Ocular angiogenesis and macular oedema are major causes of sight loss across the world. Aberrant neovascularisation, which may arise secondary to numerous disease processes, can result in reduced vision as a result of oedema, haemorrhage, and scarring. The development of antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents has revolutionised the treatment of retinal vasogenic conditions. These drugs are now commonly employed for the treatment of a plethora of ocular pathologies including choroidal neovascularisation, diabetic macular oedema, and retinal vein occlusion to name a few. In this paper, we will explore the current use of anti-VEGF in a variety of retinal diseases and the impact that these medications have had on visual outcome for patients.

The lack of harmony in outcome reporting for studies of surgery for IXT is counterproductive. We suggest 4 core outcomes for all future studies, which have already been incorporated into two current randomized trials: alignment, near stereoacuity, control score, and quality of life score.

The European Working Time Directive and economic challenges have led to a paradigm of shift-work becoming common, and yet the continuation of high-quality patient care remains paramount. Effective and safe transfer of clinical information is critical as emphasised by the Royal College of Surgeons document ‘Safe handover: Guidance from the Working Time Directive working party (March 2007)’. The aim of this project was to design and implement a handover proforma in order to deliver a more efficient and safer system for patient care over the weekend. The surgical weekend handover proforma was designed following consultation with nursing and medical colleagues. It included a traffic light scoring system to alert the on-call team of the urgency of clinical review. An educational session was delivered to junior doctors on the surgical rotation to ensure accurate completion of the proforma. All trainee surgical doctors from Foundation Year 1 to Specialist Registrars were asked to complete a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire. Improvement was noted in all categories measured. 85% of the firms were using the new surgical weekend handover sheet. 78% of junior doctors were confident in understanding the patient's condition and executing the clinical jobs faster, with ward rounds lasting less than 3 hours. On average, 20% of patients were discharged per weekend during the trial period. Robust patient handover is vital to maintain patient safety and avoid adverse events. Our findings support the use of a surgical proforma to provide a consistent and structured approach to inpatient handover during the weekend.

This study aims to determine predictive factors for success of Descemet stripping only (DSO) in Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy and propose a DSO treatment algorithm.Methods: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched to evaluate DSO case series, including combined phacoemulsification and DSO, and the use of Rho-kinase inhibitors (ROC-i). Our primary outcome was success of corneal clearance. Secondary outcomes included the time to corneal clearance, the postoperative endothelial cell count (ECC), and the impact of ROC-i.Results: Sixty-eight cases were evaluated with a mean follow-up of 12.4 months. DSO corneal clearance was achieved in 85% (n = 58) with a mean time of 4.9 weeks for the ROC-i group compared with 10.1 weeks in the observation group (P , 0.0001). The mean central ECC postoperatively was higher in the ROC-i group compared with the observation group 1151 6 245 versus 765 6 169 cells/mm 2 , respectively (P , 0.018). The postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved in 61 eyes (90%), with mean final BCVA of 0.17 (0.26) logMAR (P = 0.001), which was statistically significant compared with preoperative BCVA. Factors influencing success were 4-mm descemetorhexis size, a clear peripheral ECC with no clinical sequelae of decompensation or guttae, and a low central corneal thickness. No intraoperative complications were noted. The commonest postoperative complication was deep corneal stromal scars noted at the descemetorhexis edge (n = 9).Conclusions: DSO has a role in the treatment of a subset of patients with Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy and that adjuvant treatment with ROC-i may lead to faster corneal clearance.