“Bring back life form, priority one, all other priorities are rescinded.” Film buffs will spot this as a chilling quote spoken by Ash (Ian Holm) from the classic sci-fi horror movie Alien (1979). Ash (spoiler alert) is a Hyperdyne Systems...
Finally, even staunch sceptics are coming around to recognising that climate change is real and that we should do something about it. But how proximal the threat is and at what pace change has to happen is not universally agreed...
Irrespective of geographical location or patient cohort, emergency departments are high risk locations capable of inspiring extreme anxiety and dread in patients and doctors alike. The stress multiplies when a walk-in or referred case is suspected of underlying neurological pathology....
The case of Hadiza Bawa-Garba has left all of us in the UK medical profession with an uncomfortable taste in our mouths. We all know that we work under pressure and we will inevitably make mistakes. We all know that...
Assessment of optic nerve appearance and functions is a daily routine in neuro-ophthalmology. Following a recent high profile court case there has been a significant increase in the amount of referral to ophthalmology departments to assess the optic nerve and...
The incidence of Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is increasing, likely in line with the worldwide epidemic of obesity. To date, there have been revisions in the terminology used and diagnostic criteria for IIH; these recognise the need to exclude secondary...
The Art is long and Life is short. So goes the dispiriting tag in Latin and flung from day one and at regular intervals thereafter at idle medical students who, inevitably brainwashed, come by graduation to believe that the only...
One of my heroes growing up in the 70s was the iconic Formula 1 racing driver, James Hunt. At the time, if you had asked me and my primary school friends what we would most like to do for a...
One of my heroes growing up in the 70s was the iconic Formula 1 racing driver, James Hunt. At the time, if you had asked me and my primary school friends what we would most like to do for a...
The UK currently spends £25 billion per year on ocular disease, and there is expected to be a 40% increase in those affected by visual impairment by 2050 [1]. To manage this demand, 82% of ophthalmology units across the UK...
Microinvasive surgical approaches to primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) offer minimally traumatic options for effective intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction in appropriately selected glaucoma patients. Increases in laser trabeculoplasty rates and wider adoption of glaucoma drainage device filtration procedures, together with the...
Are we doing enough to meet the current demands on ophthalmic services? In part one of a two-part series (see Part 2 here), Rosalind Harrison takes a look at how efficiency has been improved in eyecare services in the US....