The Animal Eye Care Team

Animal Eye Care was the first stand-alone specialist practice in Australia, established by Dr Robin Stanley in 1991. Robin's vision was to be establish a clinic of Melbourne eye vets with a clear vision to provide the best care for all veterinary patients.

We are a genuinely compassionate group who are very approachable and always willing to answer questions you may have out of consultation. We are a flexible team and when required we stretch to accommodate emergencies at short notice. We understand the stress which can be caused when your best friends has an eye problem.

We endeavour to provide owners with information and an explanation on their pet’s eye condition. We appreciate that there is a certain level of stress when you first come for a consultation and we strive to provide clear explanations of your pets' eye condition and the treatment plan.

The vision of Animal Eye Care remains to be the very best and most respected eye care practice in the world.

Veterinarian

Dr Robin Stanley BVSc Hons MANZCVSc (Surgery) FANZCVSc (Ophthalmology)

Robin is an honours graduate of the University of Melbourne in 1984. He is a Member (small animal surgery 1988) and Fellow (ophthalmology 1990) of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists. He was a clinical consultant & visiting senior lecturer at the school of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne for many years and is a tutor for the Centre for Veterinary Education, University of Sydney. Robin has lectured throughout Australia, and also in New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sweden, England, South Africa and the United States.

Robin's pets include: Blue an Australian Shepherd and two rescue cats - Cleo and Harry

VeterinarIAN

MARNIE FORD, PhD, DVM, DACVO, graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2000 after completing a Bachelors in Zoology at the University of British Columbia and a PhD in Physiology at Monash University in Australia. Following a rotating small animal internship at the University of Minnesota in 2001, Dr. Ford achieved diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists in 2006 following an ophthalmology residency at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Her research interests focused on retinal function and toxicological retinal degeneration.

Following her residency, Dr. Ford moved back to Vancouver and opened an ophthalmology specialty practice. In 2013 she left the brick and mortar practice to provide mobile medical and surgical ophthalmologic care to patients in the lower mainland of BC, Vancouver Island, and the Interior of BC.  Dr. Ford is excited to return to Melbourne to not only continue ophthalmology practice, but also to pursue teaching, and to continue with her hobbies that include riding horses, volunteering, and making lace.

Veterinarian

Dr Matt Sanders BVSc Hons MANZCVSc (Surgery) FANZCVSc (Ophthalmology) Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology

Matt graduated with honours from the University of Melbourne in 2003. Since graduation he dedicated himself to general practice both in Australia and in the United Kingdom. He completed the Distance Education Course in Ophthalmology from the University of Sydney in 2006 and has maintained a keen special interest in ophthalmology ever since. Whilst working in London he regularly visited several of England’s leading veterinary eye clinics. Matt joined the team at Animal Eye Care in 2016 as part of a residency training position to become an eye specialist. He became a member of the ANZCVS in Small Animal Surgery by examination in 2017.

Matt achieved his specialist qualifications in 2021.

Matt has an Irish Setter named Connie, and 2 cats - Mog and Slinky Malinki.

Veterinarian

Jane returned to study as a mature aged student and completed her degree of Veterinarian Science with Honours at the University of Melbourne in 2011. Prior to that Jane was head of Target Validation within the Department of Primary Industries where she researched milk components and milk production in dairy cattle and wallabies. She is also an honours graduate in Science from the University of Melbourne and has a PhD in Biochemistry and Genomics. In 2016 Jane completed the William Magrane Basic Science Course in Veterinary and Comparative Ophthalmology at North Carolina State University.

In 2018 Jane was invited by the University of Sydney to lead a four week course in Veterinary Ophthalmology for new and recent graduates. She was voted the best tutor of 2018 and then invited to speak at their “Recent Graduate Survival Skills” conference in Sydney later that year. She continues to teach veterinary ophthalmology to general practitioners through the popular University of Sydney course each year.

Jane is a Professional Interest Practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology.

Jane's pets include two cheeky rescue cats – Cleo and Harry as well as the beautiful Blue, an Australian Sheppard.

Veterinarian

Dr Helen Mather BVSc GPCert(Ophthal) Resident in Veterinary Ophthalmology

Helen is a kiwi vet who graduated from Massey University, New Zealand at the end of 2011. She first developed an interest in Veterinary Ophthalmology during vet school, but following graduation she enjoyed several years working in rural mixed practice in New Zealand. Helen completed a Masters level paper in veterinary ophthalmology prior to commencing a small animal rotating internship at Massey University.

At the end of 2019, she moved to Herefordshire, England to complete an Ophthalmology internship at Eye Veterinary Clinic, where she began studying towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology. Helen joined the Animal Eye Care team in March 2021.

Outside of ophthalmology, Helen enjoys music, art, growing her own vegetables, and adventuring in the great outdoors. She's excited to explore more of Australia with her partner and their pointer-vizsla cross, Argo.

VETERINARIAN

Allison graduated from The University of Melbourne in 2012 and has worked around Australia and the UK. In 2015, she completed a rotating internship at Sydney University where she first developed an interest in ophthalmology. She was then swept up by the adrenalin of emergency medicine in sunny Queensland, during which she also completed a year-long Distance Education Course in ophthalmology taught by our very own Dr Robin Stanley.  

Throughout the years, Allison has kept sight of her interest in ophthalmology. After returning to Melbourne from two years in the UK, she was keen to follow her passion, and joined the team at Animal Eye Care to pursue a residency in ophthalmology. 

In her spare time, Allison enjoys heading out to explore the great outdoors, solving escape rooms, finding cute outfits for her pets Toby and Ellie, and last but not least, a good karaoke session!

Veterinary Nurse

Nicole has been a veterinary nurse for over 10 years working in small animal and mixed animal practices. She is originally from a small down in New Zealand but moved here 6 years ago with her daughter.

When asked what she enjoyed most about working at Animal Eye Care she said “I enjoy all the new skills I am learning and the knowledge I am gaining form this unique aspect of veterinary medicine. Watching patients regain their vision is certainly a highlight.”

Veterinary Nurse

Mari began working with us here at Animal Eye Care since January 2016. She has been working in clinics for 7 years and completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2015.

She grew up with a large number of different animals with her dad being a vet and developed a passion for animal care at a young age. She has special interests in ophthalmology, feline behaviour and avian medicine. Mari is also a freelance Artist, Designer and Animator in her spare time.

She has two wonderful cats at home, one Burmese named Sid Licious and one pure white Domestic Short Hair named Snee Whee who was born deaf but that doesn’t slow her down!

She particularly enjoys surgery here at Animal Eye Care and how happy patients are when they can see their owners after surgery.

Veterinary Nurse

Michelle has been Veterinary Nursing for over 10 years in General Practice, Emergency Critical Care and also running her own puppy pre-school. Michelle completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2010. Before coming to work part-time at Animal Eye Care she took 12 months off to become a mum and look after her son, James.

Michelle shares her cosy home with her husband, son and newest edition to the family Grace her daughter. She also has a very cheeky Galah named Ruby and two loving dogs (Indy the Cavalier and Tiny the Chihuahua). Along with an interest in Animal Ophthalmology, she also has a special interest in Bird medicine and behaviour. What Michelle enjoys most about working at Animal Eye Care is the dynamic team she works alongside and the ongoing knowledge she is gaining from learning more about animal ophthalmology which she has never really got the chance to when in general practice.

Veterinary Nurse

Danijela joined the Animal Eye Care team in 2016. She started working as a veterinary nurse during high school work experience and is still loving working as part of a veterinary team more than 15 years on. Prior to joining the team she worked as practice manager in a small animal clinic where she developed a special interest in surgical nursing and dentistry. Currently, Danijela has taken a keen interest into cataracts. Danijela says restoring vision is such a great feeling, it can make a huge difference in quality of life for a patient.

Danijela also has a strong love for the German Shepherd breed and has even competed in numerous shows with her boys Rocky and Dino. These days though Danijela finds herself running after her daughter rather than in the ring.

Veterinary Nurse

Stephanie moved to Australia in 2018 after working as a veterinarian in her homeland of Brazil for several years. She worked as a vet nurse in an emergency clinic here in Australia before joining the Animal Eye Care team in early 2020. Steph especially enjoys being involved in cataract surgery cases and seeing how dedicated the clientele is to their beloved pets.
When she isn’t working hard at the clinic Steph really loves getting into a good television series at home. There has a chubby Jack Russell x back in Brazil called Popcorn that has Stephanie’s heart.

VETERINARY NURSE

Megan became a veterinary nurse in 2015 after studying sociology and anthropology then deciding that it wasn’t quite for her. She completed her associate degree in veterinary nursing in 2016 and has worked in a number of different clinics since then. Megan joined Animal Eye Care in January 2020 and loves being a part of our team.
Her favourite thing about working at Animal Eye Care is getting to meet the array of clients and patients who come from all over the state (and sometimes even interstate!) to get help from us. Having two family Jack Russells (Archie and Holly) and always growing up with the breed, Megan has a soft spot for terriers - so do be prepared to get a lot of attention from her when you bring in yours! She is also a proud cat-mum to Pretzel and Cookie.
Outside of work Megan enjoys building LEGO, snowboarding in the winter and fussing over her furry family members all year round.

VETERINARY NURSE

Esther has been a veterinary Nurse since 2014 working in small animal practice. Esther started at Animal Eye Care in October 2019. She enjoys working with a professional and experienced team with ample support. She has found her niche in the Veterinary Nursing world, since starting at Animal Eye Care.  Due to the amount of interesting cases and knowledge she gains each day in a field so specialised, she’s here to stay.
When asked what she enjoys most about Animal Eye Care she replied “As I think everyone else has said, it’s definitely Cataract Surgery. Being able to experience and be involved in patient regaining their vision, is a gift that keeps on giving”. In her spare time Esther likes to watch Korean Drama and taking her two dogs, a Shih Tzu x (Kiki) and a Shetland Sheep dog (Yuki) for a walk.

VETERINARY NURSE

Divya is a veterinary student at the University of Melbourne and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 2020. She has been part of the team since the start of the pandemic!

She loves working at Animal Eye Care as she learns so many new things about eyes every Saturday and meets several wonderful furry friends. She also enjoys speaking to many devoted owners, some who travel a great distance for their pets.

Divya absolutely loves Golden Retrievers and goes for a walk with her family Golden Retriever (Buddy) every morning. If you do bring your own Golden Retriever to the clinic, be prepared for them to get extra pats and cuddles from her!

In her "free" time she likes reading novels and catching up on some Netflix. She loves camping and hiking and is looking forward to going on her next adventure.  

VETERINARY NURSE

Ausra joined Animal Eye Care in 2021 and absolutely enjoys every aspect of the practice. When asked about it she said: “I love being a part of this highly skilled and dedicated team which every day helps pets with their eye health and vision problems”.

Born in Lithuania, Ausra completed her university studies in Europe and Melbourne. Recently, after many years travelling, living and working in Europe and South East Asia, she, her Australian husband and three children have settled back in Melbourne for good. She enjoys meeting, greeting and giving cuddles to every pet who comes through the door of the clinic. Currently Ausra is studying veterinary nursing and has a great interest in veterinary ophthalmology.

In her spare time Ausra teaches swimming and water safety at the local pool and loves to explore great outdoors either on the horseback or on foot, and to take care of her two rescue pets: Koolie dog Shar and Singapura cat Hugo.  

© Copyright Animal Eye Care 2021.

t. 03 9563 6488
181 Darling Road
Malvern East 3145 Victoria