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In the first of two articles, Nicholas Phelps Brown describes life-threatening conditions which all eye care practitioners need to be aware of Patients occasionally present to the optometrist with life-threatening [...]

Nicholas Phelps Brown explains the nervous pathways and advises the use of drops to help diagnose causative factors of unequal pupils The left and right pupils are commonly closely equal [...]

Nicholas Phelps Brown discusses damage to the visual function that can result from a whiplash injury and describes the examination of the patient for evidence of vitreous detachment The optometrist [...]

Nicholas Phelps Brown discusses the nature and the causes of amaurosis fugax, a fleeting loss of vision resulting from a temporary interruption of blood flow to the retina or optic [...]

The article discusses several lifestyle external factors relating to the development of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). It indicates that the effects of lifestyle on the development of cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was due to poor diet, smoking, and sun exposure. Further, it mentions that field of vision loss in POAG has resulted to axonal death in the optic nerve.

The article discusses the importance of the subcapsular clear zone. In the case of the lens, the fibres of the clear zone pass into the lens and increase their reflectivity as they mature to become C1 beta. The clear zone serves as a barometer of lens health and its absence indicates an unhealthy lens and in the presence of cataract in this lens the absence of the clear zone indicates that the cataract is progressive. Several multiple choice questions on clear zone are also given.

The article presents information on the classification and causes of glare. Glare is produced by optical imperfections in the refractive media of the eye which consist of the tear film, the corneal epithelium, the corneal stroma, the corneal endothelium, the aqueous, the anterior lens capsule, the lens substance, the posterior lens capsule and the vitreous. The halo is a ring of light emanating from a point light source with a dark circle immediately surrounding the light and then a bright ring, as in the halo depicted in a religious icon.

The article discusses the potential implications of exhibiting macropsia and micropsia symptoms. It mentions that macropsia is the perception that an object larger than it is while in micropsia, the object appears to be smaller. It adds that causes of the phenomena include optical, accommodational, and retinal. Moreover, it details the causes of the phenomena and presents suggested corrective measures.

The article focuses on the causes of the different eye colour and their clinical implications. The iris colour depends on the melanin pigment present in the iris stroma and the pigment epithelium on the posterior surface of the iris. Iris has no coloured pigments other than melanin to account for the blue, hazel, green and grey colours which occur due to Rayleigh scattering. Comments on the disease hetrochromia that is due to the differences in the eye colour of an individual, are also included

The article focuses on headaches experienced by eye patients. The vast majority of headaches are harmless. An optometrist is uniquely equipped with the knowledge and with the instrumentation to diagnose serious pathology that should not be missed out. Primary benign headaches with no underlying pathology account for the symptoms of 90 per cent of all headache sufferers. Secondary headaches are sinister and are accounted for by an underlying pathology. Some of types of headaches include painful eye conditions and neurological conditions.

The article focuses on the importance of essential fatty acids (EFA) to eye health. The ways in which EFA benefit the eye are mentioned. The characteristics of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are compared. The roles of fatty acids in the eye development, meibomian gland function and tear production are discussed.

Presents information on various eye diseases. Occurrence of orbital cellulitis in patients; Description of acute proptosis due to orbital hemorrhage; Presence of papilloedema in the eye.

This section presents several letters to the editor. The letter by Nicholas Phelps Brown talked about Specsavers glasses to avoid running over hedgehogs. The letter by Philip Rees talked about a database program for Patient Recall and the letter by Mike Cooper talked about an Onyx frame in fitting glass bifocals for African patients.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including the photograph of a practitioner who was about to administer a bulbar injection incorrectly with the patient almost fixating the needle, the article about optometry as a profession, and the Luxottica Group SpA sales policies.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to previous articles including the apathy of dispensing opticians (DOs) on the name change in the October 16, 2009 issue, the Optomap images in the October 23, 2009 issue, and the obituary for optometrist Norman Cregor in the October 9, 2009 issue.