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NICE drugs: an update on what’s good to go

Treatment options recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) must be readily available for use in the NHS of England and Wales. This article provides an overview of recent guidance from NICE and summary advice issued...

How to be ‘appy’ on call: a brief guide to mobile phone applications for the on-call ophthalmologist

One of the unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an increased reliance and integration of computer technology within hospital medicine. The need for stricter infection control policies during and after lockdown has seen a boom in technology utilisation....

Refined glaucoma referral practice offers prospect of improved capacity and expanded role for primary eye care professionals

Glaucoma is the most frequent cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and the second leading cause of blindness in the UK [1,2]. The global prevalence of glaucoma in 2010 was approximately 3.5% for people aged 40-80 years, according to Jonas et...

Childhood glaucoma

When a child is given a diagnosis of glaucoma, the impact upon that child and their family is enormous; equivalent to the diagnosis of a cancer [14]. This previously published article (2019) outlines the knowledge, techniques and approaches that offer...

Strengthening diabetic retinopathy services in Nigeria through DR-NET – from grass roots to national policy development

This is the third article in a series (see Part 1 and Part 2) reflecting on how shared learning via networks of UK and international eye health professionals is contributing to reducing unnecessary blindness in Nigeria. Earlier articles focused on...

Four pillars: Education

This series explores the four pillars of advanced clinical practice and here, Catherine Garrott explores the pillar of education. Advanced clinical practice applies to all allied healthcare professionals (AHP) in ophthalmology, such as nurses, orthoptists and optometrists. As our roles...

Advanced level practice for ophthalmic nursing

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Ophthalmic Nursing Forum (ONF) is committed to clinical excellence through advancing ophthalmic nursing practice and supporting career development. With the increasing demand for ophthalmic services, advanced and specialist practice roles are vital to increase...

Clinical relevance of the anatomic classification of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

The author explains why an OCT-based classification of neovascular AMD is needed and how these neovascular subtypes may help to predict patients’ long-term visual outcome. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative process involving the macula in...

Intravitreal injections delivered by ophthalmic clinical nurse specialists

Intravitreal injections of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agent ranibizumab, for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was approved by National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) in 2008 [1]. The Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH),...