A Case of Choroidal Naevus in a Child

  • Reading time:8 mins read
  • Post author:Shivam Goyal
  • Post category:Article

Choroidal naevus is the most common benign intra-ocular tumour. It originates from neural crest derived cells. This lesion is of clinical significance due to risk of visual loss especially if located near the foveola and risk of transformation into malignant melanoma. Traditionally choroidal naevus has been assessed using ultrasound and fluorescein angiography. With advent of new imaging modalities like optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and OCT angiogram (OCTA) they are being more commonly used to assess naevus. Low risk naevus is defined as one that is unlikely to transform into melanoma. Features of low-risk naevi are thickness <2mm, presence of drusen, absence of subretinal fluid, absence of orange pigment, absence of symptoms, tumour margins away from optic disc, and echo dense on ultrasound. It is a common observation that choroidal naevi are rarely seen in younger children. We describe a case of choroidal naevus in a 16-year-old girl referred to our clinic and review of literature to assess its prevalence and outcome in children.

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How to make the most of your ophthalmology taster week

  • Reading time:6 mins read
  • Post author:Mohammed Talha Bashir
  • Post category:Article

Medical students have limited exposure to ophthalmology (1) and foundation placements in the specialty are rare. Taster weeks give applicants a chance to broaden their experience and make an informed career decision, and the recruiting bodies for ophthalmic specialist training (OST) in the UK have hence allocated weight in the application for the completion of an ophthalmology taster week (2). However, OST is highly competitive and, while a taster week itself carries 1 point in the application, applicants can use this experience to unlock more opportunities to strengthen their chances of securing a post. The following article explores how those looking to apply for the specialty can get the most out of their taster weeks.

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Applying to UK Ophthalmic Specialist Training in the COVID-19 Era

  • Reading time:11 mins read
  • Post author:Mohammed Bashir
  • Post category:Article

Ophthalmic specialist training (OST) is one of the most competitive training programmes in the United Kingdom with only 89 places for over 600 applicants in 2021 (1). The cancellation of face-to-face interviews in response to the Covid-19 pandemic is one of several changes effected by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the Severn Deanery which is the lead recruiter for the speciality. Many budding ophthalmologists have struggled to adapt to the changes directly and indirectly imposed by the pandemic and were not successful in securing a training post during this time. The following article aims to outline changes to the OST application experience during the Covid-19 era and offers advice to those hoping to apply in coming cycles.

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Never too late: Starting your OST portfolio as a Foundation Doctor

  • Reading time:10 mins read
  • Post author:Hui Mei Wong, Kristie Hing Chi Leung
  • Post category:Article

Advice on preparing the Ophthalmology Speciality Training (OST) portfolio often assumes that the applicant is still in medical school or at a relatively early stage of their career, which can be disheartening for applicants who decide to pursue Ophthalmology later on in their careers (such as during Foundation Years 2 or 3), as this cohort of applicants would have to develop their portfolio within a much shorter timeframe. This article aims to highlight high-yield elements within the OST to maximize points, focusing on applicants who decided to pursue Ophthalmology in their Foundation Years.

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Age-Related Cataract Surgery: Through the Lens of Various Stakeholders

  • Reading time:21 mins read
  • Post author:Wei Zhuen Chew, Aimee Lloyd
  • Post category:Article

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Estimates attributing blindness due to cataracts range from 50% cause of all-blindness in middle-low income countries to 90% cause of all-blindness in developed countries. Beyond the age of 60 years old, the average person is more likely to suffer from cataracts than not. This combination of a high incidence rate among the population and highly effective treatment available makes cataract surgery the most common surgical procedure performed in the NHS. This article explores and establishes the benefits of cataract surgery from multiple perspectives.

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A Case of Unilateral Retinitis in a Young Myopic Female

  • Reading time:5 mins read
  • Post author:Hamzah Hussain, Ahmed Javed
  • Post category:Article

This case report follows the case of a 27 year old female who presented to her optometrist with a 10-day history of floaters in her left eye. The optometrist noted papilloedema and she was advised to attend the Emergency Department for further assessment and imaging. A CT brain showed no acute intracranial findings, however upon examination a left swollen disc was noted and the right pupil was unreactive to light. She was referred to eye casualty for specialist input. Her visual acuity was 0.16 in her right eye and 0.42 in her left eye. Ishihara plates could be read fully. Pupillary reflexes were normal in the left eye however the patient reported that the right eye has been unreactive since birth.

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Eye-Si Simulator: A user experience

  • Reading time:4 mins read
  • Post author:Hamzah Hussain
  • Post category:Article

The Eye-Si simulator is a surgical simulator that can be used by trainees to gain and develop surgical techniques which are utilised in ophthalmology. More information can be found in an EyeSi overview by Rubia Akhtar. This article aims to provide a personal user review of the simulator. To begin with, I was unable to use the Eye-Si simulator until an assigned tutor provided me with a login – there was no option to register myself. Once I finally had the login, I was told I must use the machine supervised by someone on my first go – as there was no instructions or manual on how to use the equipment and the tools were very delicate.

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Is Moraxella Non-liquefaciens induced microbial keratitis related to mask wearing?

  • Reading time:13 mins read
  • Post author:Samuel Yee War Leung, Diya Baker, Nicole Leung
  • Post category:Article

Mask wearing may increase the risk of ocular infections with organisms that are not usually encountered as pathogenic. Moraxella Non-liquefaciens is normally commensal in the upper respiratory tract, non-pathogenic, and rarely found to be the causative organism in microbial keratitis. At the Ophthalmology department covering the England West Midlands North we encountered 4 patients, each with a unique Moraxella strain after the end of the second lockdown.

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Eye-Si Simulation: An Overview

  • Reading time:3 mins read
  • Post author:Rubia Akhtar
  • Post category:Article

The Eye-Si is a surgical simulator used in ophthalmic training to help build trainees familiarity and proficiency in intra-ocular surgical techniques. It provides a safe environment to polish and refine surgical techniques prior to approaching patients in the theatre.

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Congenital infections of the eye

  • Reading time:17 mins read
  • Post author:Imran Karim Janmohamed
  • Post category:Article

Neonatal ophthalmic pathologies should be identified as early as possible in order to address problems before they progress and become irreversible. In the UK, this is made achievable by the standard Newborn Infant Physical Examination. This comprises an assessment looking for external structural abnormalities in the eye which may inform a number of genetic syndromes, identifying the red reflex, direct ophthalmoscopy and other tests. This article aims to provide an overview of the manifestations of congenital eye infections and their management.

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