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An Inconvenient Truth: Pete’s hidden curriculum Part 4

“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” The above is a quote attributed to Mark Twain from the 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which follows Al...

The ABC tragedies: Part one

“In the midst of tragedy, we start the comedy” – Agatha Christie, The ABC Murders. Throughout a career in medicine, we are often faced with tragedy. One of the coping mechanisms is to use humour to navigate the mini everyday...

A Nightmare on Doctor Street

“Number one: you can never have sex. Big no no! Big no no! Sex equals death, okay?Number two: you can never drink or do drugs. The sin factor! It’s a sin. It’s an extension of number one.And number three: never,...

The expanding role of the optometrist

Eyecare in the UK has seen significant changes in recent years, with new models of care, technological advancements and an increased emphasis on primary eyecare in some UK nations. Crucially, an ageing population demographic is set to escalate further both...

Ocular Dirofilariasis: a diagnosis on the rise?

Dirofilaria repens is one of 40 species of Dirofilaria. It is a zoonotic filarial nematode that commonly impacts dogs, however, human infection can occur through affected organs like skin, lung and eyes [1]. Although, there have been case reports of...

Should it be a mandatory requirement for medical students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to attend clinical attachments?

The vast majority of medical students have positive attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine for themselves and patients, however, what about the small inevitable minority who resist it? Should they be prevented from attending clinical attachments in the NHS? It is...

Useful digital resources for the modern ophthalmologist

In the age of the internet and a smartphone at everyone’s fingertips, here are some free resources I have found to be useful on the job, and hopefully will be of use to you too. Feedly (Android/iOS): Better known as...

Strange Sequelae Succeeding ‘Surfer’s Eye’

Ophthalmologists in the UK are relatively infrequently faced with a patient requesting surgery for a pterygium. This condition is more common where ultraviolet exposure is greater, especially if coupled with activities associated with ocular surface irritation. For this reason, a...