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Herpes zoster ophthalmicus: the essentials

Herpes zoster, also referred to as shingles, is a common infection most typically caused by the reactivation of varicella zoster virus that lies dormant (sometime for decades) in the dorsal root nerve ganglion following primary chickenpox infection [1]. In 10-20%...

Usher syndrome: an overview

Usher syndrome is the most common hereditary condition that affects both vision and hearing. It is an autosomal recessive condition characterised by retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss [1,2]. Usher syndrome is the cause of approximately 10% of...

Profile of a tertiary referral oculoplastics service in the UK

The provision of safe and effective ophthalmic care to large patient populations has always been challenging. Severe restrictions of outpatient clinical activity due to the COVID-19 crisis has compounded this problem, with 26,800 appointments cancelled in our unit in the...

Can e-learning help bridge the ophthalmology teaching gap?

The authors ask whether e-learning can help to address the current lack of ophthalmology teaching in the undergraduate curriculum. Studies among the United Kingdom, Australasian, Canadian and Asian medical schools have found that students on average spent just over a...

Neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy with imaging abnormalities in the occipital lobe – how to counsel the parents

Case A baby boy, with a background of intrauterine growth restriction, was born at 37 weeks and three days gestation via forceps delivery. The baby was born in poor condition, with low heart rate, poor respiratory rate, poor colour and...

Possible COVID-19 related maculopathy

COVID-19 is being investigated as a potential cause for various ocular diseases, with growing evidence of related retinal vascular changes, that vary from isolated cotton wool spots and retinal haemorrhages to retinal vascular occlusions [1.2]. COVID-related macular affection has also...

My Top Five: Ophthalmology Twitter accounts

There are approximately 4.2 billion active social media users worldwide. This figure represents over half of the global population and is steadily rising [1]. There are currently over 217 million active Twitter users and given the platform’s versatility and ability...

Ophthalmology elective: a local experience

Dr Rajan Sondh talks about medical electives and how he believes they are an opportunity to explore career interests, giving undergraduates an opportunity to develop skills in areas that they wouldn’t normally encounter on placements. Typically, electives are taken abroad,...

Virtual ophthalmic conferences: learnings from the Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic was the catalyst for a number of paradigm shifts in numerous industries. The demand for proxies that follow social distancing measures created a hotbed for digital solutions and transitioned these to social convention. In the aftermath, the...

WHO SPECS 2030: a global initiative to strengthen refractive error services

Globally, it is estimated that only around one-third of people with vision impairment due to refractive error have received access to a quality pair of spectacles [1]. In recognition that uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of vision impairment...

In conversation with Prof Carrie MacEwen, Chair of The Way Forward and President, The Royal College of Ophthalmologists

Prof Carrie MacEwen. Scope for optimising capacity within the Hospital Eye Service (HES)? The demand for ophthalmic care continues to grow with no increase in capacity. In order to be able to continue to deliver adequate care ophthalmologists have devised...

In conversation with Dr Monicah Bitok, Global Inclusive Eye Health Advisor (CBM)

Eye News spoke to Dr Monicah Bitok, Global Inclusive Eye Health Advisor with the Christian Blind Mission (CBM), about the rise in diabetes-related preventable blindness, systemic ophthalmic changes in low- and middle-income countries, and the impacts of a COVID-19-induced backlog...