Ophthalmology
Novel changes during COVID-19 – transforming a walk-in Eye Casualty to a telephone triage service
With the current pandemic climate due to COVID-19, out of the norm approaches have been adopted in different hospitals across the UK to ensure patient safety. At our Eye Casualty (EC) department at Northampton General Hospital (NGH), we felt the...
Decoding the red eye
Red eye, or hyperaemia, is one of the most common presentations to primary care [1] and the emergency department [2]. However, despite this the underlying cause is often misdiagnosed which can lead to severe, sight-threatening conditions being missed [1]. Thorough...
Ophthalmology assessment using Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchical list of attributes and skills that facilitates teachers to effectively teach, whilst concurrently enabling learners to effectively learn. It was first developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom, an educational psychologist along with a team of...
Is patient masking leading to an increase in post-op infection after eyelid surgery?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of facemasks or face coverings in the clinical setting has become necessary. It is important to recognise that facemasks can be a source of infection after eye surgery and consider ways to minimise...
Ophthalmic learning through the lens of cognitivism and constructivism
Learning in ophthalmology is multi-faceted, from understanding the fundamentals of eye anatomy and physiology to higher order skills such as performing cataract and vitreoretinal surgery. Having a strong foundation in the basics is a necessity for higher order knowledge synthesis,...
Usher syndrome: an overview
Usher syndrome is the most common hereditary condition that affects both vision and hearing. It is an autosomal recessive condition characterised by retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss [1,2]. Usher syndrome is the cause of approximately 10% of...
Uncertainties and opportunities in ophthalmology training after the COVID-19 pandemic
Alexander Jones asks what impact the current pandemic will have on ophthalmology trainees. In my work as a Clinical Teaching Fellow, I have to admit that chaos is uncommon. Neither the anxious excitement of rushing to help an unwell patient...
Herpes zoster ophthalmicus: the essentials
Herpes zoster, also referred to as shingles, is a common infection most typically caused by the reactivation of varicella zoster virus that lies dormant (sometime for decades) in the dorsal root nerve ganglion following primary chickenpox infection [1]. In 10-20%...
Embracing assistive technology in the fight against sight loss
The author shares his own experience of sight loss and explains the vital role assistive technology can play in the lives of visually impaired patients. There is no doubt that sight loss continues to be a clear and present danger,...
Reflections on deployment to ICU
Being unexpectedly uprooted from ophthalmology to ICU during the coronavirus pandemic was certainly a challenge, not just clinically, but emotionally and personally. However, it is only through adversary that we learn to appreciate what we have, and there are definitely...
The COVID-19 ‘frontlines’: a foundation doctor’s perspective
Staring through the fragmented stained glass of the Virgin Mary and her assorted angels, I reflected on the strangeness of the workplace I now found myself working in and the irony of a workforce now working together more enthusiastically than...
Make eye drops part of your Ramadan routine: wake, drops, eat, pray, done!
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours, abstaining from food and drink between dawn and sunset each day. Ramadan 2020 starts on 23 April and ends around 23 May, depending on the first appearance of the...
