Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Research Articles

Incidence and outcomes of post-operative endophthalmitis following elective phacoemulsification cataract surgery, between 2015 and 2022.

Cataract surgery remains the commonest ophthalmic surgical procedure in the UK. Post-operative endophthalmitis (POE) is a sight-threatening complication. This study presents the incidence and outcomes of POE within Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MEH) in London, UK. We conducted a retrospective, tertiary-centre study of the incidence and outcomes of POE following elective phacoemulsification cataract surgery between 2015 and 2022. We report a rate of 18 out of 154 826 (0.012%) cases of POE within seven weeks of cataract surgery. The age range was 43-87 years (mean age 67.1 years), and the male-to-female ratio was 1:1. Two cases were associated with intraoperative vitreous loss, one with anterior capsular tear extending to posterior capsular tear and the other with posterior capsular tear and dropped fragment. Two cases had a concomitant intravitreal injection, one of Triamcinolone Acetonide and the other of Dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex®), to manage chronic uveitic macular oedema. The majority of samples (89.9%) resulted in Gram-positive species. A final best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of Snellen 6/36 or better was achieved in 12/18 (66.67%). The time from cataract surgery to suspicion of POE ranged from 3 to 44 days (mean 15.8 days). Eight cases (44.4%) required pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). We demonstrate an incidence of POE of 0.012% following phacoemulsification at MEH from January 2015 to December 2022. Such results are a testament to high-quality surgery, training supervision and post-operative care whilst adhering to local and international standards.

Sight threatening diabetic retinopathy in patients with macular telangiectasia type 2

PurposeAlthough diabetes is highly prevalent in patients with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel), progression to severe non-proliferative (NPDR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is rarely reported. We report multimodal imaging features of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) in eyes with MacTel.MethodsRetrospective case series of seven participants of the MacTel Study at the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust study site and one patient from the Institute of Retina and Vitreous of Londrina, Brazil. Sight threatening diabetic retinopathy was defined as severe NPDR, PDR or diabetic macular edema.ResultsWe report imaging features of 16 eyes of eight patients (7/8, 87.5% female) with diagnoses of MacTel and type 2 diabetes mellitus with STDR. Mean (SD) age was 56 (8.3) years. Patients were followed-up for a mean time of 9.1 (4.7) years. A total of 10/16 (62.5%) eyes showed PDR and 2/16 (12.5%) eyes presented a macular epiretinal neovascularization.ConclusionsPeople with diabetes mellitus and MacTel may not be protected from STDR as previously reported. Although the two diseases rarely co-exist, regular monitoring for diabetic retinopathy progression is recommended according to baseline retinopathy severity grades in line with established international guidelines. The presence of MacTel may not modify extended screening intervals, but there is no current evidence. The limited case series in the literature support treatment for complications and should follow the standard of care for either condition. Due to dual pathology, reactivation may be difficult to diagnose on standard imaging and multimodal imaging is recommended.

Association of retinal neurodegeneration with the progression of cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease

Retinal thickness may serve as a biomarker in Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this prospective longitudinal study, we aimed to determine if PD patients present accelerated thinning rate in the parafoveal ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (pfGCIPL) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) compared to controls. Additionally, we evaluated the relationship between retinal neurodegeneration and clinical progression in PD. A cohort of 156 PD patients and 72 controls underwent retinal optical coherence tomography, visual, and cognitive assessments between February 2015 and December 2021 in two Spanish tertiary hospitals. The pfGCIPL thinning rate was twice as high in PD (β [SE] = −0.58 [0.06]) than in controls (β [SE] = −0.29 [0.06], p < 0.001). In PD, the progression pattern of pfGCIPL atrophy depended on baseline thickness, with slower thinning rates observed in PD patients with pfGCIPL below 89.8 µm. This result was validated with an external dataset from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (AlzEye study). Slow pfGCIPL progressors, characterized by older at baseline, longer disease duration, and worse cognitive and disease stage scores, showed a threefold increase in the rate of cognitive decline (β [SE] = −0.45 [0.19] points/year, p = 0.021) compared to faster progressors. Furthermore, temporal sector pRNFL thinning was accelerated in PD (βtime x group [SE] = −0.67 [0.26] μm/year, p = 0.009), demonstrating a close association with cognitive score changes (β [SE] = 0.11 [0.05], p = 0.052). This study suggests that a slower pattern of pfGCIPL tissue loss in PD is linked to more rapid cognitive decline, whereas changes in temporal pRNFL could track cognitive deterioration.

European Glaucoma Society – A guide on surgical innovation for glaucoma

PROLOGUE: Glaucoma surgery has been, for many decades now, dominated by the universal gold standard which is trabeculectomy augmented with antimetabolites. Tubes also came into the scene to complement what...

Development and international validation of custom-engineered and code-free deep-learning models for detection of plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity: a retrospective study

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of childhood blindness, is diagnosed through interval screening by paediatric ophthalmologists. However, improved survival of premature neonates coupled with a scarcity of available experts has raised concerns about the sustainability of this approach. We aimed to develop bespoke and code-free deep learning-based classifiers for plus disease, a hallmark of ROP, in an ethnically diverse population in London, UK, and externally validate them in ethnically, geographically, and socioeconomically diverse populations in four countries and three continents. Code-free deep learning is not reliant on the availability of expertly trained data scientists, thus being of particular potential benefit for low resource health-care settings. This retrospective cohort study used retinal images from 1370 neonates admitted to a neonatal unit at Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, between 2008 and 2018. Images were acquired using a Retcam Version 2 device (Natus Medical, Pleasanton, CA, USA) on all babies who were either born at less than 32 weeks gestational age or had a birthweight of less than 1501 g. Each images was graded by two junior ophthalmologists with disagreements adjudicated by a senior paediatric ophthalmologist. Bespoke and code-free deep learning models (CFDL) were developed for the discrimination of healthy, pre-plus disease, and plus disease. Performance was assessed internally on 200 images with the majority vote of three senior paediatric ophthalmologists as the reference standard. External validation was on 338 retinal images from four separate datasets from the USA, Brazil, and Egypt with images derived from Retcam and the 3nethra neo device (Forus Health, Bengaluru, India). Of the 7414 retinal images in the original dataset, 6141 images were used in the final development dataset. For the discrimination of healthy versus pre-plus or plus disease, the bespoke model had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0·986 (95% CI 0·973-0·996) and the CFDL model had an AUC of 0·989 (0·979-0·997) on the internal test set. Both models generalised well to external validation test sets acquired using the Retcam for discriminating healthy from pre-plus or plus disease (bespoke range was 0·975-1·000 and CFDL range was 0·969-0·995). The CFDL model was inferior to the bespoke model on discriminating pre-plus disease from healthy or plus disease in the USA dataset (CFDL 0·808 [95% CI 0·671-0·909, bespoke 0·942 [0·892-0·982]], p=0·0070). Performance also reduced when tested on the 3nethra neo imaging device (CFDL 0·865 [0·742-0·965] and bespoke 0·891 [0·783-0·977]). Both bespoke and CFDL models conferred similar performance to senior paediatric ophthalmologists for discriminating healthy retinal images from ones with features of pre-plus or plus disease; however, CFDL models might generalise less well when considering minority classes. Care should be taken when testing on data acquired using alternative imaging devices from that used for the development dataset. Our study justifies further validation of plus disease classifiers in ROP screening and supports a potential role for code-free approaches to help prevent blindness in vulnerable neonates. National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre based at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology. For the Portuguese and Arabic translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Correspondence.

*School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom †Department of Vitreoretinal Surgery, Vitreoretinal Service, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom ‡UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, United Kingdom §Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Whitehall St, Rochdale, United Kingdom None of the authors has any financial/conflicting interests to disclose.

Effect of trabeculectomy on the rate of progression of visual field damage

ObjectivesThis study quantifies the effect of trabeculectomy on the rate of progression (RoP) of visual field (VF) damage utilising pre- and post-operative visual function as the outcome instead of surrogate outcomes of success.MethodsClinical and VF data from 199 sequential patients who underwent trabeculectomy between 2015 and 2016 were extracted from the network of sites of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Of these, we analysed 80 eyes of 74 patients who met our inclusion criteria of at least three reliable VFs before and after surgery (false positive rate <15%). The change in mean RoP (dB/year) was tested using point-wise sensitivity values through a mixed effect model with random effects on both intercepts and slopes. A broken-stick regression of sensitivity over time, with a breakpoint at the day of surgery, modelled the individual change in RoP.ResultsWe analysed 10 [9,12] VFs per subject (Median [Interquartile Range]). At surgery, the age was 67 [57, 72] years, mean deviation was −10.84 [−14.7, −5.6] dB and the IOP was 18 [15, 20] mmHg. One year after surgery, the IOP was 10 [8,13] mmHg (p = 0.002). Mean RoP before surgery was −0.94 [−1.20, −0.69] dB/year (Mean [95% credible intervals]) and it was slowed down by 0.62 [0.26, 0.97] dB/year (p < 0.001) after surgery.ConclusionsTrabeculectomy leads to a significant reduction in the RoP of VF loss postoperatively.

Online live clinical skills teaching with dual cameras.

Medical EducationVolume 56, Issue 11 p. 1129-1130 REALLY GOOD STUFF Online live clinical skills teaching with dual cameras Christopher Ashton, Corresponding Author Christopher Ashton christopherashton@nhs.net orcid.org/0000-0002-4709-1224 Correspondence Christopher Ashton, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Email: christopherashton@nhs.netSearch for more papers by this authorNeda Minakaran, Neda MinakaranSearch for more papers by this authorChandni Gupta, Chandni GuptaSearch for more papers by this authorRashmi Mathew, Rashmi MathewSearch for more papers by this authorNarciss Okhravi, Narciss OkhraviSearch for more papers by this author Christopher Ashton, Corresponding Author Christopher Ashton christopherashton@nhs.net orcid.org/0000-0002-4709-1224 Correspondence Christopher Ashton, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Email: christopherashton@nhs.netSearch for more papers by this authorNeda Minakaran, Neda MinakaranSearch for more papers by this authorChandni Gupta, Chandni GuptaSearch for more papers by this authorRashmi Mathew, Rashmi MathewSearch for more papers by this authorNarciss Okhravi, Narciss OkhraviSearch for more papers by this author First published: 14 September 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14927Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume56, Issue11November 2022Pages 1129-1130 RelatedInformation

Prospective study of pediatric patients presenting with idiopathic infantile nystagmus-Management and molecular diagnostics.

Idiopathic infantile nystagmus (IIN) is an inherited disorder occurring in the first 6 months of life, with no underlying retinal or neurological etiologies and is predominantly caused by mutations in the FRMD7 gene. IIN poses a diagnostic challenge as underlying pre-symptomatic “multisystem” disorders varying from benign to life-threatening should first be ruled out before nystagmus can be labeled as idiopathic. A multidisciplinary approach including multimodal ocular investigations and next-generation sequencing with whole-genome sequencing (WGS) or targeted gene panel testing is required to delineate the exact etiology. We report the clinical and genetic outcomes of 22 patients, from 22 unrelated families of diverse ethnicities, with IIN seen in the ocular genetics service at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust between 2016 and 2022. Thirty-six percent (8/22) received a confirmed molecular diagnosis with eight mutations identified in two genes (seven in FRMD7 including one novel variant c.706_707del; p. [Lys236Alafs*66], and one in GPR143). This study expands the mutational spectrum of IIN and highlights the significant role of an integrated care pathway and broader panel testing in excluding underlying pathologies.

Development and validation of predictive risk models for sight threatening diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes to be applied as triage tools in resource limited settings.

SummaryBackgroundDelayed diagnosis and treatment of sight threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) is a common cause of visual impairment in people with Type 2 diabetes. Therefore, systematic regular retinal screening is recommended, but global coverage of such services is challenging. We aimed to develop and validate predictive models for STDR to identify ‘at-risk’ population for retinal screening.MethodsModels were developed using datasets obtained from general practices in inner London, United Kingdom (UK) on adults with type 2 Diabetes during the period 2007–2017. Three models were developed using Cox regression and model performance was assessed using C statistic, calibration slope and observed to expected ratio measures. Models were externally validated in cohorts from Wales, UK and India.FindingsA total of 40,334 people were included in the model development phase of which 1427 (3·54%) people developed STDR. Age, gender, diabetes duration, antidiabetic medication history, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and history of retinopathy were included as predictors in the Model 1, Model 2 excluded retinopathy status, and Model 3 further excluded HbA1c. All three models attained strong discrimination performance in the model development dataset with C statistics ranging from 0·778 to 0·832, and in the external validation datasets (C statistic 0·685 – 0·823) with calibration slopes closer to 1 following re-calibration of the baseline survival.InterpretationWe have developed new risk prediction equations to identify those at risk of STDR in people with type 2 diabetes in any resource-setting so that they can be screened and treated early. Future testing, and piloting is required before implementation.FundingThis study was funded by the GCRF UKRI (MR/P207881/1) and supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.

The Trend of Drug Therapy on Uveitic Macular Edema: A Bibliometric Analysis of the 100 Most Cited Articles.

BackgroundMacular edema is the most common cause of impaired vision due to uveitis. Although various medications are available, not all uveitis patients with macular edema are satisfied with the treatment results. Therefore, solving this gap becomes the utmost concern worldwide. This study attempted to use bibliometric analysis to compare the valuable information in the top 100 highly cited studies in the field of drug therapy for uveitic macular edema (UME) and then determine the research hot spots and trends in this field.MethodsIn this study, the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) of Web of Science (WOS) was used to collect the top 100 most cited studies on UME and analyze the literature from different countries/regions, institutions, and journals. The visualization knowledge maps is generated by VOSviewer and Citespace software.ResultsThe top 100 highly cited studies are from 34 countries/regions. The United States has the largest number of publications, followed by the England, Spain and Germany. The top three institutions publishing highly cited literature are all from the England: University of London, University College London, and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Ophthalmology is the most widely published journal with 14 papers. The total number of citations is 1,371, meaning that Ophthalmology is the most authoritative journal in the field of UME drug therapy. The top two articles with the most cited times are from the United States, accounting for 36.5% of the total cited times of the top 10 articles. Keywords were divided into three clusters: the corticosteroid administration pathway, biological agents, and clinical trials. Uveitis, cystoid macular edema, efficacy, dexamethasone, and triamcinolone acetonide appeared more frequently in keywords. Researches on local and long-acting drug has gradually becoming the hot spots and trends.ConclusionThis study concludes that bibliometric analysis can intuitively and quickly obtain the frontiers and hot spots of research in the field of UME drug therapy. Corticosteroid administration, biological agents, and clinical trials are considered the potential focus of future research.

Preliminary clinical validation of a new picture-based visual acuity test in children with amblyopia: a comparison of The Auckland Optotypes and crowded logMAR letters.

Amblyopia is the most common visual deficit in children and accurate visual acuity (VA) assessment is essential for diagnosis. While ETDRS high-contrast logMAR VA is the reference standard test for adults, less agreement exists for pre-literate children. A new picture optotype acuity test (The Auckland Optotypes [TAO]) has shown favourable comparison to letter acuity charts but has not yet been evaluated in children with amblyopia. This study aimed to compare VA obtained using TAO to crowded logMAR letters in children age 5-8 years with amblyopia. Children with amblyopia (n = 54 [20.37% strabismic, 18.52% anisometropic, 61.11% mixed], mean age 78.30 ± 11.72 months) were recruited from paediatric ophthalmology/orthoptic clinics at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, and Cambridge Community Services NHS Trust, Bedford. Best-corrected VA was measured in both the amblyopic eye (AE) and fellow eye (FE) using TAO and a crowded letter acuity chart. Bland-Altman analysis was used to measure 95% limits of agreement (LoA) for VA measures captured (AE, FE and interocular difference [IOD]). Good agreement between TAO and letter VA measurement was observed (mean bias: AE -0.01, FE 0.01, IOD -0.02). For AE measures 95% LoA were from -0.25 to 0.24 logMAR, this being similar for FE (-0.24 to 0.25) and IOD measures (-0.30 to 0.27). TAO and letters elicited similar VA in children with amblyopia. TAO could be a useful picture-based chart for paediatric vision assessment.

Ceftazidime and Vancomycin Deposits after Intravitreal Injection in a Vitrectomized Eye

A 62-year-old man was referred on suspicion of exogenous endophthalmitis 3 weeks after pars plana vitrectomy to remove retained lens fragments, following a complicated phacoemulsification 2 months before presentation. Five days prior to his referral, endophthalmitis was suspected, and he underwent a vitreous tap and received intravitreal injections of ceftazidime and vancomycin. Left posterior segment examination showed multiple, diffuse, whitish, preretinal deposits, without chorioretinal lesions or vascular involvement (Fig A). OCT conducted through the lesions confirmed the preretinal location (Fig B). After 1 week, the deposits had reduced in size and number, and migrated inferiorly (Fig C). After 4 weeks, the deposits had resolved completely (Fig D). (Magnified version of Fig A-D is available online at www.aaojournal.org). Supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health.

Safety of video-based telemedicine compared to in-person triage in emergency ophthalmology during COVID-19

Backgroundthe need for social distancing midst the COVID-19 pandemic has forced ophthalmologists to innovate with telemedicine. The novel process of triaging emergency ophthalmology patients via videoconsultations should reduce hospital attendances. However, the safety profile of such services were unknown.Methodsin this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed case notes of 404 adults who used our videoconsultation service from 20/04/2020 to 03/05/2020. We compared these to 451 patient who attended eye casualty in person at the same time who were deemed not to require same day ophthalmic examination.Findingspatients seen by videoconsultations tended to be younger (Median = 43 years, Inter-quartile range = 27 vs Median= 49 years, Inter-quartile range = 28)'. More males used the face-to-face triage (55%) while more females used videoconsultation (54%)%. Fewer patients seen by videoconsultations required specialist review compared to face-face triage [X2 (1, N = 854) = 128.02, p<0.001)]. 35.5% of the patients initially seen by videoconsultation had unplanned reattendance within 1 month, compared to 15.7% in the group initially seen in person. X2 (1, N = 234) = 7.31, p = 0.007). The rate of actual harm was no different (at 0% for each method), with perfect inter-grader correlation when graded independently by two senior ophthalmologists. 97% of patients seen on the video platform surveyed were satisfied with their care.Interpretationwe demonstrate comparable patient safety of videoconsultations at one-month follow-up to in person review. The service is acceptable to patients and reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We propose that videoconsultations are effective and desirable as a tool for triage in ophthalmology.Fundingthe research supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology who fund PT and DS's time to conduct research. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

Prospective Study of the Phenotypic and Mutational Spectrum of Ocular Albinism and Oculocutaneous Albinism.

Albinism encompasses a group of hereditary disorders characterized by reduced or absent ocular pigment and variable skin and/or hair involvement, with syndromic forms such as Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome and Chédiak–Higashi syndrome. Autosomal recessive oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is phenotypically and genetically heterogenous (associated with seven genes). X-linked ocular albinism (OA) is associated with only one gene, GPR143. We report the clinical and genetic outcomes of 44 patients, from 40 unrelated families of diverse ethnicities, with query albinism presenting to the ocular genetics service at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust between November 2017 and October 2019. Thirty-six were children (≤ 16 years) with a median age of 31 months (range 2–186), and eight adults with a median age of 33 years (range 17–39); 52.3% (n = 23) were male. Genetic testing using whole genome sequencing (WGS, n = 9) or a targeted gene panel (n = 31) gave an overall diagnostic rate of 42.5% (44.4% (4/9) with WGS and 41.9% (13/31) with panel testing). Seventeen families had confirmed mutations in TYR (n = 9), OCA2, (n = 4), HPS1 (n = 1), HPS3 (n = 1), HPS6 (n = 1), and GPR143 (n = 1). Molecular diagnosis of albinism remains challenging due to factors such as missing heritability. Differential diagnoses must include SLC38A8-associated foveal hypoplasia and syndromic forms of albinism.

Acceptability of Telegenetics for Families with Genetic Eye Diseases.

Healthcare providers around the world have implemented remote routine consultations to minimise disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual clinics are particularly suitable for patients with genetic eye diseases as they rely on detailed histories with genetic counselling. During April–June 2019, the opinion of carers of children with inherited eye disorders attending the ocular genetics service at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MEH) were canvassed. Sixty-five percent of families (n = 35/54) preferred to have investigations carried out locally rather than travel to MEH, with 64% opting for a virtual consultation to interpret the results. The most popular mode of remote contact was via telephone (14/31), with video call being least preferred (8/31). Hence, 54 families who had received a telephone consultation mid-pandemic (November 2020–January 2021) were contacted to re-evaluate the acceptability of telegenetics using the Clinical Genetics Satisfaction Indicator and Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire. Overall, 50 carers participated (response rate 93%); 58% of participants found teleconsultations acceptable and 54% agreed they increased their access to care, but 67.5% preferred to be seen in person. Patient satisfaction was high with 90% strongly agreeing/agreeing they shared and received all necessary information. Ocular genetics is well-suited for remote service delivery, ideally alternated with face-to-face consultations.

Lockdown low vision assessment: an audit of 500 telephone-based modified low vision consultations.

PurposeNon‐urgent face‐to‐face outpatient ophthalmology appointments were suspended in the United Kingdom in March 2020, due to the COVID‐19 outbreak. In common with other centres, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London) offered modified telephone consultations to new and follow‐up patients in the low vision clinic. Here we assess the success of this telephone service.MethodsData were collected for 500 consecutive telephone low vision appointments. Successful completion of the assessment and clinical outcomes (low vision aids prescribed, onward referral) were recorded.ResultsTelephone assessments were completed for 364 people (72.8%). The most common reasons for non‐completion were either no answer to the telephone call (75 people, 15%), or the patient declining assessment (20 people, 4%). There was no association between age and the likelihood of an assessment being completed. 131 new low vision aids were dispensed, 77 internal referrals were made and 15 people were referred to outside services. More than 80% of the low vision aids prescribed were useful.ConclusionsTelephone low vision assessments were completed in about three‐quarters of cases. About one‐quarter of consultations resulted in new low vision aids being dispensed, which were generally found useful. Telephone low vision assessments can be used successfully in a large low vision clinic, but have many limitations when compared to face‐to‐face assessments.

A virtual-clinic pathway for patients referred from a national diabetes eye screening programme reduces service demands whilst maintaining quality of care

AimTo evaluate the potential of an integrated virtual medical retina clinic in secondary care for diabetic patients screened and referred by the UK National Diabetic Eye Screening Program (DESP).MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included diabetic patients referred by the DESP to either a virtual or a traditional doctor’s appointment (face-to-face, F2F) at the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London, UK) between January 2015 and December 2018. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients that qualified for a virtual-clinic appointment according to hospital guidance. Secondary outcomes included the rate of attendance, mean time from DESP referral to initial hospital appointment, mean time-to-discharge and -to-treatment of either panretinal photocoagulation or intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor.ResultsWe included 12,563 patients in this study. While 8833 patients (70.7%) would have qualified for a virtual appointment according to local triage guidance, only 2306 (18.4%) were referred to a virtual consultation due to capacity constraints. For routine referrals, mean time to the first hospital appointment was 66.9 days with a standard deviation of ±35.9 and 80.9 ± 44.4 days for a virtual and a F2F consultation, respectively. The mean time from referral to discharge to community was 71.7 ± 30.8 and 86.3 ± 37.0 days for a virtual and a F2F consultation, respectively. We did not observe a statistically significant difference in the mean time-to-treatment in the sub-cohort that required intravitreal therapy for maculopathy (virtual clinics: 220.7 ± 84.8; F2F: 178.0 days ± 80.7; p value > 0.05). Moreover, we observed a non-inferior attendance rate in virtual as compared to F2F clinics.ConclusionA significant proportion of diabetic patients referred to a F2F clinic could initially be managed in a virtual clinic. Increasing the adoption of virtual clinics in the management of diabetic patients that do not need long-term management or monitoring in secondary services may help alleviate service demands without diminishing quality of clinical care. Collectively, our analyses suggest that virtual consultations are a faster and clinically appropriate alternative for a substantial proportion of diabetic patients.

Comment on: “The impact of COVID policies on acute ophthalmology services—experiences from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust”

Comment on: “The impact of COVID policies on acute ophthalmology services—experiences from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust”

The impact of COVID policies on acute ophthalmology services-experiences from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The impact of COVID policies on acute ophthalmology services-experiences from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.