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Ophthalmic Aid to Eastern Europe (OAEE)

Peter Cackett, Tim ffytche and Dr Irina Gout reflect on historic ophthalmic aid sent to Eastern Europe. This article was written prior to the horrific events in Ukraine. An appeal for funds and equipment may be made by OAEE later...

A three-way partnership between Nigeria, Tanzania and Northern Ireland

VISION 2020 LINKS between Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT), Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Northern Ireland with first ECWA Eye Hospital, Kano, Nigeria and now also with Mbeya Referral Hospital (MRH), Tanzania, have been beneficial to all three partners. From...

Analysis of ‘urgent’ cataract referrals from community optometrists in the West of Scotland

As elective cataract services restart post-COVID, how do we establish which patients should be a priority? The authors share their findings from a review of ‘urgent’ referrals received by the ophthalmology department in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. The COVID-19...

Amnion-assisted conjunctival epithelial redirection (ACER): Enhancing stem cell transplantation treatment of total limbal stem cell deficiency

An exploration of Professor Harminder Dua’s recent work using a technique called amnion-assisted conjunctival epithelial redirection (ACER) to aid the success of conjunctival-limbal grafting procedures. ACER provides a refined way to use amniotic membrane (amnion), such as Omnigen® (NuVision® Biotherapies,...

‘The Way Forward’ champions clinicians as architects of patient-centred service redesign

The demographic time bomb poses the dilemma of how more healthcare can be delivered to the UK’s ageing population without commensurate growth in resources. The Way Forward Project provides a robust resource for clinical centres to better identify and implement...

The David J Apple International Laboratory for Ocular Pathology – a legacy of pioneering IOL research

David Apple and Gerd Auffarth. The Apple Lab at the David J Apple Center for Vision Research in Heidelberg is a thriving international laboratory for research into intraocular devices. The lab continues the work of David J Apple, a world-renowned...

Intravitreal injections delivered by ophthalmic clinical nurse specialists

Intravitreal injections of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agent ranibizumab, for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was approved by National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) in 2008 [1]. The Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH),...

An eyeful of independence

Scots will decide this September whether or not Scotland should be an independent sovereign state. “As all key areas of our business are already fully devolved, it’s very much business as usual for us,” noted a spokesperson for Healthcare Improvement...

Ophthalmology research: lessons from the Academic Foundation Programme

The author discusses practical lessons learned during eight months of ophthalmology research as a guide for candidates considering a research themed AFP post, with general tips for anyone undertaking research whilst balancing clinical duties. Ophthalmology is already one of the...

Unconscious bias (part 2)

Does unconscious bias exist, and does training help to reduce discriminatory behaviour? Clare Inkster questions her role as a trainer. I read Gwyn Williams’ Learning Curve article on this topic a few months ago with interest, and as someone who...

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...