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The Gambia-Swansea VISION 2020 LINK: building eye care services and international friendships

History The VISION 2020 LINK between the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre (SZRECC), Banjul, The Gambia and the Ophthalmology Department, Singleton Hospital, Swansea started in 2008 under the guidance of the VISION 2020 LINKS Programme at the International Centre...

An update on idiopathic intracranial hypertension

The incidence of Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is increasing, likely in line with the worldwide epidemic of obesity. To date, there have been revisions in the terminology used and diagnostic criteria for IIH; these recognise the need to exclude secondary...

Breakthroughs in the genetics of angle-closure glaucoma

Angle closure glaucoma (ACG) is not widely known to be a familial condition, yet the recent explosion of genetic data and large scale genome wide investigations have confirmed at least 13 genetic loci associated with ACG [1], and provided some...

The bionic eye – behind the headlines

Multiple visual prosthetic projects and other vision regeneration initiatives being tested in preclinical and clinical development worldwide illustrate continuing progress and opportunities in addressing profound blindness from hereditary retinal diseases and other causes (Table 1). Three implantable bionic vision systems...

The Global Vision Database

The overall goal of the Global Vision Database (GVD) [1] is to develop and deploy new and improved evidence on the prevalence of blindness and vision impairment (VI) globally. It is a repository which allows us to assess the causes...

An introduction to research governance

Research is the process of acquiring new generalisable knowledge and should be fully integrated into health care work. There is a growing drive to encourage and further develop evidence-based practice in ophthalmology so that staff and patients benefit from improved...

Coming to terms with AI

A machine might be called intelligent if its response to questions could convince a person that it was human, a test proposed by Alan Turing in 1950 [1]. The author considers potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) using machine learning...

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...

Specialist high-street eye clinics for managing patients with retinal disorders can enhance care standards

The author examines the successful introduction of community-based retinal clinic services by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Sajjad Mahmood, Consultant Ophthalmologist, MREH, shares experience of establishing community-based medical retina clinic services. Sight loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract,...

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...