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Aims: Cognitive factors (eg, academic achievement) have had a significant role in selecting postgraduate surgical trainees in the past. This project sought to determine the role of a national undergraduate ophthalmology prize examination (Duke-Elder examination) in the selection of postgraduate ophthalmology trainees. This would also serve as a quality assurance exercise for the assessment, in which the ultimate aim is to encourage trainees into ophthalmology., Methods: A retrospective analysis of the top 20 ranked candidates in the Duke-Elder examination from 1989 to 2005 (except 1995) was carried out to determine which of them subsequently entered the ophthalmic training and General Medical Council Specialist Registers., Results: Out of the top 20 candidates in the exam, 29.5% went into specialist training in ophthalmology. Some appeared in the top 20 more than once, with 56% of them going into ophthalmic training, but they had a similar median time to enter training as those who appeared in the top 20 once. There was no significant evidence to suggest that the overall median ranking scores between the UK medical schools differed (P=0.23; Kruskal-Wallis test). However, there was a marked difference in frequency of top 20 candidates from each medical school, which could not be explained by the size of the medical school alone., Conclusion: It is difficult to conclude from these findings the importance that the Duke-Elder examination has in the selection of trainees into ophthalmology. The role of cognitive factors in selection into postgraduate medical/surgical training is discussed, along with the potential academic criteria, which may influence interview scores.

Purpose: To compare the incidence and severity of all grades of dysphotopsia in three types of acrylic intraocular lenses: the Acrysof MA30 BA and MA60 BM IOLs (Alcon) and the Akreos Fit one-piece IOL (Bausch and Lomb)., Methods: In all 111 patients were prospectively recruited who had undergone uncomplicated cataract surgery in the previous 12 months. Patients were assessed using a combination of a questionnaire and standardised provocation test, and were scored on a grading scale of 0-6 (0 indicating no glare and 6 indicating the most severe symptoms)., Results: The overall incidence of dysphotopsia was 77.7%. Patients with absent or mild symptoms (scoring 2 or less on the grading scale) were greater in the group implanted with the Akreos IOLs (49/65 eyes, 75%) as opposed to (44/92 eyes, 48%) of the eyes implanted with Acrysof lenses. Patients with more marked symptoms of glare as judged by scores of 5-6 were uncommon, but more prevalent in the Acrysof lenses (12/92 eyes, 13%) compared to the Akreos lenses (3/65 eyes, 4.6%) respectively. Statistically the Mann-Whitney test showed that there was significantly less dysphotopsia with the Akreos lens when compared to the Acrysof MA30 (P=0.005) and MA60 lenses (P=0.002)., Conclusion: This study demonstrates that dysphotopsia symptoms are commonly seen in certain brands of Acrylic IOLs. However, differences in design (not only related to the edge) significantly reduce the incidence of moderate and severe grades of dysphotopic symptoms.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of external ocular infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in an ophthalmic hospital in the UK., Methods: A retrospective analysis of the case notes of patients who had culture proven external ocular Staphylococcal infections during a 44-month period was undertaken., Results: There were a total of 548 external eye infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Of these, 17 (3%) were MRSA positive. The most common presentation was conjunctivitis seen in six patients. All MRSA isolates were sensitive to chloramphenicol. Ofloxacin resistance was observed in all isolates from patients over the age of 50 years. All patients had an underlying history of either an ocular surface disease, malignancy, or a debilitating medical illness., Conclusions: MRSA is as yet an infrequent cause of external ocular infections. Patients typically have underlying ocular risk factors and/or are medically debilitated. Different strains infect young and old age groups with characteristic antimicrobial sensitivity. This study highlights the need for more work to establish the role of MRSA commensals and ocular infections.

Stem cells have several unique attributes, the key features being their potency and plasticity. They have the ability to give rise to multiple cell lineages and to transdifferentiate into totally different cell type(s) when relocated to a novel stem cell niche. Most self-renewing tissues are served by stem cells. At the ocular surface, the corneo-scleral limbus is believed to provide the niche for corneal epithelial stem cells. A large body of circumstantial evidence, both clinical and basic, supports this view. However, specific identification of limbal stem cells has proved elusive. Cytokeratin markers, vimentin, epidermal growth factor receptors, p63, and others have been used to identify epithelial cell populations at the limbus, which could harbour putative stem cells. In contrast, none of the known haematopoietic stem cell markers namely, CD34 and CD133, stain any specific subset of corneal or limbal epithelial cells. Singly or collectively, none of these markers point to any unique cell(s) that could be regarded as stem cells, supporting the notion that the corneal epithelium is served by 'committed progenitors' rather than by stem cells. Disease or destruction of the corneo-scleral limbus is associated with consequential events that eventually lead to visual impairment or blindness. Conjunctivalisation and vascularisation of the corneal surface and persistent or recurring epithelial defects are hallmarks of limbal deficiency.