Chemical injury
You are the on-call ophthalmologist. You receive a call from A&E regarding a 45-year-old man who sustained a chemical injury. He was mixing some cement, when a small amount entered his left eye. He was not wearing any protective goggles....
Sexually transmitted conjunctivitis – the REALLY sticky eye
Let’s face it, patients with conjunctivitis don’t always produce the most stimulating consultations and most of the time we can manage them in auto-pilot. The prospect of delving into such a patient’s sexual history is not overly appealing, but this...
How to diagnose and treat Acanthamoeba keratitis
Corneal ulceration caused by Acanthamoeba is on the rise, and recent publications indicate an outbreak in the UK over the last few years [1]. Since Acanthamoeba keratitis often presents with atypical features, diagnosis from slit-lamp examination alone can often be...
The interpretation and use of ultrasound biomicroscopy (part 1)
Ultrasound Biomicroscopy (UBM) has become increasingly important for the diagnosis of a variety of anterior segment pathologies. Most ophthalmologists are familiar with conventional B-scan ultrasonography techniques, which operate at lower sound frequencies (7.5 to 20MHz). UBM is an ultrasound technique...
The perfect interview to land the dream consultant job
Eight top tips for consultant interviews: 1. A person is not just an ophthalmologist. Trusts are appointing the person not just the ophthalmologist. On a consultant interview panel (AAC) there will be non-ophthalmologists (e.g. medical director, chief executive, lay chair)...
The management of possibly progressive pterygium
A 43-year-old Sudanese male patient is referred by his GP with a fleshy lesion encroaching the nasal cornea for the last six months. History Make note of: risk factors, i.e. UV exposure and ocular irritation - history of living in...