Search

Patient safety – is this achieved in optometry with CET?

Collecting points and ticking boxes – as we come to the end of another three year cycle of continuing education and training (CET), the rush to ensure that everything has been completed on the myGOC (General Optical Council) dashboard feels...

Treating minor eye conditions in optometry practices: is this a viable model for the future?

The role of the optometrist has expanded in recent years as community eye care services have changed. With the limited scope of general ophthalmic services (GOS) regulations in most parts of the UK, the funding to support additional care has...

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,...

Glaucoma care provision using a multidisciplinary approach: a personal view

This article is going to explain the secret to running an efficient multidisciplinary glaucoma service which will comfortably meet the demands of an ever-growing elderly population, within the confines of budgetary and clinical constraints, wherever the setting. This may be...

Are we short-sighted about myopia?

Worldwide prevalence of myopia has increased rapidly in recent years and has now reached epidemic levels, particularly in South-East Asia where prevalence is around 80% [1-4]. Myopia prevalence is also increasing in the United States and Europe where it is...

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...

The challenges of rural optometry and how independent prescribing has helped

Why move from a busy professional independent Aberdeen optometry practice over 200 miles to one of the most remote places in the United Kingdom? I could talk about the professional challenge of supporting a rural community, or the chance to...

Specialty-driven EMR for paperless clinical environment – insights for an informed choice

Deployment of specialty-driven (or specialty-specific) electronic medical record (EMR) systems across UK ophthalmology units appears to be growing rapidly at the expense of generic, multiuse digital technology packages. Experience further suggests that open source systems can play a significant role...

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...

The refractive index in the eye lens – implications for clinical practice and optical design

The eye may appear to be a comparatively simple organ and yet its optical system is complex and continues to be a source of investigation and research. The major optical elements are considered to be the cornea and the lens...

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...

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...