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Planes, trams, and auditoriums: Beware predatory conferencing

Predatory open-access journals and predatory conferences are considered the two main areas of predatory infiltration in academic medicine that are of growing concern [1–7]. Unsolicited publishing requests from potentially predatory publishers occur frequently among faculty in ophthalmology [8]. Predatory conferencing...

Artificial intelligence and the 2024 Esme’s Umbrella Medical Student Essay Prize

Esme’s Umbrella is a charity for people with Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS), helping raise awareness of the condition as well as offering support and advice. All clinical specialties may encounter CBS, so Esme’s Umbrella inaugurated a medical student essay prize...

Astigmatism correction in cataract surgery: Why are we still hesitating?

Toric spectacle lenses were first described in 1847 by George Biddell Airy, and their adoption was, presumably, gradual at that time. Today, correction of astigmatism with glasses is routine. In a recent survey, 87.2% of spectacle prescriptions contained at least...

Eye research: where next?

Eye research in the UK is underfunded relative to other areas of medical research and general awareness of sight loss and its prevention remains poor, messages that were reinforced in presentations and discussions during a recent research summit meeting in...

Pathophysiology of diabetic macular oedema: why combination therapy may be better

The prevalence of diabetes has continued to increase over the years. It is currently estimated that there are 382 million with diabetes worldwide in 2013, and that this figure is expected to rise to 592 million by 2035 [1]. In...

Designing ophthalmology services - Part 1: How do we address the queues in a clinic?

This first of a three-part series shows how systems engineering can be used to correctly diagnose and address the causes of delays in a clinic. The second article, which will be featured in the April/May 2020 issue, describes how to...

Code-Free Deep Learning: a step into the future of ophthalmology

A new focus has arisen within the research domain of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare called code-free deep learning (CFDL), and recent research demonstrates that ophthalmology is becoming one of the leading specialties in this field. Artificial intelligence (AI) is...

Brexit, for richer, for poorer: prospects for post-withdrawal Britain

The people of the United Kingdom voted by 52% to 48% to leave the European Union (EU) in June 2016, a referendum decision intended by a slim majority to restore national self-determination and achieve what many believed to be a...

Myasthenia gravis presenting with isolated ptosis: a poorly studied subgroup

Investigation into the cause of one isolated symptom or sign can be challenging if that particular sign may be caused by a variety of pathological processes, affecting different tissues, and presenting to different specialties. Unilateral ptosis is a case in...

Paediatric ptosis

Manoj Parulekar and colleagues provide a comprehensive overview of the diagnosis, assessment and management of childhood ptosis. Blepharoptosis (commonly referred to as ptosis – Greek, πτῶσις, ‘to fall’) is a condition where the upper eyelid is in an abnormally low...

What’s new in glaucoma? Clinical trials drive practice changes, surgical advancements gather pace

Rod McNeil reviews the latest developments in the treatment of glaucoma in the UK. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), which accounts for over two-thirds of all glaucoma cases, has an estimated UK prevalence in 2017 of approximately 2% of people over...

Enter the Dragons’ Den: Bob Gokani

I have often daydreamed about inventing a successful new product and then going on to pitch for investment on Dragons’ Den, with the TV show’s seasoned entrepreneurs all competing with each other to invest in my company. My imagined fantasy...