Ophthalmology is often considered to be an elite, highly competitive specialty, with little room for failure. Candidates and trainees tend to cultivate a certain urbane and confident style, and the bottleneck at ST1 can feel rather intense. The majority of...
As a foundation year doctor, I didn’t expect ophthalmology to feature much in acute medicine or surgery. Yet it kept appearing at the periphery – and when it did, it was often complex and unexpectedly urgent. A confused older patient...
Ophthalmology is one of the most competitive specialties to pursue training in worldwide. In the United Kingdom, the ST1 entry national selection competition ratio for the past few years has ranged between four to five applicants per post [1]. The...
4 December 2023
| Abdelrahman Obiedat
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EYE - General
IMGs in the NHS The General Medical Council (GMC) defines an international medical graduate (IMG) as someone who has obtained their primary medical qualification outside the European Economic Area (EEA) [1], meaning that an IMG is a medical doctor whose...
2 October 2025
| Chi Kit Yan, Salman Naveed Sadiq
|
EYE - Glaucoma
In this article, Resident Doctor Chi Kit Yan sits down with Consultant Glaucoma Specialist Salman Sadiq and explores the daily life of a glaucoma specialist, the pros and cons of the role, how trainees can prepare for this subspecialty, and...
Blind and partially sighted people could become ill from medicines and medical devices, because they are not being listened to when it comes to designing, prescribing and administering treatments. The Safety Gap’ report commissioned by the Patient Safety Commissioner, Prof...
Back in 1993, the late and great Barry Cullen FRCS (Cavan born, Dublin trained), the first editor of Eye News, asked me to write an article about the current treatment of chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG). At the time I...
“Bring back life form, priority one, all other priorities are rescinded.” Film buffs will spot this as a chilling quote spoken by Ash (Ian Holm) from the classic sci-fi horror movie Alien (1979). Ash (spoiler alert) is a Hyperdyne Systems...
A new report highlights how 76% of UK hospitals now offer patients the opportunity to take part in studies of eye disease to improve research and innovation. ‘Ophthalmology research in the UK’s National Health Service: the structure and performance of...
Andrew Want takes a look at how colour vision has evolved in humans and animals and how it differs across species. Colour vision is something that we often take for granted, but it has become so intrinsic to the way...
Ninety percent of the world’s blind population resides in low-income, developing countries [1]. The primary cause of their blindness is cataract, a condition that is easily treatable and unnecessary. A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s lens, often resulting...