Dr Neringa Jurkute

Dr Neringa Jurkute is a locum consultant neuro-ophthalmologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and Moorfields Eye Hospital. 

She earned her medical degree from Vilnius University in Lithuania, where she also completed her ophthalmology training. Following this, she worked for nearly four years as a consultant in general ophthalmology. In 2016, driven by a strong interest in neuro-ophthalmology, she relocated to the UK to specialise further in this field. 

Dr Neringa Jurkute has held the role of Clinical Research Associate at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, contributing extensively to research on inherited optic neuropathies. She served as a sub-principal investigator on eight clinical studies, including natural history studies and treatment trials—particularly in gene therapy and pharmacological interventions. Since joining the neuro-ophthalmology department, she has initiated two studies in which she is the principal investigator. 

Dr Neringa Jurkute earned her PhD in ocular genomics from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. Her doctoral research focused on “Elucidation of the Missing Heritability in Mitochondrial Eye Disorders – Clinical, Molecular, and Functional Investigations.” She played a key role in identifying candidate genes and variants and in their functional characterization through laboratory-based experiments. Her work led to several significant outcomes, including the phenotypic characterisation of 94 affected individuals across 54 families, the discovery of two novel genes, the first Mendelian disease report for the condition, five novel phenotypes, and the development of diagnostic assays using Oxford Nanopore sequencing. 

She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including 12 as first author, with contributions to leading journals in ophthalmology, neuroscience, and genetics. She is an active contributor to academic and clinical communities, frequently presenting at local, national, and international conferences—often as an invited speaker. 

On an international level, Dr Neringa Jurkute as a member of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Working Group has contributed to the development of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) as part of the European Training Requirements. This initiative, led by the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) and the Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS), aims to standardise and enhance ophthalmology training across Europe. 

Professional memberships:  

• EUNOS (EUNOS council member 2019 – 2024), NANOS (nominated as fellow member in 2024), UKNOS, EVER, ARVO. Membership in Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Partnership (GeCIP) The Hearing and sight Domain. 
• Expert member in ClinGen: 
  • Optic Nerve Atrophy Variant Curation Expert Panel (VCEP) 
  • Glaucoma and Neuro-Ophthalmology Gene Curation Expert Panel (GCEP) 

Consortiums: 

• NIHR BioResource - Rare Diseases consortium, BONSAI study group, LHON study group, The Optic Disc Drusen Studies consortium.