The majority of NZ cataract surgical practice remains comparable with results from international surveys. A notable exception, as in previous comparisons, is a lower use of topical anaesthetic in NZ with a higher use of sub-Tenon's anaesthetic instead. Refractive surgery practice in NZ is generally comparable with that of American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery members.
This report identifies a growing gap between supply of NZ ophthalmologists and demand for their services. We highlight the need for a comprehensive model with a detailed analysis of the many factors influencing supply and demand, enabling planning for an appropriate supply of ophthalmologists meeting the needs of the future NZ population.
Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor of subspecialized dermal mechanoreceptors, associated with immunosuppression. The usual ophthalmic presentation is an eyelid lesion. The authors present a case of biopsy-proven orbital metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma in the absence of any eyelid lesion, in an immunosuppressed patient with a history of multiple cancers. There are to the authors' knowledge only 2 other case reports of presumed metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma to the orbit, though neither were biopsied. Despite its rarity, metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma should be included in the differential of a metastatic orbital lesion, in the patient with a known or suspected cutaneous primary. The patient has had an excellent response to combined radiotherapy and programmed death-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab, and this case highlights the potential benefit of an exciting new biologic therapy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.