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Apr/May 2018 Quiz

History A 57-year-old lady presents with a right subconjunctival lesion which has been increasing in size for three months (Figure 1). She has never had vision problems other than presbyopia. Past medical history: hypertension and asthma. On examination, she had...

Aug/Sep 2017 Quiz

History A seven-year-old atopic boy has been treated for phlyctenulosis with mild topical steroids. However, he developed dramatic changes at the right limbus in two weeks. He also had past history of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) with poor compliance to treatment....

Apr/May 2017 Quiz

History A five-month-old baby was seen in clinic with bilateral congenital corneal opacities. The right cornea is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Examination revealed corneal oedema and opacities of Descemet’s membrane and endothelium with a few vesicular lesions. Corneal...

Feb/Mar 2016 Quiz 2

History A 30-year-old male presents with a phthisical left eye and undergoes enucleation. He has some lesions in his right eye that are under ophthalmic surveillance. Figure 1 is a low power of the enucleation. Figures 2, 3 and 4...

Aug/Sep 2014 Quiz 1

History A 50-year-old female with a history of smoking, weight loss and cough presents to the ophthalmology clinic with a distorted pupil. Examination reveals a mass on the surface and within the iris (see Figure 1). The ophthalmologists decide to...

Jun/Jul 2014 Quiz

History An 80-year-old male had a cataract removed with intraocular lens (IOL) seven years previous. He presented with cloudy vision and it was noted that the IOL was intrinsically opaque. The IOL was replaced and sent for ophthalmic pathology assessment....

The writing on the wall

The Prophet Daniel tells a famous tale of how the tyrannical king of Babylon held a feast for all his top lords and ladies, and as the feasting grew to fever pitch a mysterious hand appeared from nowhere that started...

The butterfly effect

One of the most fascinating aspects of being a consultant is seeing the workings of the machine that is medical training from the other side. For two years now I have taken part in the specialty recruitment interviews and it...

Is ophthalmology still a vocation?

People seem to be interested in medicine for different reasons. There does seem to be a spectrum in ophthalmology in which people range from ‘do it for the pay’ all the way to ‘do it for the patients’, with some...

Will it change management?

Like most doctors I have read and am a fan of Samuel Shem’s House of God, with my favourite Rule being Rule 10: “If you don’t take a temperature you can’t find a fever.” If you don’t intend to treat...

No such thing as a free lunch

Rudyard Kipling was a very wise chap. He was in San Francisco towards the end of the 19th century and noticed that in some bars and saloons the house was giving away free lunches for every patron who first purchased...

Les Misérables

I recently had the signal pleasure of undergoing Part 2 of the FRCOphth exit exam and could not help but wonder at how examiners could on the whole be easily categorised into certain subtypes which readers may find fascinating. This...