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Amnion-assisted conjunctival epithelial redirection (ACER): Enhancing stem cell transplantation treatment of total limbal stem cell deficiency

An exploration of Professor Harminder Dua’s recent work using a technique called amnion-assisted conjunctival epithelial redirection (ACER) to aid the success of conjunctival-limbal grafting procedures. ACER provides a refined way to use amniotic membrane (amnion), such as Omnigen® (NuVision® Biotherapies,...

Unconscious bias (part 2)

Does unconscious bias exist, and does training help to reduce discriminatory behaviour? Clare Inkster questions her role as a trainer. I read Gwyn Williams’ Learning Curve article on this topic a few months ago with interest, and as someone who...

Redeployment during the COVID-19 pandemic: personal accounts from four ophthalmology trainees

We once believed that the coronavirus would not penetrate the safe confines of the United Kingdom, like so many outbreaks before this. Once the news came that this pandemic descended into our hospitals, the anxieties about redeployment began. Many of...

A career in uveitis

As he retires from clinical practice, the author looks back on his long career in uveitis and how care of these patients has changed dramatically since his days as an undergraduate. My trainees and fellows are often bored by my...

Eyecare education in times of COVID-19

A collaboration between the German Committee for the Prevention of Blindness (DKVB), Rukwa regional government in Tanzania and the University of St Andrews Global Health Team successfully delivered a hybrid teaching programme for ophthalmic nurses in Sumbawanga, south west Tanzania,...

COVID-19: Pete’s Bogus Journey

The author shares his personal experience of contracting coronavirus. I managed to body swerve COVID-19 for nine months. The Pfizer vaccine was being rolled out in my trust. I had my first inoculation booked in three weeks. I had survived...

Sustainability in eyecare: Intraocular gases and the climate emergency

In 2020 the NHS became the first national health system to commit to delivering ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2040. The author investigates how the impact of ophthalmic surgery can be reduced. Medical gases have been used in ophthalmic surgery...

Working smarter not harder: How to transform eyecare delivery in the United Kingdom (part 2)

Are we doing enough to meet the current demands on ophthalmic services? In part two of a two-part series (see Part 1 here), Rosalind Harrison explains how efficiency can be improved by setting up eye services in community hubs. The...

Ophthalmology clinical teaching and research fellowships: a pathway into ophthalmology specialty training

Ophthalmology is known for being one of the most competitive medical specialties in the UK, with 6.8 applicants per post in 2021. In fact, the competition ratio has drastically increased in recent years, rising from 5.73 in 2020 and 3.24...

Prevalence of acute anterior uveitis in diabetic patients attending diabetic eye disease clinics

The authors share their investigation at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital into the association between diabetes and AAU. The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is rapidly rising from an estimated 9.3% in 2019 to 10.2% by 2030 [1]. The link...

Post-stroke visual impairment: how big is the problem, how do we identify it, what we can do about it, and why does it matter?

In the UK, 100,000 new strokes occur each year, with 1.3 million stroke survivors [1]. This article will focus on post-stroke visual impairment, discussing topics of how common it is, how it can be detected, possible management options and how...

Ophthalmology in a War Zone: an interview with Dr Volodymyr Melnyk

It is now nine months since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine commenced in late February 2022, with Putin announcing a “special military operation” to “denazify and demilitarise” Ukraine. The rest of the world, however, saw it for what it...