Alan J. Lai is a Neurologist who looks after people with brain and nerve conditions, with a big focus on seizures. He works at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne in Fitzroy, VIC. If someone has spells they can’t explain, or seizures that keep coming back, this is the kind of care his patients often come for.
In many cases, his clinic work is about epilepsy and seizure disorders. That can include epilepsy in children, like juvenile absence epilepsy, and conditions such as juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. He also looks after people with absence seizures, including juvenile absence, where a person may “switch off” for short moments and then seem normal again.
Seizures can look different from person to person. Alan helps manage episodes like generalised tonic-clonic seizures, where there may be muscle stiffening and jerking. He also cares for people with West syndrome, and other seizure patterns that can be hard for families to navigate. Spasmus nutans is another condition linked to unusual eye and head movements that may come up in his neurology work.
Over time, families often want more than just a quick explanation. They want a plan that makes sense for daily life. Neurology care can involve checking what’s happening during episodes, reviewing triggers, and talking through treatment options. In some cases, getting the right diagnosis takes time, and Alan’s approach is to keep things clear and steady while decisions are made step by step.
Alan’s practice also notes conditions outside the usual “seizure only” picture. For example, he works with Hashimoto thyroiditis, which is an immune-related condition. It matters because thyroid problems can affect how someone feels, and they can sometimes overlap with other health issues that need careful attention.
When it comes to experience, Alan’s work is grounded in caring for people with epilepsy and seizure disorders across different ages and situations. His training and education are aimed at building strong skills in neurology, with ongoing learning to stay up to date with how these conditions are assessed and managed.
There’s no need to wait until things are severe before getting help. If seizures are getting worse, happening more often, or changing in how they look, a neurology review at St Vincent’s is often the right next step.
