Trainees
Optimising an acute eye service in the current COVID-19 crisis
With the current global pandemic of COVID-19 we have all had to redesign and reorganise our normal working practices. Non-urgent hospital work has been postponed to allow redistribution of resources, redeployment of hospital staff and to reduce the risk of...
Thermal injury and false eyelashes
The authors provide a case of cyanoacrylate glue causing a thermal burn on the eyelid and explain how this type of burn should be managed. The use of false lashes as well as the techniques used to apply them come...
The paediatric cataract: an overview of the embryology and pathophysiology
In the first of the two articles (see Part 2 here) on paediatric cataracts, Samuel Aryee reviews the aetiology of this condition. Cataracts arise from opacification of the natural transparent lens, which can cause partial or total blindness. Although the...
The orthoptic report – what does it all mean?
An orthoptist report may well look like a piece of Japanese Shodo, however, it does in fact contain some extremely useful information. This piece will briefly explain some of the common brush strokes seen on a report. There is some...
Understanding and confronting bacterial endophthalmitis
Abdus Samad Ansari highlights the importance of early recognition of this condition using an unusual presentation. Endophthalmitis is a medical emergency with devastating consequences. Despite adequate treatment, severe cases frequently result in permanent blindness. Endophthalmitis involves inflammation of both the...
An interview with Professor John Forrester
What made you choose ophthalmology as a career and how did your interest in academia develop? During Medical School at Glasgow University, I was getting progressively disillusioned with the career options while my colleagues and friends all seemed to quickly...
SOS (Simplified Ophthalmic Statistics) Part 4: How to present your statistical analysis
This is the last in this series of short guides which we hope provide some guidance in relation to statistical issues researchers may encounter when conducting research, audit or indeed quality improvement projects. Here we focus on an issue that...
Certifying patients as visually impaired: the start of a journey
In March 2017 there were 290,475 people registered as either visually impaired or severely visually impaired in the UK [1]. Patients registered as sight impaired benefit from financial support as well as practical help. Practical help is provided by social...
Case series of toxic anterior segment syndrome
Herein we report two cases of toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) following uneventful cataract surgery. Both patients presented 24 hours after their uneventful operations with painless blurred vision in the operated eye. The inflammatory reaction was controlled successfully with an...
How to pass the Refraction Certificate
Unfortunately, I had the pleasure of getting to know this exam intimately. With adequate preparation this does not have to be the case for most people. The exam has recently changed to consist of 10 OSCE style stations (previously 12)....
Understanding amniotic membrane grafts
Safa Elhassan gives a brief review of amniotic membrane grafts and their application in theatre and clinic-based settings. Amniotic membrane (AM) transplant has been an established adjuvant treatment for many corneal, conjunctival and scleral disorders in ophthalmic clinical practice with...
A brief history of colour vision
Andrew Want takes a look at how colour vision has evolved in humans and animals and how it differs across species. Colour vision is something that we often take for granted, but it has become so intrinsic to the way...
