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A glossary

After a week on call grading what feels like 13 billion referrals I decided it might be useful to come up with a glossary that might help other people in some way to decipher the true meaning behind every repetitive...

The results of the last survey Apr24

It has been a few years now since we started these surveys and I continue to be amazed by the variance in our practice. As a patient, I think I would expect there to be more consistency and evidence-based practice....

The results of the last survey Feb25

*Please be aware that this data does not form part of a peer reviewed research study. The information therein should not be relied upon for clinical purposes but instead used as a guide for clinical practice and reflection. The sample...

Bovine pericardium scleral patch graft associated scleritis: Ahmed valve implant for pupillary block glaucoma

Processed bovine pericardium is a lyophilised collagen sheet used as a surgical armamentarium. It renders the material antigenically inert with minimal inflammation [1]. Sclera patch pericardium graft (Tutopatch) is a collagenous membrane derived from solvent preserved, irradiated bovine pericardium [2]...

Deciphering dark retinal patches

We present a case of bilateral extensive dark without pressure (DWP) located outside the retinal vascular arcades in a young female. This retinal finding is benign but, in some instances, darkened retinal patches could be associated with potential sight-threatening conditions....

Dramatic myopic shift due to epithelial basement membrane dystrophy

Epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD), also known as map-dot-fingerprint dystrophy, is a common anterior corneal disorder affecting approximately 2% of the population [1]. It is characterised by the abnormal maintenance of the basement membrane, resulting in protrusions into the epithelium....

Sclerochoroidal calcification masquerading as ocular malignancy

Case 1 A 68-year-old Caucasian gentleman was urgently referred to eye casualty by his optometrist after seeing an unusual incidental finding of protruding lesions from the retina, suspecting choroidal melanoma. He was asymptomatic and this was his first eye test...

Keep calm and cut the carbon – improving sustainability in ophthalmology

As I dump my tenth pair of gloves into a non-recyclable clinical waste bin; dispose of another handful of plastic minims; or print another wad of single-sided discharge paperwork after a cataract surgery, the inconvenient truth of how these seemingly...

Anisometropia following cataract surgery and its non-surgical treatment

The desired result of cataract surgery is improved visual acuity without the use of spectacles. In practice most patients following initial cataract extraction are likely to be symptomatic of anisometropia giving rise to prismatic effects (anisophoria) and unequal retinal image...

Behind the curtain: What trainees wish they knew before starting in ophthalmology

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...