Advances In Eyecare

Dr Sue Blakeney goes through the guidelines from the College of Optometrists, Geoff Roberson looks at how local protocols can vary and Dr Dan Rosser describes the rules for referral of suspect retinal detachment in the Norfolk area.

In the following episodes, we are interviewing practitioners and policy makers, to find out how the referrals process works across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We look specifically at how emergency, urgent and routine referrals should be handled according to national guidelines and local protocols.

Bobby Sira, a Consultant Pharmacist, speaks about the importance and function of Medicines Use Reviews in clinical practice.

Prof Chris Dickinson summarises her research on eccentric viewing and associated techniques, including steady eye strategy, to determine the usefulness of such visual training for patients.

Dr Helen Court discusses her cross-sectional analysis of the comorbidities of visual impairment.

Dr Tom Margrain reviews the outcomes of his study, a recent collaboration between the charity Guide Dogs and Cardiff University, on the prevalence of depression in the visually impaired.

Dr Ian Murray discusses his research on dark adaptation in early stage AMD, exploring the implications of this research, and whether it has the ability to aid the earlier detection of the disease.

Prof Will Ayliffe looks at new systems of assessing electrophysiology, such as electroretinography (ERG) and visual evoked potential (VEP) assessments.

Dr Dorothy Thomson discusses her work as a consultant clinical clinical scientist in visual electrophysiology.

Mr Pearse Keane discusses his research on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), and what implications it could have in primary eye care.

David Thomson discusses with Polly Dulley how a new clinical eye tracker provides a powerful tool for diagnosing and managing a wide range of conditions including binocular vision anomalies, various neurological conditions and reading difficulties.

Prof Philip Morgan, Professor Curtis Dobson and Dr Bianca Price discuss their recent research into tear film proteins and how they might be exploited to prevent contact lens infection and inflammation.

Professor Jennifer Craig offers a unique insight into the TFOS DEWS II report which redefines dry eye disease, looks at the evidence base for assessment and management.

Dr Catherine Suttle discusses how to assess research using a critical appraisal tool to help decide on whether the outcomes of any research are significant and to what extent.

Professor Brendan Barrett looks at the various ways literature reviews are undertaken and then explains how he uses the new Cochrane Risk of Bias tool to understand the robustness of published research into the impact of coloured lenses in influencing reading ability.

Dr Doina Gherghel looks at the influence of Alzheimer's disease upon eye health and appropriate management options.

Dr Rebekka Heitmar offers an insight into the developments in retinal vascular assessment that are useful in monitoring vascular diseases via retinal analysis.

Prof Francesca Cordeiro discusses the use of fluorescent dye markers in early detection of glaucoma and the detection of apoptosing retinal cells or DARC technique.

In the final unit, unit 8, we summarise the general protocols of referrals that apply regardless of pathway. We consider the importance of record keeping and legal issues around referrals.

Glaucoma diagnosis and referrals have seen great enhancements from the development of referral refinement schemes. We talk to Amanda Harding, principal optometrist at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, to get some clarification on the different referral filtering services in the UK. We also go back to Glasgow to hear from Kathy Morrison about how the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines have been implemented since the last referrals programme.