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Improving eye care for children with learning difficulties: a view from SeeAbility

Marek P Karas from sightloss charity SeeAbility examines why children with a learning disability do not access the eye care they need and asks how the system needs to change. Children with a learning disability are 28 times more likely...

Leadership and management in optometry: why is it important?

The General Medical Council recognises that leadership and management is essential for every doctor, and provides guidance detailing management and leadership responsibilities [1]. Indeed, management and leadership is part of the core training for all medical trainees. However, to date,...

Community Eyecare Services in Northern Ireland: putting the patient at the centre, improving outcomes and maximising system resource

The UK has four healthcare systems; Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each has autonomous legislature that develops health policy, while the UK government directly runs England’s NHS. Like the other nations, Northern Ireland is continually challenged to meet the needs...

Bridging the gap – Supporting our patients across the primary / secondary care divide

Providing the best care for patients is surely a fundamental goal for all healthcare professionals. When waiting-times are long and getting longer, clinics are full, colleagues are off with stress-related illness and patients are complaining, is it possible to still...

Insects, swelling and sight loss: a case of orbital inflammatory syndrome

Despite being the most common cause of painful orbital mass in adults and the third most common orbital disease, orbital inflammatory syndrome still proves to be a difficult ocular condition to diagnose, treat, and manage. A 41-year-old lady presented to...

Understanding spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS): what do we know?

Introduction Formerly known as visual impairment and intracranial pressure syndrome (VIIP), space-related neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) is defined by a collection of ophthalmic and neurological findings in astronauts after long-term spaceflight [1]. Changes in the eyeball, such as hyperopic shift, during...

Headache: the clue is in the eyes

A worrying cause of headache is raised intracranial pressure (ICP). Papilloedema is a vital clue for accurate diagnosis and performing fundoscopy is essential in detecting this sign. The authors review the use of fundoscopy in their own district general hospital....

Best way to detect glaucoma progression: by reflecting on the past 25 years

Glaucoma – a condition of optic neuropathy leading to progressive visual field loss often associated with raised intraocular pressure. It is fair to say that our definition for this condition has remained unchanged over the last 25 years and the...

A revolution in modern genetic testing for the clinical management of ocular disease

Recent years have seen a huge increase in our understanding of the genetic factors underlying a wide variety of eye diseases. This has included common conditions such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, as well as those conditions which have...

It’s not all about ARED - Time for a pragmatic approach to nutrition for eye health?

Advances in treatment for retinal diseases involving neovascularisation have undoubtedly changed the future of eye care across the UK for the better, but also created great challenges for service delivery in ophthalmology, particularly within the NHS. Some statistics are starting...

Celebrating eight years of the nurse-led intravitreal injection service

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London celebrated the eighth year of its nurse-led intravitreal (IVT) injection service in 2020. In collaboration with Beaver-Visitec International (BVI), Moorfields’ comprehensive one-day course for non-medical staff has blossomed into a thriving success....