Charles Henry Akkermans MB BS, DO, FRACO

Charles (Charlie) Akkermans was born in Munich, Germany, on 23 July 1935. He attended the University of Western Australia for his first year of medicine, and completed his studies at the University of Adelaide, residing at Aquinas College and graduating in 1958.

In 1959, he undertook his internship at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide and, in 1960, was a medical officer at the Repatriation General Hospital in Daw Park. From 1961 to 1963, he was a registrar at Sydney Eye Hospital and obtained his Diploma in Ophthalmology. He then returned to Adelaide with his family and joined a private practice. He became a member of the Australian College of Ophthalmologists in 1969 and a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists in 1978.

His main interest was paediatric ophthalmology. At Adelaide Children’s Hospital (ACH), he was a consultant from 1963 until 1987 and was appointed Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology in 1981. He held visiting consultancies at Royal Adelaide Hospital, Port Lincoln Hospital and South Australian Government services for the intellectually disabled, and was a Squadron Leader consultant with the Royal Australian Air Force Specialist Reserve. He also lectured in ophthalmology to nurses at ACH and the staff of MBH Consulting.

In 1979, Charles co-wrote an article on ankyloblepharon filiforme adnatum, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, and presented two papers at the International Congress on Paediatric Ophthalmology in Sydney.

Charles was Honorary Vice President of the Albinism Fellowship and Support Group, formed following his extensive interviewing and examination of South Australians with albinism.