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Getting the Duke Elder examination right: reflections and tips from a medical student

The Duke Elder undergraduate prize examination is an annual exam organised by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom. Named after Sir Stewart Duke Elder, a prominent British ophthalmologist, the exam is designed to encourage undergraduate medical students...

The structure function relationship in glaucoma

Chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG) is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide. It is diagnosed on the basis of three clinical signs, raised intraocular pressure (IOP), visual field (VF) defects and structural changes to the optic nerve head...

University of Gloucestershire launches first of its kind ophthalmic imaging degree

Ophthalmic science is a dynamic and constantly evolving profession, with ophthalmic imagers / technicians fundamental to the smooth and efficient running of ophthalmology departments. Traditionally, as the role has developed, ophthalmic imagers have come from a variety of backgrounds, finding...

Coaching: Supporting doctors’ development and wellbeing

Supporting and retaining the workforce is a top priority for all NHS organisations, but it’s not clear how best to do this, or how such support should be funded. Junior doctors have clinical and educational supervision, and the quality of...

“I can see fine. Why do I need my eyes tested?”

Are routine eye examinations really necessary? The author asks whether frequent appointments in low-risk patients with normal results are actually cost-effective. It’s recommended that most people should get their eyes tested every two years.” [1] This message is widely publicised...

How to examine the visual system Part 1: visual acuity, visual fields and eye movements

Asking candidates to perform an examination of the visual system, either as part of a full cranial nerve exam or as an individual entity, is a common station in practical examinations during medical school. It is important to practise for...

What’s new in wet AMD papers?

Paper presentations on neovascular (‘wet’) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) from the 16th European Society of Retina Specialists Congress, Copenhagen, September 2016, outline recent research directions evaluating the impact of vision loss on key health domains, patient preferences in the process...

The lived experience of benign essential blepharospasm

Benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) is a rare neurological condition which causes involuntary sustained or intermittent muscular contraction of both eyelids and upper facial muscles which cause closure of eyelids, abnormal facial expressions and distress [1]. The term dystonia is an...