Ophthalmology
The role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of DMO
Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is a major cause of visual loss in diabetes, with a complex multifactorial pathogenesis. In the UK alone it is estimated that there are nearly 2.5 million diabetic patients aged over 12 years. Approximately 65,000 of...
A complicated case of cytomegalovirus viremia: “What would you do doctor?”
Mrs W walked gracefully into my urgent care clinic. It was another busy session and I hoped she did not have anything serious going on which might slow the clinic further. She was an elegant 72-year-old lady who seemed like...
Can thou lyse this? A national study of emergency canthotomy and cantholysis
Eighty-two-year old Janet Smith woke up on the floor. Had she been unconscious? Her head hurt. It was the middle of the night, but in the darkness she suddenly wasn’t sure whether she could see out of her right eye....
The Global Vision Database
The overall goal of the Global Vision Database (GVD) [1] is to develop and deploy new and improved evidence on the prevalence of blindness and vision impairment (VI) globally. It is a repository which allows us to assess the causes...
Initiatives in macular service provision
A report from Monitor in October 2015 identifies good practices that will realise most of the potential productivity gain in elective care available to NHS hospitals. These include: stratifying patients by risk and creating low-complexity pathways for lower-risk patients (tailoring...
Stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease: researching for an effective cure
Neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by the chronic and progressive loss of neurons, which in turn results in loss of cognitive and physical functions. The World Health Organization has estimated that the disability-adjusted life years lost from neurological disease was about...
Blind Veterans UK calls on eye health professionals to direct blind and vision impaired veterans to vital support
A national charity is asking ophthalmologists and eye health professionals to help them reach out to the tens of thousands of blind and vision impaired ex-service men and women who are currently missing out on vital support to help them...
Pathophysiology of diabetic macular oedema: why combination therapy may be better
The prevalence of diabetes has continued to increase over the years. It is currently estimated that there are 382 million with diabetes worldwide in 2013, and that this figure is expected to rise to 592 million by 2035 [1]. In...
Strategies for managing neovascular AMD and DMO in routine clinical care
Treatment practice in the management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular oedema (DMO) illustrate increasing adoption of patient-tailored treatment approaches based on initial diagnosis and regular monitoring of imaging and visual outcomes in routine clinical care. The...
Blinking blepharitis has a lot to answer for…
Never ignore the small things’…someone once said. There is no doubt blepharitis is one of the most common eye conditions encountered daily, but with the typical pressures of a busy outpatient department, the management of more obvious, sight-threatening conditions necessarily...
Simulated ocular surgery – strabismus surgery
See also Simulated ocular surgery and Simulated ocular surgery: pars plane vitrectomy and scleral buckling surgery Strabismus surgery requires a range of skills, distinct to those required for intraocular surgery. Even if a trainee does not plan to become a...
PACK-crosslinking for infectious keratitis
Corneal cross-linking with riboflavin and UV-A light (CXL) is a technology that has been initially developed to treat corneal ectatic disorders [1]. Its effect in stabilising diseases such as keratoconus was reported in numerous trials with excellent long-term outcomes and...
