Anna Lee is a senior research clinical optometrist in the Downie Laboratory: Anterior Eye, Clinical Trials and Research Translation Unit, in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in optometry from the University of Melbourne and completed a Master's degree specialising in paediatrics, specialty contact lenses, and low vision in 2016, from the same institution. Anna has over ten years of experience as a primary care optometrist in regional and metropolitan Victoria, Australia, and is a registered practitioner with AHPRA, with endorsement to prescribe scheduled medicines.

Anna joined A/Prof Laura Downie's laboratory in 2017, and has since played an integral role in conducting various phases of ophthalmic clinical trials, especially in the areas of anterior eye disease. She is also involved in investigator-initiated projects that explore a novel non-invasive method for diagnosing dry eye disease and imaging and analysing corneal immune cells using in vivo confocal microscopy.

Alongside her research work, Anna is passionate about improving patient care and has been involved in developing an online auditing tool to support optometrists in providing optimal care for patients with age-related macular degeneration. She is also interested in professional development and she has worked as a subject facilitator, delivering a graduate specialist subject at the University of Melbourne for both local and international practising optometrists. Additionally, Anna works with graduate students on systematic reviews and has created the online patient database and the newsletter for the FrontTear Research Centre.