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The challenges of rural optometry and how independent prescribing has helped

Why move from a busy professional independent Aberdeen optometry practice over 200 miles to one of the most remote places in the United Kingdom? I could talk about the professional challenge of supporting a rural community, or the chance to...

The role of virtual Rb-NET Multidisciplinary Team meetings in the management of children with retinoblastoma in low- and middle-income countries

A selection of participants in an MDT meeting with Uganda. In 2017 the LINKS Programme developed a new network of LINKS to support and coordinate action against retinoblastoma (Rb) in response to requests from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), called...

Life in the glaucoma laboratory

When people ask me what life in the laboratory is really like, I often pause. On one hand, it is the romantic notion of pushing back the boundaries of science with the daily rhythm of experiments, data and easily obtained...

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...

Optometrist found guilty of manslaughter

To start our new Optometry section, editor Janet Pooley takes a look at the tragic death of Vincent Barker and asks what lessons can be learned. In August, Optometrist Honey Rose was found guilty of the manslaughter of eight-year-old Vincent...

Infection prevention and control through a VISION 2020 LINK between Mombasa and Southampton

The authors share how a partnership between Mombasa and Southampton has enabled Kenyan healthcare professionals from four institutions to innovate and work as a group to improve infection prevention and control. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a cornerstone of...

Preventing blindness from diabetes: planning a programme of service development and research across Malawi

In sub-Saharan Africa 19.4 million people have diabetes; this is projected to rise to 28.6 million by 2030 [1]. Sight loss from diabetes devastates the lives of working people, affecting the financial stability of the families and communities who depend...

DR-NET National DR Workshop in Tanzania: Policy, training and technology

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of moderate to severe visual impairment (VI) and blindness worldwide, posing a significant public health challenge. As the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the...

The Eye Health Network – an ‘optometry-first’ approach to eye care

Historically, in NHS Grampian, ophthalmology and optometry worked separately, with even the process of optometry referral to hospital occurring only at the behest of the patient’s general practitioner (GP). Criteria for referral were not discussed and feedback after referral was...

Developing a training model to strengthen diabetic retinopathy screening through a VISION 2020 LINK in India

I. Development of LINK Partnership A VISION 2020 LINK India was established by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2018 between the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust and...

Developing eye health services in Malawi: a personal reflection

Dr Chinsisi Namate reflects on her first two years as a consultant ophthalmologist at the eye unit at Zomba Central Hospital, and how she has already successfully expanded eyecare services for southeast Malawi. The Lions Sight First Eye Hospital in...