Unfortunately, I had the pleasure of getting to know this exam intimately. With adequate preparation this does not have to be the case for most people. The exam has recently changed to consist of 10 OSCE style stations (previously 12)....
It has been 25 years since Huang et al. presented the first optical coherence tomography (OCT) images in Science [1]. With vast improvements in OCT technology over the years, it is now possible to acquire high-resolution cross-sectional images of the...
A 48-year-old female has had multiple drug treatment for glaucoma and is still losing field of vision. How do you manage this over time? This patient is at high-risk for going blind and should be managed aggressively to protect remaining...
It is always nice to get a thank you card, especially so when it comes from someone at the tail end of an overbooked clinic who had waited patiently well past their appointed slot. Such was the case when I...
We present the case of a 12-year-old child presenting with a few days history of left-sided visual loss. Upon further investigation with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) she was unexpectedly diagnosed with a right-sided chronic posterior cerebral arterial territory infarct, causing...
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes, caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the retinal microvasculature. Mechanisms, such as oxidative stress and deposition of advanced glycation end products, leads to glial cell activation and neuronal apoptosis. Pericytes, contractile...
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Primarily associated with ageing, genetic factors and lifestyle choices such as smoking also play a contributory role. Patients with early AMD, characterised by the development of...
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...
Ophthalmology specialty trainees are required to pass the refraction certificate exam within the first two years of training. If one passes this exam before entering a training programme, this can add two points to the portfolio during applications. In this...
History The VISION 2020 LINK between the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre (SZRECC), Banjul, The Gambia and the Ophthalmology Department, Singleton Hospital, Swansea started in 2008 under the guidance of the VISION 2020 LINKS Programme at the International Centre...
Part 2: Clinical varieties, anatomical considerations and case report (see also Part 1 and Part 3) For ophthalmologists there are four types of pituitary tumour to be considered, three of which are named according to the hormone secreted, along with...
The authors provide a comprehensive review of the current understanding of pericytes in the optic nerve head (ONH). Key points include: (1) Pericytes are contractile mural cells that play crucial roles in regulating blood flow, maintaining the blood-brain / blood-retinal...