Search

Virtual COVID clinics

The clinics at Ystradgynlais Community Hospital are a little different of late. The nurses are still there, I still get tea with custard creams and the letters I dictate are still all written up by the next day. But there...

Interspecialty referrals

Referrals between the many and varied branches of ophthalmology sometimes underline how sub-specialised we have all become nowadays. The old era when everyone was an ophthalmic jack of all trades is gone, for better or for worse, and instead of...

The perfect interview to land the dream consultant job

Eight top tips for consultant interviews: 1. A person is not just an ophthalmologist. Trusts are appointing the person not just the ophthalmologist. On a consultant interview panel (AAC) there will be non-ophthalmologists (e.g. medical director, chief executive, lay chair)...

Bovine pericardium scleral patch graft associated scleritis: Ahmed valve implant for pupillary block glaucoma

Processed bovine pericardium is a lyophilised collagen sheet used as a surgical armamentarium. It renders the material antigenically inert with minimal inflammation [1]. Sclera patch pericardium graft (Tutopatch) is a collagenous membrane derived from solvent preserved, irradiated bovine pericardium [2]...

Acute dellen formation post trauma

Corneal dellen are saucer-like thinnings, usually of the peripheral cornea [1]. Dellen formation is thought to be related to localised tear film instability [2], specifically the absence of the mucin component of the tear film. Without the mucin layer, dry...

Lockdown and eye health – a case of accommodative spasm

A 25-year-old male presented to the eye casualty with a one-day history of sudden onset worsening vision. More specifically, he noted his vision was more blurred than usual and this was more exaggerated for near-work than for distance-work. He was...

The challenge of chorioretinal folds in virtual eye clinics

Chorioretinal or choroidal folds are parallel striations involving the retina, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), Bruch’s membrane, and inner choroid [1]. They can arise from compressive stress on these layers, and their presence often serves as a diagnostic marker for underlying...

Photophobia: an unusual symptom of a pituitary macroadenoma

Introduction Photophobia, defined as ‘an abnormal intolerance to light’, is commonly associated with a range of both ocular and neurological pathologies such as dry eye, blepharospasm, corneal pathologies, cataracts, uveitis, retinal dystrophies, optic neuritis, migraine, meningitis, and traumatic brain injury...