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End stage glaucoma management

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’s not always GCA

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an immune mediated granulomatous inflammatory disease that affects muscular middle or large sized arteries. It is considered as a continuation of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) when the severity of the disease has increased. It is the...

Neurofibromatosis type 2 – diagnosis, features and MDT approach

NF2 is a genetic condition caused by mutation in a single gene (NF2 gene) on chromosome 22. The NF2 gene provides instructions to produce a protein called merlin, also known as schwannomin. This protein functions as a tumour suppressor, preventing...

Patient changes eye colour permanently and has brighter and whiter looking eyes

In this new series, Simerdip Kaur takes a look at the latest ophthalmology-related news stories and asks which are scientific reality and which are ‘fake news’. Headline: Patient changes eye colour permanently and has brighter and whiter looking eyes If...

Severe conjunctival cicatrisation secondary to chronic glaucoma therapy

The timing of glaucoma filteration surgery during the course of chronic progressive glaucoma remains a contentious issue amongst glaucoma specialists. The vast majority support the use of maximal medical treatment initially to achieve the target pressure. Surgical procedures are only...

Birdshot chorioretinopathy: an important differential

Birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR) is a relatively uncommon cause of posterior uveitis which often has a relapsing and remitting course [1,2]. We present a case which demonstrates how remission can be obtained for several years using cyclosporine. Case report A 44-year-old...

A case of ‘60-day glaucoma’

Neovascular glaucoma (NVG) has been called ‘90-’ or ‘100-day glaucoma’ in the past due to its typical development three months after the onset of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). In reality, NVG can occur anywhere between two weeks and two...

How good does my vision have to be to drive this thing? Visual standards for various occupations

We can all picture that moment in clinic: you are about to tell someone that they’re no longer legally able to drive, ready to deploy our ‘breaking bad news’ techniques. For some patients this may have been expected, or they...

How to pass FRCOphth Part 1 on the first attempt

Studying for this exam makes one wonder how there is so much to know about such a small organ. The FRCOphth Part 1 examination is notorious for its low pass rate, with only 20–40% of candidates succeeding at each sitting....