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A cataract is “a clouding of the lens of the eye or of its surrounding transparent membrane that obstructs the passage of light”. Cataracts cause 50% of blindness and 33% of visual...
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...
IntroductionDry eye disease, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is a common eye disorder characterised by insufficient lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye....
A subconjunctival haemorrhage (SCH) can appear alarming to patients: the sudden, bright red bleeding on the white of the eye can often raise fears of a serious problem. However, for...
Conjunctivitis, which is often termed “pink eye”, is one of the most frequent causes of red eye presentations within primary care and the emergency department. In most cases, the condition...
OverviewDiabetes mellitus can cause both macrovascular (e.g., myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, stroke) and microvascular (e.g., nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy)...
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This is an article giving an overview of colorectal anatomy.General StructureAnatomy of the colon. Author: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/basic_info/what-is-colorectal-cancer.htm. CC...
IntroductionIschaemic bowel disease can be divided into acute mesenteric ischaemia, chronic mesenteric ischaemia, and colonic ischaemia. This article will predominantly...
A central line is a catheter placed into a major central vein, typically the internal jugular, subclavian, or femoral vein, with the tip positioned in the superior or inferior vena...
Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) is a relatively common ophthalmic condition that most doctors will encounter in general practice, the emergency department, or ophthalmology...
A subconjunctival haemorrhage (SCH) can appear alarming to patients: the sudden, bright red bleeding on the white of the eye can often raise fears of a serious problem. However, for...
Conjunctivitis, which is often termed “pink eye”, is one of the most frequent causes of red eye presentations within primary care and the emergency department. In most cases, the condition...
This guide is designed to help you identify the key areas you need to focus on when clerking a surgical patient. There are several differences when compared to clerking a medical patient,...
IntroductionThyroid Eye Disease (TED) is an autoimmune disease characterised by extraocular muscle swelling and orbital fat expansion1. It affects approximately 50,000 people...
IntroductionThe acute scrotum is a ‘constellation of new-onset pain, swelling and/or tenderness of intra-scrotal contents’ (1). In this article, we will review the limited number...
Chemical burns are a unique subset of burns that require specialised management due to the nature of the substances involved. Proper initial management is critical to prevent further...
IntroductionFlexor sheath infection is an infection of the synovial sheath surrounding flexor tendon in the hand .This is a surgical emergency that can result in significant...
IntroductionDry eye disease, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is a common eye disorder characterised by insufficient lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye....
IntroductionPtosis is a condition characterized by the drooping of the upper eyelid, which partially obstructs the eye1.It can occur in one or both eyes and has the potential...
Basic anatomyIn 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...
Anatomy of a Slit Lamp BiomicroscopeThe slit lamp consists of:An illumination arm which offers a range of settings to facilitate examining the eye. This swivels on a pivot to...
Whether you’re interested in orthopaedics or not, knowledge of basic fracture management can be useful in any ED.Start at the beginning…As with any other patient, take a focused...
Orofacial infections are a common A&E presentation and are often due to a dental source. Due to the proximity of the airway and the potential for compromise, it is essential to...
Hand infections are a common presentation, they can spread rapidly and cause damage to local structures and therefore require prompt identification and treatment.CausesHand infections...
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)...
IntroductionPapilloedema is optic disc swelling which is specifically secondary to raised intracranial pressure (ICP). It is nearly always bilateral and can be asymmetrical. [1]The...
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...
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,...
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...
DefinitionSudden 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...
Pupillary reflex pathway:Light reaches the retina, travels via ganglion cells to the optic nerve, which then forms the optic chiasm before diverging into the left and right optic...
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%)...
Most common presenting symptoms: Flashing lights or new floatersIntroductionA retinal tear is described as a full thickness defect in the retina, normally in the periphery of...
Poorly controlled hypertension results in target-organ damage. In the eye, it results in choroidopathy, retinopathy and optic neuropathy. This article will focus on hypertensive retinopathy,...
Ophthalmology training is becoming increasingly competitive every year and is one of the most competitive specialty training programmes in the UK, boasting a competition ratio of 9.91...
Ophthalmology has long been the specialty with the most referrals and patient appointments in an outpatient environment, having had over 8.7 million clinic appointments scheduled in...
OverviewDiabetes mellitus can cause both macrovascular (e.g., myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, stroke) and microvascular (e.g., nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy)...
IntroductionThe orbital septum is a fibrous connective tissue layer which divides orbital tissue from the eyelid, thus serving as a barrier against the spread of infection into...
Introduction:This exploration of peri-orbital cellulitis and orbital cellulitis is designed to aid in the diagnosis and management of two distinct but closely related ophthalmological...
IntroductionENT Foreign bodies can be intimidating to the SHO tasked with first seeing the patient and attempting removal. This quick guide will give you some useful tips and make...
Introduction and AnatomyThe eyelid is important for ensuring physical protection of the eye and maintaining lubrication over the surface of the eyeball.It is composed of five...
This article is the first of two articles about traumatic eye injuries. This article covers the relevant anatomy, history, examination and emergency sight-threatening pathologies to...
This article is the second of two articles about traumatic eye injuries. The first is called Basics of Eye Trauma with Emergency Pathologies and covers the relevant anatomy,...
IntroductionKeratitis is inflammation of the cornea.It may result from infective or non-infective causesInfectious keratitis can be classified as microbial keratitis (bacterial,...
IntroductionClinical DefinitionAn open fracture is when the broken bone breaks through the skin or any other body cavity that is open to the outside, including those through...
What is it?Chemical injuries of the eye are ocular emergencies that necessitate urgent clinical attention. Alkali injuries are in general more common and destructive than...
What is it?A sudden increase in intraocular pressure, which can present as an ophthalmic emergency.It usually occurs when the angle between the cornea and iris suddenly becomes...
No matter what time of the day it is, this is an ophthalmic emergency and requires urgent management to save vision!Orbital compartment syndrome occurs as a result of a raised intra-orbital...
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up local, regional and national teaching programmes with top tips we’ve learnt over the last several years of running programmes...
The Multiple Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) is a computer-based exam increasingly being used by many different specialties as part of core training applications. For all specialties,...
Cataract Surgery: A Brief IntroductionCataracts are the leading cause of reversible blindness in the world. Cataract surgery involves removal of the cataract and replacement with...
If you ask most people (medics included!) what they think of when you say plastic surgery, most people will say it’s about nose jobs, boob jobs and making people look like a Kardashian!...
What is it?GCA (Giant cell arteritis) or temporal arteritis is a well known Ophthalmology emergency. GCA is a type of vasculitis that affects medium to larger sized vesselsWho...
A cataract is “a clouding of the lens of the eye or of its surrounding transparent membrane that obstructs the passage of light”. Cataracts cause 50% of blindness and 33% of visual...
Ophthalmology is a hugely popular career. Having the skills and ability to improve a patient’s quality of life by restoring their eyesight is undeniably a rewarding vocation. Other...
IntroductionWith an increase in the ageing population globally, we will be seeing more diseases that typically affect elderly patients. One such condition is age-related macular...
Foreign body in eye is a very common presentation seen in the emergency department. Patients often complain of a foreign body sensation in the eye and pain on eye movement or on blinking....
Tinnitus is a common and debilitating medical symptom encountered in the field of Otolaryngology. It is the conscious perception of auditory stimulus without the presence of external...
The Duke-Elder Undergraduate Prize Exam is an optional competitive exam run by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, designed for undergraduate medical students who have an interest...
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a mouthful (no pun intended), but you may have heard of it referred to as OMFS or, more affectionately, Maxfacs. A speciality of the head and neck,...
The groin, also known as the inguinal region, extends from the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) anterolaterally, the thigh inferiorly and the pubic tubercle medially. It is an anatomical...
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancer types seen in the western world. They are adenocarcinomas arising from adenomatous polyps in the colon and rectum, with a majority...
In this article, we cover common benign anorectal pathologies including haemorrhoids, fissures & fistulas with a quick overview of their assessment & management.Basic...
Acute Compartment Syndrome is one of the few orthopaedic emergencies. If missed, it can lead to severe and life-changing consequences for the patient. This article will focus on acute...
Sutures are placed to aid with wound healing following a traumatic laceration or surgical incision and to promote haemostasis. In this article, we will look at the different types of...
Chronic pancreatitis is characterised by repeated pancreatic inflammation. This leads to the destruction of pancreatic tissue leading to irreversible loss of both endocrine and exocrine...
Surgical training has a variety of work to get involved in as well as having many sub-specialties within it. The field is constantly advancing with the use of robotic surgery etc. and...
Requesting scans can be a scary daily occurrence for new doctors. It is one of few times where you liaise directly with a consultant.IntroductionWhen requesting scans, there...
The management and review of postnatal women are usually straightforward. There are a few points specific to postnatal women that are important to consider, which will be covered below.Prior...
As a resident doctor, you will frequently look after patients prior to and after their operation. You may be asked to clerk patients who are admitted to hospital the night before their...
As gynaecology issues uncommonly present on the ward, many doctors have difficulties with the standard framework for addressing these issues. The classic referrals to gynaecology are:The...
Patients regularly present under the acute take with gallstone disease. The aim of this article is to supplement the surgical webinar series session on gallstone disease that can be...
Pancreatitis is a condition characterised by the inflammation of the pancreas. These patients are usually managed conservatively. Your aim is to try to find out the underlying cause,...
The first thing when called is to identify whether the bleeding is truly a lower GI bleed or whether it is an Upper GI Bleed as the management differs. Both can quickly become...
Bowel obstruction is a common reason for admission or complication of patients under the surgical team, but doctors don’t frequently get that much exposure to it in medical school....
Spinal cord compression occurs when there is compression of the spinal cord or cauda equina at any level secondary to the effects of a malignancy. This can include metastatic infiltration...
In this article, we discuss when a catheter might be needed and top tips on male & female catheterisation.Before attempting catheterisation, always review the followingIs...
Given how frequently patients present with renal colic, it is helpful for FY1s to understand the basic management. Specifically, this article will help ensure you do the relevant investigations...
Urinary retention can be acute or chronic. When acute it occurs within a number of hours causing significant pain. In contrast, chronic retention is painless and accumulates over weeks...
You will frequently get calls regarding nausea & vomiting: many patients present with it or develop it because of their diagnosis or treatment. You must consider anything concerning...
A very quick guide to common issues prompting referrals to maxillofacial surgery (aka MaxFax and OMFS)This is a surgical speciality relating to the hard and soft tissues of the head...
When you are on call, you will often get a bleep about a patient with abdominal pain. Abdominal pain can be a bit of a minefield and it is easy to get bogged down with all the possibilities....
Constipation is one of the most common complaints in hospital, especially on the geriatric wards.Failure to treat constipation can lead to longer hospital stays and increased morbidity.What’s...
When assessing pain, ensure you begin by taking a history to characterise the pain as neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain and oncological pain all respond to different analgesia. SOCRATES...
There are certain situations where you need to prescribe IV fluids which vary from fluid resuscitation to maintenance fluids if a patient is nil-by-mouth (NBM) (e.g. pre-operatively,...
