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The embryology of the eye

Nobody claims to like embryology. At least nobody I know. It has been a neglected part of the curriculum since time immemorial and a vicious cycle occurs in which those with an incomplete understanding fail to appreciate the inherent beauty...

Decontamination and sterilisation of surgical instruments and medical devices

Ann-Marie Ablett is a Theatre Nurse and Team Leader who volunteers with Orbis. This has allowed her to gain a wealth of experience on ophthalmic procedures, nursing in under-privileged parts of the world, leadership, management and use of scarce resources....

The power of the full blood count

Vishal Shah walks us through his thought process whilst highlighting the importance of routine investigations when dealing with unusual retinovascular presentations. Retinal changes can arise in anaemia, leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloproliferative and myelodysplastic syndrome. They are often the first manifestation of...

An Inconvenient Truth: Pete’s hidden curriculum Part 4

“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” The above is a quote attributed to Mark Twain from the 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which follows Al...

ST3 Trainee experience of cataract surgery training in high flow settings in the independent sector

As an ST3 trainee, I was provided with the opportunity to complete a surgical training rotation at Newmedica Middlesborough, which involved cataract training on NHS patients undergoing surgery in the independent sector (IS). This reflective account highlights the experience from...

The ‘art’ of refraction – designing a refraction course

Learning how to refract requires theoretical knowledge, practice and determination. Refraction is a notoriously challenging skill to acquire and the competing demands on junior ophthalmologists can often be restrictive of the development of this core skill. To consolidate theory learnt...

Pete’s day off

“You’re not dying. You just can’t think of anything good to do” The above is the explanation given by high school student Ferris to his friend Cameron, who is lying in bed feeling sorry for himself when he should be...