Orbits in orbit: the weightless eye
Outer space may be filled with wondrous mysteries and the promise of discovery, but a forgiving environment for the human eye it is not.
Jakob Sauppe5 min read
Ophthalmology Comment
GNZ: Facing the challenge
There is no doubt 2021 was an unusual year. We have come to realise that Covid-19 will be part of our landscape for the foreseeable future. While this hinders eyecare providers, for patients with glaucoma the challenges are threefold.
Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer2 min read
CASE STUDY: non-neovascular subretinal fluid in AMD
A 65-year-old European man was referred to the retinal clinic for ongoing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) management. On a routine examination by his optometrist, he was found to have bilateral subretinal fluid (SRF) and drusen. He was asymptomatic with visual acuity of 6/9 in both eyes. A si
Dr Leo Sheck4 min read
Two years: the impacts of Covid-19 on eyecare
Being geographically isolated, New Zealand’s Covid-19 elimination strategy was extremely effective during 2020 and most of 2021. In early December 2021, although there had been a total of 12,000 cases of Covid-19 in Aotearoa, the mortality rate was just 0.36% (44 deaths). In stark contrast, the UK,
Dr Himanshu Wadhwa, Dr Jie Zhang and Professor Charles McGhee9 min read
Thyroid disease, Covid-19 and conjunctivitis and Myopia app
Teprotumumab for TED: early response not required for benefit
Dr Kenneth Chan7 min read
Cataract surgery and dementia
As well as benefitting vision, cataract surgery has tremendous implications for quality of life, avoiding falls and cognitive deterioration. It’s also a very efficient option for better care, lower costs and patients’ independence. Now a new study has shown cataract extraction is associated with a 3
Drs Francesc March de Ribot and Mo Ziaei3 min read
Neuroprotection and nicotinamide
In ophthalmology, ‘neuroprotection’ usually refers to methods of preventing progressive glaucomatous visual field loss that are not intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction treatments. The term also includes the possibility of recovery of optic nerve function in glaucoma. Nicotinamide is a form of vitam
Dr Mark Donaldson5 min read
Chalkeyes presents: When Facebook says ‘no’!
Frustrated by Facebook’s decision to stop her promoting her business-to-business-focused Facebook sites after she declined to share confidential proof-of-identity details with the social networking behemoth, Lesley Springall sought answers on what to do when you’re left in the lurch by Facebook.
Lesley Springall9 min read
Mitigating the cyber-risk for your business
Businesses have traditionally been overconfident in their cyber controls or buried their heads in the sand when it came to best cyber security practice, resulting in the number of data breaches increasing exponentially from malicious hacking and accidental disclosures by staff. So business owners ne
David Pearson5 min read
Making the move to nurse-led CXL clinics
Reflecting similar strategies in the UK and Ireland, a nurse-led corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) service is being established in Northland to ease the burden on local ophthalmologists. Drew Jones reviews how this is being received.
Drew Jones8 min read
AUSCRS – Virtually as good as the real thing
I’d hoped to have been reporting about fun in the sun, fancy dress and cocktails in Noosa, Queensland, for this year’s meeting of the Australasian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (AUSCRS). However, like most meetings in the region, AUSCRS fell victim to travel restrictions and was transf
Dr Ben LaHood8 min read
The iris in health and disease: part 1 - normal variations and mass lesions
The healthy human iris consists of five layers: the anterior-border layer, stroma, iris sphincter muscle, iris dilator muscle and the iris pigment epithelium (IPE)1. The anterior border layer is made up of fibroblasts and contains melanocytes1. Underneath that is the iris stroma, a layer that contai
Drs Joevy Lim, Rachael Niederer and Jie Zhang7 min read