Ophthalmology
Deliberate darkness: The systematic weaponisation of blinding in global protests
As eyecare professionals, we spend our entire professional lives fighting to preserve light. We train to master the delicate microscopic topography of the cornea, the retina and the optic nerve, all with the objective of saving our patients from the...
From paper to digital: Real lessons for a sustainable NHS digital future
Portsmouth's OpenEyes implementation reveals why healthcare digital transformation needs honest evaluation, proper clinical leadership resourcing and realistic expectations about technology efficiency promises. Like many eye departments across the NHS, we at Portsmouth were drowning in paper. Notes went missing, handwriting...
Money is a problem, but the problem is bigger than money
The argument surrounding doctors’ pay remains an ongoing battle. At the time of writing, Foundation Year 1 doctors have voted in favour of industrial action due to the lack of substantive employment or regular locum work at the end of...
Looking on the brightside: Lord David Blunkett
“I can hear people smile” As a young adult in the 1980s and 1990s I gradually became more politically informed with occasional forays into BBC’s Question Time. In doing so, I learnt of the rise of politician David Blunkett, a...
Advanced level practice for ophthalmic nursing
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Ophthalmic Nursing Forum (ONF) is committed to clinical excellence through advancing ophthalmic nursing practice and supporting career development. With the increasing demand for ophthalmic services, advanced and specialist practice roles are vital to increase...
Coaching: Supporting doctors’ development and wellbeing
Supporting and retaining the workforce is a top priority for all NHS organisations, but it’s not clear how best to do this, or how such support should be funded. Junior doctors have clinical and educational supervision, and the quality of...
Four pillars: The importance of clinical research
This series explores the four pillars of advanced clinical practice and here, Rebecca Turner explores the pillar of clinical research. The role of the ophthalmic advanced nurse practitioner, as with all registered practitioners allied to ophthalmology, is on an upward...
The African Ophthalmology Council: Driving excellence in African eye health
Have you been wondering about how you can impact, or even just understand, the eyecare landscape in Africa from those who experience it daily? Ever wondered about which one body brings all eye health professionals in Africa together, united in...
Developing a unified approach to low-vision care
RNIB’s Preeti Singla and Louise Gow introduce the Adult Low Vision Service Quality Framework. For individuals living with visual impairment, access to high-quality low vision services can be life changing. Yet, across the UK, these services remain fragmented, with significant...
Strategies for fostering psychological safety in healthcare
Holding a degree in Ecology, an MBA, and currently pursuing a Masters in Global Health and Humanitarianism at the University of Manchester, Tom merges academic knowledge with real-world experience. His focus lies in leveraging the transformative power of psychological safety,...
Four pillars: Education
This series explores the four pillars of advanced clinical practice and here, Catherine Garrott explores the pillar of education. Advanced clinical practice applies to all allied healthcare professionals (AHP) in ophthalmology, such as nurses, orthoptists and optometrists. As our roles...
Assessing the effectiveness of undergraduate ophthalmic assessments in the UK: A literature review
During 2008–2009, 300,000 patients presented to hospital emergency departments in the UK with eye conditions. This rose by nearly 200,000 over the next decade. As the population ages, the prevalence of eye disease increases [1,2]. However, the stake ophthalmology holds...
