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How to get the most out of your medical school ophthalmology placement

Ophthalmology has become a very popular speciality, generating a vast interest amongst medical students with competition for training posts increasing yearly. Yet it is often difficult to get adequate exposure to the speciality prior to applications, with very limited time...

An interview with Professor John Forrester

What made you choose ophthalmology as a career and how did your interest in academia develop? During Medical School at Glasgow University, I was getting progressively disillusioned with the career options while my colleagues and friends all seemed to quickly...

A near miss

A 55-year-old gentleman presented with a ‘blurry patch’ to his left eye which he had noticed for the past two months. The visual acuity with correction was 6/5 in the right eye and 6/6 in the left eye on the...

In vivo confocal microscopy, principles and use in keratitis Part 1: Principles

In 1968 Maurice introduced the concept of high powered specular microscopy, it was in that very year that the first scanning confocal microscope was proposed. Marvin Minsky developed the first confocal microscope in 1955 named the ‘double focusing scanning microscope’....

The ‘art’ of refraction – designing a refraction course

Learning how to refract requires theoretical knowledge, practice and determination. Refraction is a notoriously challenging skill to acquire and the competing demands on junior ophthalmologists can often be restrictive of the development of this core skill. To consolidate theory learnt...

Principles of contact lens fitting in keratoconus

Keratoconus is an ectatic condition of the cornea characterised by progressive conical distortion with irregular astigmatism, myopia and apical protrusion. Most cases progress slowly resulting in varying degrees of myopic astigmatism. Management of keratoconus includes spectacles, soft contact lenses, a...

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Neovascular Glaucoma in a Patient with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia

An 84-year-old Caucasian male attended eye casualty with a four month history of reduced vision, a dull ache and photophobia in both eyes. He had also reported dizziness, weakness and intermittent epistaxis in the nine months prior to presentation. There...

Ophthalmology in the Middle East: Reflections from two electives in Jordan and the UAE

In the summer of 2021, I was fortunate enough to embark on two electives in ophthalmology at the Shami Eye Centre in Amman, Jordan, and Moorfields Eye Hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). These eye hospitals serve distinct populations,...

Ophthalmology elective in China

Wandering through the bustling streets of Zhejiang, China, immersed in the harmonious blend of modernity and tradition, I made my way to the Eye Centre of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University College of Medicine. The aroma of traditional Chinese...

The increasing privatisation of ophthalmology: How has and how will it affect resident doctors?

It’s well known that the rising number of private ophthalmology providers in the UK have continued to increase their market share in providing various services. Referrals from NHS trusts have continued to increase with nearly 60% of cataract operations being...

My message to future ophthalmology teaching fellows: Organising an effective ophthalmology placement

Globally, teaching ophthalmology during the undergraduate period presents challenges. The time allocated for it is minimal with substandard exposure [1,2]. Additionally, the number of universities mandating formal ophthalmology education has significantly declined [3]. Research supports the observation that doctors in...

Record rise in competition ratios for ophthalmology: What does this mean for the future of the ophthalmology training programme?

In this article, Adina Smith discusses factors likely to contribute to the record rise in competition ratios and the impact this may have on the future of OST. Ophthalmology specialty training (OST) is the fifth most competitive training programme in...