Nicholas Sarkies, although now retired is still lecturing at Cambridge University and at Addenbrooke's. He was a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital Cambridge from 1988 to 2020. After Cambridge he trained at Westminster, The London, The Middlesex, Moorfields, St Thomas' and The National Hospital for Nervous Diseases. He has specialized in neuro-ophthalmology and glaucoma. His research interests within neuro-ophthalmology has been in cerebrospinal fluid and pituitary disorders.

He has been interested in training and education in ophthalmology for all of his career. He was Royal College of Ophthalmology Clinical Tutor at Addenbrooke's in the 1990s and he established the School of Ophthalmology for Health Education, East of England , being Head of School from 2008 to 2015.