Effect of the COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Service on patient referrals to general practitioners and Hospital Eye Service

The COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Services (CUES) was developed to relieve the demands of hospital ophthalmology, aiming to allow patients to have remote consultations and be managed by community optometric practice. This was because access to Hospital Eye Service (HES) Ophthalmic...

ChatGPT cannot pass FRCOphth examinations: implications for ophthalmology and large language model artificial intelligence

Large language models are generating a lot of hype for artificial intelligence, but can they assist patients and practitioners in ophthalmology? Introduction Deep learning (DL) has emerged in ophthalmology as an exciting form of artificial intelligence (AI) most commonly applied...

Artificial intelligence in eyecare: how do we ensure new technologies truly benefit our patients?

From monitoring patients with heart disease to improving the early diagnosis of cancer, artificial intelligence (AI) using deep learning techniques is already employed in many different healthcare specialties [1]. In the eyecare field, AI technologies have been used to analyse...

Real world data of post-IVT endophthalmitis, from a nurse-delivered intravitreal injection service

Introduction Intravitreal injection of neutralising anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody was licenced more than a decade ago, and over the years there has been proportionate increase in the number of intravitreal injections [1]. Injection of a therapeutic agent through...

My ophthalmology taster week experience at Whipps Cross Eye Treatment Centre

Deciding to explore ophthalmology Having read about ophthalmology, I have always found myself fascinated about what a career in ophthalmology entails. I have often wondered what ophthalmologists actually do, as we as medical students did not have a lot of...

The last three patients: general practice (Patient One)

Professor Jonathan Rees is an Emeritus Professor of Dermatology at the University of Edinburgh (2020). He held the Grant Chair of Dermatology in Edinburgh from 2000 to 2020, and before that the Chair of Dermatology in Newcastle from 1992 to...

A life outside ophthalmology

Lloyd Paul Aiello. It was an absolute privilege to speak to Lloyd Paul Aiello, Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, and Vice President of Ophthalmology and Director, Beetham Eye Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center, USA. Prof Aiello is a third-generation ophthalmologist,...

Passing the Refraction Certificate as a Foundation doctor

Application for ophthalmic specialist training (OST) is competitive. This means you should consider making every effort to maximise your portfolio points, as it may have a significant contribution to your OST application ranking. The “Commitment to Specialty” section is the...

Recurrent unilateral preseptal cellulitis secondary to herpes simplex virus infection

Introduction Periorbital (sometimes called preseptal cellulitis) is a common condition which on its own is not normally an ophthalmic or surgical emergency, however it has the potential to cause severe and serious morbidity in cases where the infection has crossed...

A case of ‘60-day glaucoma’

Neovascular glaucoma (NVG) has been called ‘90-’ or ‘100-day glaucoma’ in the past due to its typical development three months after the onset of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). In reality, NVG can occur anywhere between two weeks and two...

My top five ways in which LinkedIn can be useful for ophthalmologists

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional social networking site, that allows over 830 million users from over 200 countries from a variety of industries to connect. As a result, it is a powerful tool used by professionals to network, collaborate,...

Reflections on designing and delivering an undergraduate ophthalmology teaching programme

Dr Alexander Strother reflects on his time designing and delivering a classroom-based programme to ensure that medical students know how to take comprehensive ophthalmic histories from patients. Working as a clinical teaching fellow, in 2021 I had the great privilege...