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DMEK vs. UT-DSAEK: has the debate been finally concluded?

In recent years the surgical treatment of corneal endothelial dystrophy has progressed tremendously. Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) is the newest iteration in the line of rapid surgical advances that has taken place. However, the previously accepted gold standard prior...

Unexpected diagnoses – stroke in children and homonymous hemianopia

We present the case of a 12-year-old child presenting with a few days history of left-sided visual loss. Upon further investigation with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) she was unexpectedly diagnosed with a right-sided chronic posterior cerebral arterial territory infarct, causing...

Getting the Duke Elder examination right: reflections and tips from a medical student

The Duke Elder undergraduate prize examination is an annual exam organised by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom. Named after Sir Stewart Duke Elder, a prominent British ophthalmologist, the exam is designed to encourage undergraduate medical students...

Navigating the retina: the nitty-gritty of slit-lamp fundus examination

The slit-lamp fundus examination can be a difficult and disorientating task for beginners due to the retina being viewed in a non-anatomical orientation, the small area of retina illuminated, and the counterintuitive technique of the examination. This article provides a...

Work experience in ophthalmology as an A-Level student

Importance of work experience Medical schools expect applicants to understand what a career in medicine involves, which can be gained through work experience and volunteering. It is strongly recommended by the Medical Schools Council that work experience involves working in...

Low vision support in teenagers

As society places increasing emphasis on mental health and access to technology increases, the structure and prioritisation within low vision appointments is evolving. These changes bring new challenges and demands in terms of our clinical support, requiring us to consider...

Strengthening diabetic retinopathy services in Nigeria through DR-NET – from grass roots to national policy development

This is the third article in a series (see Part 1 and Part 2) reflecting on how shared learning via networks of UK and international eye health professionals is contributing to reducing unnecessary blindness in Nigeria. Earlier articles focused on...

Addressing childhood blindness in sub-Saharan Africa

In this article, the authors explore paediatric ophthalmology subspecialist fellowship training in African nations south of the Sahara. Until recently, most African ophthalmologists who wished to pursue a subspecialty ophthalmology training fellowship had to go abroad. There is a huge...

My top five: Emerging alternatives to manage and treat nAMD

Wet (exudative or neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is characterised by choroidal neovascularisation, in which new blood vessels from the choroid invade through Bruch’s membrane. These blood vessels proliferate beneath or through the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), causing patients to...

75th Anniversary year of the first intraocular lens implant

The 29th of November 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the first intraocular lens implant by our Founder, Sir Harold Ridley FRS. The United Kingdom & Ireland Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (UKISCRS) is marking the event with a...

Screening for Sickle Cell Retinopathy (SCR): Why we do wide-field imaging, OCT/OCT-A for SCR – Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

I have been working in ophthalmology for over five years as a photographer and research co-ordinator, and it is fascinating, rewarding, and interesting to learn all about the different diseases associated with the eye. One condition that has been a...