Full Synopsis

Angle Closure Glaucoma – Rupert Bourne & Jane Bell

Rupert Bourne, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon from Cambridgeshire, has been raising awareness about a form of Glaucoma especially common in East Asia. Here he compares the disease to other forms of Glaucoma, discusses the treatments for it and explains why people of certain parentage may be particularly at risk.

Electronic Books as Low Vision Aids – Dr Michael Crossland & David Cartwright

In this interview, David Cartwright speaks to Dr Michael Crossland, the author of a paper entitled ‘Electronic Books as Low Vision Aids’. Dr Crossland believes patients with low vision who have difficulty reading books and newspapers may find that the new wave of electronic books or ‘e-readers’ present a convenient solution. Lightweight, with size-adjustable text and a vast online library to choose from, this popular technology has allowed the visually impaired access to a world of books not generally otherwise available in large text format. Here, Dr Crossland explains the advantages of different models and passes on his experience in recommending the devices to patients.

Fife Centralised Ophthalmic Electronic Referral Unit (COeRU) – Dr Roshini Sanders, Colin Ferrier & Olivia Hunt

This feature comprises two interviews, conducted by Olivia Hunt, on the subject of an electronic referral system that has radically sped up the referral process for optometrists in Fife. The system works by enabling optometrists to send images of the patient’s eye to their GP and a hospital consultant simultaneously by encrypted email. Olivia’s first interview is with Dr Roshini Sanders, a hospital ophthalmologist who has been involved with the development of the system since its first implementation in May 2007. She then speaks to Colin Ferrier, one of the first optometrists to use the system in his practice.

Quarterly Review

In the latest quarterly review, Geoff begins by having another look at contact lenses with defocused peripheries, a subject discussed in OQ75. A study in New Zealand of the lenses’ corrective effect on myopia in children demonstrated encouraging results. Next, he looks at a report suggesting how elements of computer games might be used to make field tests more appealing to children. Then, turning to ‘Optometry and Vision Science’, Geoff picks out three articles of interest: one on the importance of rub and rinse in the care of contact lenses, one on the relationship between crowding, patient age and test design in children’s visual acuity testing, and finally, one detailing an Australian study on ‘risk propensity’ in practitioners prescribing lenses.