Basic anatomy In this article, we will be discussing retinal detachments and will therefore focus only on the back of the eye. The eye is full of a jelly called the vitreous which plays a role during the foetal development of the eye and then remains there providing turgor to the eye. The posterior edge

Anatomy of a Slit Lamp Biomicroscope The slit lamp consists of: Patient support frame: Illumination arm: Viewing arm: Base: Illumination filters Switch the controls for several illumination settings that may be used for different purposes: 1: Open – no filter, maximal brightness. 2: Grey – reduced maximum brightness to decrease patient discomfort. 3. Red-free –

Pupil size results from the activity of sympathetic and parasympathetic stimulation to the muscles of the iris. Under normal circumstances, bright light causes pupil constriction (miosis) due to increased parasympathetic activity, which stimulates the pupillary sphincter muscles.  Dimly lit conditions cause pupil dilation (mydriasis), which results from sympathetic stimulation of the pupillary dilator muscles. Pupil

Introduction Papilloedema is optic disc swelling which is specifically secondary to raised intracranial pressure (ICP). It is nearly always bilateral and can be asymmetrical. [1] The umbrella terms disc swelling, or oedema include unilateral or bilateral disc involvement with varying causes and not only raised intracranial pressure.  [1, 2] This article will specifically focus on

Amblyopia is a childhood cause of visual impairment. It occurs due to abnormal visual development in early life, particularly the cortical visual pathway. It is often described as a ‘lazy eye’. This is because of underlying pathological processes causing the brain to ‘switch off’ visual signals to the brain in the weaker eye. Over time,

Introduction – epidemiology and causes/risk factors: Uveitis is a condition that describes the inflammation of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. Anterior uveitis, more specifically, is inflammation of the anterior segment, which includes iritis (anterior chamber inflammation alone), iridocyclitis (anterior chamber and anterior vitreous inflammation) and anterior cyclitis. Anterior uveitis is the common type of

The visual field is the entire area a patient can see with their eyes fixes and without moving their head up, down, left or right. The image is inverted upside down and flipped left to right compared to the projection that falls on the retina. Visual fields are formally assessed by confrontation (which is the

Definition Sudden onset painless loss of vision is usually due to vascular occlusion. There are two types of vascular occlusions discussed in this article. Central Retinal Vein Occlusion The first – CRVO (Central Retinal Vein Occlusion), is the second most common vascular pathology which affects the retina. The most common being diabetic retinopathy (discussed in

Glaucoma can be divided into open-angle or closed-angle glaucoma. Closed-angle glaucoma has been described in a separate article. Open-angle glaucoma accounts for the majority (74%) of glaucoma cases worldwide. What is it? Chronic open angle glaucoma is a progressive and irreversible optic neuropathy. It is characterised by: To understand the causes, let’s look at the