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Simulated intravitreal injection training – the way forward

Simulated surgical training is now recommended in the training curricula of all ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom [1]. Simulated training allows for familiarisation with a procedure, exercises the discipline of repetition, allows the resolution of technical difficulties and enables refinement...

Make eye drops part of your Ramadan routine: wake, drops, eat, pray, done!

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours, abstaining from food and drink between dawn and sunset each day. Ramadan 2020 starts on 23 April and ends around 23 May, depending on the first appearance of the...

Could Twitter boost the impact of ophthalmic journal articles?

*Equally contributing co-first authors. The authors investigate the link between ‘tweets’ and citations for 155 articles from five key ophthalmology journals. Social media’s impact on our lives has been significant, allowing easy discussion of topics worldwide. An increasing number of...

My Top Five: Ophthalmology TikTok accounts, educating and entertaining both the public and trainees

In the modern world, our electronic devices have now become an extension of ourselves, with our reliance and use of them of comparable importance to an arm or a leg. The importance of electronic devices can also be seen in...

Possible COVID-19 related maculopathy

COVID-19 is being investigated as a potential cause for various ocular diseases, with growing evidence of related retinal vascular changes, that vary from isolated cotton wool spots and retinal haemorrhages to retinal vascular occlusions [1.2]. COVID-related macular affection has also...

Randomisation, confounding & observational methods in ophthalmic epidemiology

Randomisation and confounding Understanding the relationship between an exposure and an outcome of interest is the central challenge in ophthalmic epidemiology. The exposure may be aetiological, taking the form of a putative risk biological factor, or therapeutic, in the form...

My Top Five: Duke Elder Undergraduate Ophthalmology Prize Exam Tips

The prestigious Duke Elder Undergraduate Ophthalmology exam in the UK is aimed at medical students who have completed their ophthalmology undergraduate teaching but is open to all medical undergraduates provided they have not graduated at the time of the examination....

Passing the Refraction Certificate as a Foundation doctor

Application for ophthalmic specialist training (OST) is competitive. This means you should consider making every effort to maximise your portfolio points, as it may have a significant contribution to your OST application ranking. The “Commitment to Specialty” section is the...

My top five: A foundation doctor’s top five misconceptions about ophthalmology

Choosing a specialty is challenging. As a foundation doctor, it often feels as if this choice is based solely on fleeting experiences. Compared to other specialties, there is relatively little exposure to ophthalmology during either medical school or foundation years....

WHO SPECS 2030: a global initiative to strengthen refractive error services

Globally, it is estimated that only around one-third of people with vision impairment due to refractive error have received access to a quality pair of spectacles [1]. In recognition that uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of vision impairment...

Pegcetacoplan: A breakthrough treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration?

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative condition affecting the macula, the part of the retina responsible for central vision. It is characterised by the presence of drusen and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) abnormalities in the absence of other macular...

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...