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The Complainers

There she was. Sitting in the waiting room with her arms crossed, tut-tutting to herself and shaking her head mournfully every few minutes. We gazed at her from a safe distance while one of the nurses confirmed what we already...

The reps

Who are the reps? Every one of us knows the friendly face of the local randomprost eye drop representative or the nice man from that eye lubricant company. These company representatives travel up and down the region with a smile,...

Managing cataract surgery in a patient with diabetic maculopathy

A 56-year-old type 2 diabetic with previously treated bilateral diabetic maculopathy develops a cataract requiring surgery in the right eye. He has had grid laser previously, followed intermittently by intravitreal triamcinalone, Avastin and more recently Lucentis in both eyes. His...

How a calcified Soemmerring ring was removed from the vitreous cavity when the cutter and forceps failed to do so

Know’st thou the land where lemon-trees do bloom,And oranges like gold in leafy gloom; A gentle wind from deep blue heaven blows, The myrtle thick, and high the laurel grows? ‘Tis there! ‘tis there, O my beloved one, I with...

Training the trainers

Learning phakoemulsification is a psychologically demanding process. Every ophthalmologist passing through the UK training system will almost certainly have many stories to tell of difficulties faced along the way; hideous disasters where lessons were learnt, as well as glorious triumphs...

Cataract surgery supervision

Senior trainees supervising other more junior trainees’ cataract surgery is a skill which needs to be taught and developed with care. It is beneficial for senior trainees as it provides an opportunity to develop supervision techniques prior to consultancy and...

How to consent patients

I attended a morning seminar at the recent College Congress in Liverpool about how to properly and legally consent a patient for a procedure. There has been a lot of interest in this of late following the Montgomery ruling, in...

The results of the last survey Feb22

This edition’s survey took a slightly different tack and tried to look at the problems we face in litigation. Litigation is unpleasant. It is horrible being involved in it and the process of litigation can be extremely stressful. From the...

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...

Learning to see the bigger picture: Reflections from a cataract surgery course in the Middle East

Alcon, the Swiss-American company specialising in eyecare equipment, inaugurated their Alcon Experience Centre (AEC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AEC is an eye education and training centre for students and eyecare professionals. This is the first AEC catering to the Middle...