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Working smarter not harder: How to transform eyecare delivery in the United Kingdom (part 2)

Are we doing enough to meet the current demands on ophthalmic services? In part two of a two-part series (see Part 1 here), Rosalind Harrison explains how efficiency can be improved by setting up eye services in community hubs. The...

ChatGPT cannot pass FRCOphth examinations: implications for ophthalmology and large language model artificial intelligence

Large language models are generating a lot of hype for artificial intelligence, but can they assist patients and practitioners in ophthalmology? Introduction Deep learning (DL) has emerged in ophthalmology as an exciting form of artificial intelligence (AI) most commonly applied...

How effective is nurse-led telephone preassessment for cataract surgery?

Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgical procedure in the UK [1]. The demand for cataract surgery is projected to increase with ageing population, and the recent pandemic has further contributed to the extended waiting times in the UK....

The structure function relationship in glaucoma

Chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG) is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide. It is diagnosed on the basis of three clinical signs, raised intraocular pressure (IOP), visual field (VF) defects and structural changes to the optic nerve head...

Glaucoma: 30 years on

Back in 1993, the late and great Barry Cullen FRCS (Cavan born, Dublin trained), the first editor of Eye News, asked me to write an article about the current treatment of chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG). At the time I...

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...

Situation analysis of diabetic retinopathy services in eleven countries

A five-year project funded by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust is facilitating development of diabetic retinopathy services (DRS) to reduce unnecessary blindness in 10 Commonwealth countries through the establishment of a capacity-building network, the DR-NET part of the Commonwealth...

Illuminating task lighting

Good lighting is always important but especially for patients who are visually impaired. Janet Pooley provides an overview. We tend to discuss lighting with patients when their vision is reduced, and where we are considering higher reading adds or low...

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...

Meeting the needs of older patients in optics

Fiona Anderson discusses the important role of community-based eyecare practitioners in meeting the visual needs of ageing patients. It has been well documented that today we live for longer. Statistics show in 1997, around one in every six people (15.9%)...