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Diabetes and diabetic retinopathy: Changes in understanding of the disease over the last 25 years and how the UK is helping low-income countries tackle the challenges

Diabetes – a historical perspective Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease caused by inherited and / or acquired deficiency in production of insulin by the pancreas, or by the ineffectiveness of the insulin produced. Such a deficiency results in...

The Gambia-Swansea VISION 2020 LINK: building eye care services and international friendships

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...

Pathophysiology of diabetic macular oedema: why combination therapy may be better

The prevalence of diabetes has continued to increase over the years. It is currently estimated that there are 382 million with diabetes worldwide in 2013, and that this figure is expected to rise to 592 million by 2035 [1]. In...

What’s next in retinal imaging? Faster, deeper and full-on

Fast-evolving technological leaps are opening the way toward clinically useful ocular coherence angiography, generating 3-dimensional microvasculature maps without intravenous dye injection, as well as whole-eye imaging, handheld patient-operated optical coherence tomography (OCT) devices and, for challenging vitreoretinal procedures, integrated intraoperative...

Specialist high-street eye clinics for managing patients with retinal disorders can enhance care standards

The author examines the successful introduction of community-based retinal clinic services by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Sajjad Mahmood, Consultant Ophthalmologist, MREH, shares experience of establishing community-based medical retina clinic services. Sight loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract,...

Refraction planning in cataract: avoid creating an unhappy patient

“It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has.” William Osler The focus of this paper is the prevention of an unhappy patient following cataract...

Management of diabetic macular oedema in vitrectomised eyes

Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is one of the leading causes of blindness; its prevalence is on the rise with progressive increase in numbers of people suffering from diabetes. The management of DMO has evolved significantly over the past few years....

Genetic profiling for personalised healthcare solutions in AMD – an update

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multifactorial condition influenced by genetics and lifestyle factors (Table 1). This article outlines several recent advances in AMD genetics, as well as evolving therapeutic concepts and established practical measures for the treatment and /...

A look into the IOL space

Advances in the design and performance of intraocular lenses (IOLs) continue to be driven by demand for better outcomes, presbyopia correction and spectacle independence, alongside a better understanding of the dynamics of the crystalline lens, newer theories of accommodation and...

Management of retinal diseases: highlights from the AAO 2019 Retina Subspecialty Day Meeting

The author highlights current debate, opinion and late breaking developments in the management of retinal diseases. The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 2019 Retina Subspecialty Day Meeting was held on 11-12 October, 2019 in San Francisco, USA. Established and emerging innovative...

Ambitions for sustainable service recovery amidst an escalating post-COVID backlog

Rod McNeil reviews plans, activity and solutions to better address the post-COVID backlog and bolster sustainable service recovery. Ophthalmology was the busiest outpatient specialty during the three years to March 2020 across the English NHS and again recorded the highest...