Course: Advances in Eyecare: Multidisciplinary approaches to eye health, Section: Unit 1

General

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This edition of Advances in Eyecare focuses on a variety of issues associated with low vision and takes a closer look at the Medicines Use Review service offered by pharmacists.

Dark Adaptation: Dr Ian Murray discusses his research on dark adaptation in early stage AMD, exploring the implications of this research, and whether it has the ability to aid the earlier detection of the disease.

Depression & Low Vision: Dr Tom Margrain reviews the outcomes of his study, a recent collaboration between the charity Guide Dogs and Cardiff University, on the prevalence of depression in the visually impaired.

Comorbidities & Low Vision: Dr Helen Court discusses her cross-sectional analysis of the comorbidities of visual impairment.

Eccentric Viewing: Professor Chris Dickinson summarises her research on eccentric viewing and associated techniques, including steady eye strategy, in order to determine the usefulness of such visual training for patients.

Medicines Use Review: Bobby Sira, a Consultant Pharmacist, speaks about the importance and function of Medical Use Reviews in clinical practice.

Last published: March 2017

Unit 1 - Dark Adaptation (~16 mins)

Dark Adaptation

Age-related Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. It affects more than 600,000 people in the UK, with an estimated 1 in every 3 of us over the age of 65 displaying some degree of the disease. As with any degenerative condition, earlier detection helps in the ongoing management of the patient.

Dr Ian Murray, a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester, has conducted extensive research into dark adaptation and retinal changes in early AMD. Dark adaptation has been shown to be selectively impaired in patients with early stage AMD, even in those with normal visual acuity. Dr Murray explores the implications of this research, and whether it will impact our work in primary eye care any time soon.

FileDark Adaptation File
References

Cynthia O, et al. 2015 Delayed rod-mediated dark adaptation is a functional biomarker for incident early age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 123 (2), 344 – 51.

Kremers J, et al. 2014. Incremental and decremental L- and M-cone driven ERG responses: II. Sawtooth stimulation. Journal of the Optical Society of America A: Optics and Image Science, and Vision. 31 (4), 170 – 8. DOI:10.1364/JOSAA.31.00A170

Murray IJ, et al. 2014. A novel technique for measuring dark adaptation using a dual stimulus method: Effects of aging and AMD on dark adaptation. Acta Ophthalmologica. 92 (s253), 0.

Patryas L, et al. 2014. The association between dark adaptation and macular pigment optical density in healthy subjects. Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. 1 – 7.