Renewed momentum in ocular gene and cell therapy, broadening application to chronic disease
Gene and cell therapies offer the prospect of ground-breaking new avenues for the treatment of diseases, reflected in a renewed explosion of interest and investment in retinal gene therapy. Rod McNeil reports recent clinical trial readouts across a diverse range...
Setting up successful safe & efficient nurse-led intravitreal injection service
In September 2019, we organised a training course at Great Western NHS Hospital (GWH), Swindon, which provided presentations, discussions and hands-on wet lab experience on how to perform intravitreal injection using intravitreal assisted device (INVITRIA) for nurses and doctors from...
Retinal prosthetics: science fiction or a vision for the future?
“Is it a fact – or have I dreamt it – that, by means of electricity, the world of matter has become a great nerve, vibrating thousands of miles in a breathless point of time?” – Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House...
Management of retinal diseases: highlights from the AAO 2019 Retina Subspecialty Day Meeting
The author highlights current debate, opinion and late breaking developments in the management of retinal diseases. The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 2019 Retina Subspecialty Day Meeting was held on 11-12 October, 2019 in San Francisco, USA. Established and emerging innovative...
Management of DMO and PDR in 2019
An evidence-based approach to the management of diabetic macular oedema (DMO) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in 2019 was outlined by Sobha Sivaprasad, UK, in presentations during the Diabetic Retina scientific session September 6 2019, at the 19th European Society...
Coming to terms with AI
A machine might be called intelligent if its response to questions could convince a person that it was human, a test proposed by Alan Turing in 1950 [1]. The author considers potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) using machine learning...
Quality matters in the management of serious eye disorders
The author discusses the first quality standard for serious eye disorders from NICE and takes a look at new care models for enhanced service delivery. Patient backlogs pose risks to patient safety, with research showing that people are losing sight...
Assessing everyday visual function in dry AMD – what matters to the person?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the primary cause of blindness in the developed world and is accountable for more than one half of sight impairment registrations within England and Wales [1]. AMD is prevalent in people aged 60 years and...
Twenty-five years in retina
In the next of our articles celebrating 25 years of Eye News, the authors look at how the retina specialty has changed over this time and ask what the future might hold. Retinal disease management has benefited from great advances...
Advances and developments in medical retina
The author provides an update on late breaking clinical trial results in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and presentations on diabetes management from the American Academy of Ophthalmology Retina Subspecialty Day, held during the Academy’s annual meeting in Chicago, October...
Simulated intravitreal injection training – the way forward
Simulated surgical training is now recommended in the training curricula of all ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom [1]. Simulated training allows for familiarisation with a procedure, exercises the discipline of repetition, allows the resolution of technical difficulties and enables refinement...
The role of injection assistant devices in establishing a nurse-led AMD service
The author shares his experience of setting up a nurse-led service to deliver anti-VEGF intravitreal injections and how injection assistant devices supported training. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has become a leading cause of irreversible blindness [1]. It is estimated that...