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Can thou lyse this? A national study of emergency canthotomy and cantholysis

Eighty-two-year old Janet Smith woke up on the floor. Had she been unconscious? Her head hurt. It was the middle of the night, but in the darkness she suddenly wasn’t sure whether she could see out of her right eye....

Refractionist’s shoulder?

After hearing the letter-box, I walked to the front door and stooped down to collect my latest edition of Eye News. I winced. Still, at least it would give me something to pass the time on this, my first day...

Is optician led service an answer to ever increasing demand on eye emergency clinics?

The demand for eye casualty appointments has been steadily increasing in the UK, leading to pressures on the hospital emergency services. The incidence of presentations to eye casualty services has been estimated at 20-30 per 1000 per year [1]. Evidence...

Comic leaflets: an innovative method of patient education

Nowadays almost everyone has been exposed to comics, especially during childhood. In a way, this is a natural form of progression from children’s story books, which also contain words and pictures. This exposure has helped us to develop the graphic...

Burning vision: vision loss from misuse of ‘toy’ laser pens in children

A case series of five children with macular burns due to the misuse of novelty laser products, purchased online or abroad, was undertaken at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and The Children’s Hospital, Sheffield [1]. All patients were from the Sheffield...

Inherited retinal disorders now the leading cause of blindness

The recent paper in BMJ Open, from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, ‘A comparison of the causes of blindness certifications in England and Wales in working age adults (16-64 years), 1999-2000 with 2009-2010’ concludes that inherited retinal disorders (IRD) such...

A short survey of the views of clinicians on the role of procedure-specific consent forms

Informed consent is an ethical and legal right of every patient [1]. It is essential that patients receive clear, concise and accurate information regarding the risks, benefits and alternatives to a potential intervention. In addition to this, the patient must...

Simulated intravitreal injection training – the way forward

Simulated surgical training is now recommended in the training curricula of all ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom [1]. Simulated training allows for familiarisation with a procedure, exercises the discipline of repetition, allows the resolution of technical difficulties and enables refinement...

Advances and developments in medical retina

The author provides an update on late breaking clinical trial results in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and presentations on diabetes management from the American Academy of Ophthalmology Retina Subspecialty Day, held during the Academy’s annual meeting in Chicago, October...

The Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion (PAEP) Edinburgh 1969-2019

In the early 1960s plans were afoot to create a new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to replace the existing building which dated from 1870, it having replaced an earlier one dating from 1729. It was originally planned to build on the...

Hot debates in medical retina and imaging: Perspectives from the Controversies in Ophthalmology 2020 virtual conference

Controversies in medical retina and imaging were debated during the Controversies in Ophthalmology 2020 virtual conference held during two mid-day scientific sessions on 27 and 28 March 2020. The author recounts key perspectives and presents viewpoint recommendations from the Vision...

Periocular burns: a literature review of classification, management protocols and outcomes of treatment

The author provides a review of the current literature regarding the principles of classification, management protocols of acute ocular and periocular burns and the role of the burn and oculoplastic surgeon involved in their care. More than two-thirds of facial...