The Introduction to Ophthalmic Surgery course (IOS) is a very popular 1-day course delivered by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in London. The course aims to introduce clinicians to some of the microsurgical techniques which form the foundations of commonly performed ophthalmic procedures such as strabismus, cataract, corneal and oculoplastic surgery.
This case highlights the challenges of management of lens dislocation in patients with homocystinuria. Management of lens dislocation is initially with pupillary dilation and medical management of raised IOP, supine posturing and then pupillary constriction when the lens repositions into the retropupillary space.
This article explains the various different types of laser refractive eye surgery by breaking them down into different subtypes of surface and flap-based procedures, followed by evaluating their outcomes, complications, and comparing different procedures against each other.
This article will explore present treatment options for dry AMD, including the AREDS 2 formula and vitamin D supplementation, as well as consider what the future may hold, from complement system inhibitors to stem-cell-derived RPE cells to visual cycle modulators.
Reactive Arthritis (RA), formerly known as Reiter’s Syndrome, refers to non-septic joint inflammation that develops in reaction to an infection in another part of the body. RA is often characterized by a classic triad of symptoms: inflammation of multiple asymmetric joints usually in the lower limbs, inflammation of the eyes in the form of conjunctivitis or uveitis and urethritis in men or cervicitis in women. These three symptoms may occur separately, all at once or not at all.
Herpes Zoster (HZ) is a viral infection of an individual nerve and its corresponding dermatome following reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus (VZV). Approximately 1 in 4 people will develop herpes zoster in their lifetime, with incidence and severity increasing with age. Other important risk factors for VZV include an immunocompromised state, certain comorbidities, psychological factors and female sex. This article presents a case of Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus with ocular involvement in an immunocompromised 64-year-old male patient.
Idiopathic macular holes (MHs) are most prevalent in the sixth and seventh decade of life with approximately two-thirds of patients being female, and can significantly impact patients’ quality of life. Although the aetiology is unknown, a range of risk factors have been proposed including; myopia, retinal detachment, hypertension and diabetic retinopathy.
A 64-year-old lady presented to the emergency department with a headache and bilateral visual loss. She had recently visited France for two months to spend time with family, and had returned to the United Kingdom one week previously. The headache had developed around 2 weeks ago and whilst still on holiday, coming on suddenly.
With increasing specialisation and multidisciplinary approaches to healthcare, referrals are becoming an every present part of working in any speciality. Despite the daily occurrence of the task of referring a patient, referrals are commonly cited as a challenging task by junior doctors. This challenging nature is demonstrated in the often anecdotally mentioned complaint amongst doctors of receiving inappropriate referrals.
Traditional iris implants that are commonly available are rigid, requiring large incisions with associated risks of scarring, astigmatism, infection and poor healing (Thiagalingam et al., 2008). Furthermore, they do not replicate the patient’s natural eye colour and are therefore less desirable from a cosmetic point of view. Custom made iris implants are now growingly available and provide an exciting alternative.