Dr Richard Gardner has been working in private practice in Perth, Western Australia since 2007. Dr Gardner has worked as a consultant ophthalmologist at Royal Perth, Bentley, Osborne Park and Perth Childrens Hospitals.

Dr Gardner’s surgical interests include adult cataract surgery, pterygium surgery and paediatric strabismus surgery, having performed many thousands of these procedures. 

He completed his medical degree at The University of Western Australia and undertook his ophthalmology training in Perth. Following one year of fellowship training in Perth he completed two further years of fellowship training in London, England at the prestigious Moorfields Eye and Great Ormond Street Hospitals. Dr Gardner also withholds a Diploma of Child Health.

He was involved in designing the Post Graduate Diploma in Ophthalmic Basic Sciences course and Masters in Ophthalmic Basic Sciences course at Otago and Sydney Universities. He continues to be a supervisor for local ophthalmology trainees, having taught cataract, pterygium and paediatric strabismus surgeries since 2007. He has been involved in supervising optometry students, both undergraduate and at postgraduate diploma level.

He has previously been a national councillor for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists for six years and for many years was a local councillor with the Western Australian branch. He has been asked to review various facets of the teaching curriculum for the college and has been the primary author on a number of papers.

Since 2007, Dr Gardner has also provided visiting ophthalmology services to the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, a group of remote communities in the central Australian desert. 

Dr Gardner was invited to be on the working party providing advice during the formation of the St John of God Subiaco Eye Hospital which opened in October 2022 and is an active member of the Medical Advisory Committee for that hospital.

He is a member of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Association of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. 

His private practice is in West Leederville, close to St John of God Subiaco Hospital.

He currently performs surgery at St John of God Subiaco Eye Hospital, St John of God Subiaco Hospital, Perth Eye Hospital and Perth Childrens Hospital.