As I started the day meeting a patient living with advanced cataracts in both eyes, I was struck by the life-altering impact of vision loss. This defining moment underscored the invaluable role of accessible ophthalmic care, a reality I witnessed first-hand at the Railway Hospitals of Madurai, India. The Railway Hospitals of Madurai, India, provide a captivating setting for an elective experience abroad.
The exposure to Ophthalmology in the author’s undergraduate medical training was quite limited. Worldwide, the time spent in ophthalmology courses is decreasing, with the longest exposure by continent being recorded in Africa, with the shortest being recorded in North America. Visualisation of the back of the eye may be paramount to an inexperienced resident doctor’s job, where the ability to perform a simple technique such as fundoscopy may help to rule out raised intracranial pressure by checking for signs such as papilloedema.
The UKEGS annual meeting in 2024 was a 2-day event held in the beautiful coastal city of Southampton, in the National Oceanographic Centre, celebrating 50 years. The UKEGS conference provided an exciting opportunity to listen to interesting cases related to Glaucoma from reputable speakers, gain an insight into technological advances within this field, view posters on display and more importantly have an opportunity to interact and associate with giants within the field of Glaucoma.
As a final-year medical student keen on pursuing a career in Ophthalmology, I spent my elective at Sankara Eye Hospital, a large speciality eye hospital in Bangalore, India. It was an exciting opportunity to spend time in a healthcare system facing challenges with the ever-growing demand of a 1.4 billion population. I hope to share my thoughts on how Indian healthcare systems have adapted to the ever-growing demands and what we could learn as the demand for NHS services grows. In this piece, I will aim to reflect on my elective experience abroad using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle.
The European Vitreoretinal Society (EVRS) Meeting 2024, held in the breathtaking city of Budapest, Hungary, in November 2024, was a remarkable convergence of knowledge, innovation, and collaboration in the field of vitreoretinal medicine. Renowned for its commitment to advancing retinal care, the EVRS once again provided an exceptional platform for sharing groundbreaking research, discussing complex cases, and exploring the future of ophthalmology.
Migraines are a common presentation to the emergency department. They are noted to be the most common primary headache disorder and ranked the 2nd most disabling disease globally by the Global Burden of Disease study 2016. Data from the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom further support this, with admission rates for headaches having risen by 14% over a 5-year period in 2018/19.
Ahmad Khalifa Introduction My medical elective experience in Syria revealed the profound impact of the ongoing conflict and resource limitations on healthcare delivery, underscoring the need for a comprehensive understanding…
This article will discuss where we currently stand in the use of retinal Imaging methods with the aid of AI for the development of ophthalmological practice. A specific implementation of AI that is available now relies on pattern recognition and grouping of images with similar findings and patterns which can be used to aid in the research and development of a better understanding of retinal pathologies, particularly chronic ones. However, the prospective use that I want to discuss is the clinical aid of AI in early triage for use by non-ophthalmology clinicians who usually have not one but multiple barriers in providing enough information for an effective referral/handover to more senior clinicians specializing in Ophthalmology.
Uveitis is an umbrella term that refers to inflammation of the uveal tract and adjacent structures of the eye, which can be infectious or non-infectious in aetiology. Uveitis can be classified as anterior, intermediate, posterior, or panuveitis based on the anatomical location of the inflammation in the eye. Anterior uveitis is inflammation of the iris and ciliary body and is the most common form of uveitis. Intermediate uveitis is defined as inflammatory cells in the vitreous humour. Posterior uveitis is defined as inflammation of the retina/choroid (choroiditis, chorioretinitis, retinitis) and panuveitis is inflammation of all three parts of the uvea, i.e. the anterior chamber, vitreous humour, and choroid or retina.
Phototransduction is the process by which light stimuli are converted into electrical signals in the retina, enabling vision. This biochemical cascade allows photoreceptor cells—rods and cones—to detect light, initiate electrical signalling, and ultimately send this information to the brain for visual perception. Disruptions in these pathways, whether in the phototransduction process or in the recycling mechanisms, can lead to various visual disorders. Mutations in genes responsible for phototransduction and its components often result in retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa and congenital stationary night blindness. This paper will explore the phototransduction pathway, the recycling of visual pigments, and common gene mutations associated with retinal diseases.