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...
In the third in our series about community eye care in the home nations, David O’Sullivan explains how Wales has developed its community eye care services. Since the devolution of healthcare to Wales on 1 July 1999 [1], significant changes...
It would be fair to say that 2020 hasn’t quite turned out to be the year that anyone predicted. Living with a global pandemic has become our reality and we are having to get used to many aspects of our...
A six-month-old child with facial dysmorphism is brought to the eye clinic with history of watery right eye since birth. How will you manage this child? Causes for watery eye in an infant 1. Overproduction of tears a. Infections b....
A 65-year-old lady with bilateral wet AMD and vision of 6/24 comes with an internet search about current therapies. How do you explain the various treatment modalities available? There are two NICE approved treatments for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)....
A 34-year-old woman, who is a CEO in a multinational firm, has been losing vision over the last 12 months. She has seen her opticians, who initially tried different glasses but could not improve things. Clinical examination is unremarkable. How...
Corneal ulceration caused by Acanthamoeba is on the rise, and recent publications indicate an outbreak in the UK over the last few years [1]. Since Acanthamoeba keratitis often presents with atypical features, diagnosis from slit-lamp examination alone can often be...
Let’s face it, patients with conjunctivitis don’t always produce the most stimulating consultations and most of the time we can manage them in auto-pilot. The prospect of delving into such a patient’s sexual history is not overly appealing, but this...
Informed consent is a cornerstone of ethical and legal practice in healthcare, particularly in fields like ophthalmology where specialised interventions can have significant implications for a patient’s vision and quality of life. In the UK, informed consent is not merely...
Poppers retinopathy is a relatively unknown phenomenon which afflicts users of poppers but should be considered as a differential in sudden-onset or sub-acute visual acuity loss – particularly in patients with a history of recreational drug use. Raising awareness of...
#probeyeotic #eyeballbugs #microbiome The human microbiome usually conjures up images of the gastrointestinal tract and yoghurt containing good bacteria. However, research suggests that the ocular mucosa is home to a unique microbe collection, with important immunological functional properties [1]. This...
*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. Hopefully by...