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COVID-19 and Charles Bonnet Syndrome

As COVID-19 rips through the country, it is – of course – imperative that we stay at home to try and prevent the virus spreading through the whole community. We are all aware of the need to take special care...

Make eye drops part of your Ramadan routine: wake, drops, eat, pray, done!

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours, abstaining from food and drink between dawn and sunset each day. Ramadan 2020 starts on 23 April and ends around 23 May, depending on the first appearance of the...

The Re-humanising Revolution: Breaking the conspiracy of silence

Over the last few years, the mental and emotional wellbeing of those who work in medicine has come under scrutiny. The author introduces a new resource. Working in healthcare has always been stressful but never more so than today. In...

Embracing assistive technology in the fight against sight loss

The author shares his own experience of sight loss and explains the vital role assistive technology can play in the lives of visually impaired patients. There is no doubt that sight loss continues to be a clear and present danger,...

Use of a smartphone repair microscope for microsurgical suturing simulation

Suturing ocular tissues under microscopic guidance is a skill that has declined in frequency, with the majority of cataract operations being sutureless. With the recent COVID-19 outbreak, training opportunities in theatre have declined further, given elective surgery cancellations. Subsequently, trainees...

Herpes zoster ophthalmicus: the essentials

Herpes zoster, also referred to as shingles, is a common infection most typically caused by the reactivation of varicella zoster virus that lies dormant (sometime for decades) in the dorsal root nerve ganglion following primary chickenpox infection [1]. In 10-20%...

Usher syndrome: an overview

Usher syndrome is the most common hereditary condition that affects both vision and hearing. It is an autosomal recessive condition characterised by retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss [1,2]. Usher syndrome is the cause of approximately 10% of...

Profile of a tertiary referral oculoplastics service in the UK

The provision of safe and effective ophthalmic care to large patient populations has always been challenging. Severe restrictions of outpatient clinical activity due to the COVID-19 crisis has compounded this problem, with 26,800 appointments cancelled in our unit in the...

Can e-learning help bridge the ophthalmology teaching gap?

The authors ask whether e-learning can help to address the current lack of ophthalmology teaching in the undergraduate curriculum. Studies among the United Kingdom, Australasian, Canadian and Asian medical schools have found that students on average spent just over a...

Neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy with imaging abnormalities in the occipital lobe – how to counsel the parents

Case A baby boy, with a background of intrauterine growth restriction, was born at 37 weeks and three days gestation via forceps delivery. The baby was born in poor condition, with low heart rate, poor respiratory rate, poor colour and...

My Top Five: Ophthalmology TikTok accounts, educating and entertaining both the public and trainees

In the modern world, our electronic devices have now become an extension of ourselves, with our reliance and use of them of comparable importance to an arm or a leg. The importance of electronic devices can also be seen in...

Possible COVID-19 related maculopathy

COVID-19 is being investigated as a potential cause for various ocular diseases, with growing evidence of related retinal vascular changes, that vary from isolated cotton wool spots and retinal haemorrhages to retinal vascular occlusions [1.2]. COVID-related macular affection has also...