On the 26 February 2025, I travelled to Rwanda on the invitation of a former Belfast trainee, Michael Mikhail. Michael is now one of only two vitreoretinal (VR) surgeons in Rwanda, a country with a population of 14 million. Born...
3 February 2026
| Gwyn Samuel Williams
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EYE - General
In the past, a system existed for when unexpected circumstances arose, with trainees from one part of the country being able to apply to relocate to another part without losing out on training time. This was mainly because of marriage,...
The VISION 2020 LINKS Programme has been running since 2004, with a focus on improving the quality and quantity of eye care training in low-income countries [1]. In 2014, the Diabetic Retinopathy Network (DR-NET) was established [2]. This is a...
1 August 2019
| Roxanne Annoh, Joseph Msosa, Caroline Styles, Moira Gandiwa, Anne Sinclair, Marcia Zondervan
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EYE - Vitreo-Retinal, EYE - General
Screening for diabetic retinopathy prevents blindness. There is no systematic screening programme for diabetic eye disease in Malawi and people present when they have lost vision and it is too late for treatment. The aim of the VISION 2020 LINK...
Advances in treatment for retinal diseases involving neovascularisation have undoubtedly changed the future of eye care across the UK for the better, but also created great challenges for service delivery in ophthalmology, particularly within the NHS. Some statistics are starting...
In a conversation with his younger self, a foundation doctor reflects on the contrast between his expectations of medicine at university and the reality of working during the coronavirus pandemic. Every doctor arrives at medical school with nervous anticipation, yet...
Diabetes – a historical perspective Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease caused by inherited and / or acquired deficiency in production of insulin by the pancreas, or by the ineffectiveness of the insulin produced. Such a deficiency results in...
Gene and cell therapies offer the prospect of ground-breaking new avenues for the treatment of diseases, reflected in a renewed explosion of interest and investment in retinal gene therapy. Rod McNeil reports recent clinical trial readouts across a diverse range...
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all” – Helen Keller, deafblind American author, activist, and disability rights advocate I have always had a thirst for adventure, even if it has been predominantly from the comfort of my...