open Veterinary Journal 2018;8(3):335-339. 
• Williams DL, Tighe AA. (2018) Immunohistochemical evaluation of lymphocyte populations in the nictitans glands of normal dogs and dogs with keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Open Veterinary Journal. 8(1):47-52.
• Williams DL. (2018) Optimising tear replacement rheology in canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Eye (Lond). 32(2):195-199
• de Oliveira JK, Montiani-Ferreira F, Williams DL. (2018) The influence of the tonometer position on canine intraocular pressure measurements using the Tonovet® rebound tonometer. Open Veterinary  Journal 8(1):68-76.
• Williams DL. (2017) Effect of Oral Alpha Lipoic Acid in Preventing the Genesis of Canine Diabetic Cataract: A Preliminary Study. Veterinary Science. 4(1). pii: E18
• Williams DL, Wirostko BM, Gum G, Mann BK. (2017) Topical Cross-Linked HA-Based Hydrogel Accelerates Closure of Corneal Epithelial Defects and Repair of Stromal Ulceration in Companion Animals. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 58:4616-4620
• Williams DL, Buckingham, A. (2017)  Measurement of tear osmolarity in the canine eye: a new diagnostic tool for canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca?. Journal of Veterinary Sciences 3: 8-12
• Williams DL (2017) Cataracts in corvids: health and welfare implications of lens opacification in a colony of Western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica). Internatinal Journal of Avian and Wildlife Research 2: 10-16
• Gascoigne E, Williams DL, Reyher KK. (2017) Survey of prevalence and investigation of predictors and staining patterns of the split upper eyelid defect in Hebridean sheep. Veterinary Record 181: 34-47
• Williams DL, Burg P. (2017) Tear production and intraocular pressure in canine eyes with corneal ulceration. Open Veterinary Journal 7:117-125
• Kovalcuka L, Ilgazs A, Bandere D, Williams DL. (2017) Changes in intraocular pressure and horizontal pupil diameter during use of topical mydriatics in the canine eye. Open Veterinary Journal 7:16-22
• Dias FC, Danielski A, Forster K, Williams DL. (2017) Use of a subdermal plexus flap to reconstruct an upper eyelid following radical tumor resection in a cat. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 250:211-214
• Rajaei SM, Mood MA, Paryani MR, Williams DL. (2017) Effects of diurnal variation and anesthetic agents on intraocular pressure in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). American Journal of Veterinary Research 78:85-89
• Williams DL. (2017) Regenerating reptile retinas: a comparative approach to restoring retinal ganglion cell function. Eye (Lond). 31:167-172
• Williams DL, Hogg S (2016) Health and welfare of dogs owned by homeless people. Pet Behaviour Science 1: 23-30  available at http://www.uco.es/ucopress/ojs/index.php/pet/article/view/3998
• Williams DL, Jackson R (2016) Availability of  information on reptile health and welfare from stores selling reptiles. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine.  Available online at http://file.scirp.org/pdf/OJVM_2016031715375742.pdf
• Ansari-Mood M, Mehdi-Rajaei S, Sadjadi R, Selk-Ghaffari M, Williams DL. (2016) Twenty-four-Hour Measurement of Intraocular Pressure in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus). Journal of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science. 55:95-7
• Williams DL, Wager C, Brearley J (2016)Student attitudes regarding the educational value and welfare implications in the use of model eyes and live dogs in teaching practical fundus examination: evaluation of responses from 40 students.Open Veterinary Journal 6:172-177
• Williams DL (2016)  Light and the evolution of vision. Eye (Lond). 30(2):173-8
• Whittaker AL, Williams DL. (2015) Evaluation of Lacrimation Characteristics in Clinically Normal New Zealand White Rabbits by Using the Schirmer Tear Test I. Journal of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science 54:783-
• Simpson KM, Williams DL, Cherubini GB (2015) Neuropharmacological lesion localization in idiopathic Horner's syndrome in Golden Retrievers and dogs of other breeds. Veterinary Ophthalmology. 18:1-5
• Kovalcuka L, Birgele E, Bandere D, Williams DL (2015) Comparison of the effects of topical and systemic atropine sulfate on intraocular pressure and pupil diameter in the normal canine eye. Veterinary Ophthalmology 18:43-9