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Towards virtual reality conferences?

COVID-19 is forcing us to reconsider every aspect of life. The authors ask what future ophthalmic meetings could look like. The coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic disrupted ophthalmic conferences resulting in the cancellation of the majority of meetings in 2020, e.g....

A focus on Pakistan’s growing eye care needs: over 43 million patients treated for curable blindness free of charge

With 90% of the world’s visually impaired living in developing countries, Pakistan is no exception to this on-going global healthcare challenge. Despite massive leaps over the last few decades in targeting this issue, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that...

Developing community eye care: the evolution of Wales’ eye care services

In the third in our series about community eye care in the home nations, David O’Sullivan explains how Wales has developed its community eye care services. Since the devolution of healthcare to Wales on 1 July 1999 [1], significant changes...

My top five: Influential ophthalmologists

Ophthalmology has witnessed remarkable evolution and advancements throughout history. The field has undergone dramatic change and development since the times of Ancient Egypt where the first reference to eyes was made in the Code of Hammurabi (2250 BC) [1]. From...

Non-infectious Uveitis: Well Known, Weird and Wonderful meets You, Me and the Balloons

Installation view from Manchester International Festival 2023 exhibition Yayoi Kusama: You, Me and the Balloons at Aviva Studios. Images © David Levene. On an uncharacteristically salubrious 5 July 2023, the date of the 75th Anniversary of the UK’s NHS, a...

Diabetes and diabetic retinopathy: Changes in understanding of the disease over the last 25 years and how the UK is helping low-income countries tackle the challenges

Diabetes – a historical perspective Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease caused by inherited and / or acquired deficiency in production of insulin by the pancreas, or by the ineffectiveness of the insulin produced. Such a deficiency results in...

A closer look at the new wave of glaucoma surgery – radical or old school?

Glaucoma is a challenging condition to treat because the exact pathophysiology remains unclear and the only readily modifiable factor is the intraocular pressure (IOP). Additionally, most glaucoma patients are completely asymptomatic, yet are often subjected to lifelong medical therapy. The...

Renewed momentum in ocular gene and cell therapy, broadening application to chronic disease

Gene and cell therapies offer the prospect of ground-breaking new avenues for the treatment of diseases, reflected in a renewed explosion of interest and investment in retinal gene therapy. Rod McNeil reports recent clinical trial readouts across a diverse range...

The Real Top Gun: Professor Steve Schallhorn

Steve Schallhorn: Fighter Pilot. In the spring of 1987, I travelled to the cinema at Hendon Central in London with some school friends to watch the newly released movie The Witches of Eastwick starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer. Unfortunately...