Universal Medicine

This blog aims to build on Nada’s ophthalmology blog , raising awareness of the hype surrounding AI, and talks about the issue of health data poverty and why we need to address this. The lack of rigour in AI research, beware of the hype The literature within the AI healthcare field has grown considerably in the last three years. Several reviews have discussed current and future use-cases across healthcare, and NHSX have summarised these applications (see Figure 1) within their report: ‘Artificial Intelligence: How to get it right’ . Topol outlined how the benefits would be impactful at three levels: ·       Clinicians- primarily assisted by rapid diagnostic aid in patient management (particularly image interpretation e.g radiology, pathology, ophthalmology [as Nada discussed] ), and automation of repetitive administrative tasks to free up time. ·       Health systems- operational applications in non-patient facing, back-end systems that improve workf...

Contact lenses have been frequently used as an alternative to glasses. Compared to the heavy-framed glasses in front of one’s eyes (optic glasses), thin plastic discs on the eye (contact lenses) help correct refractive errors in both myopic and hypermetropic users. The lens’ shape and power can be tailored to the user’s sight. A concave lens can be used to decrease myopia by reducing light refraction and increasing focal length so that the image is formed on the retina (1)  (Figure 1). Alternatively, a convex lens can be used to limit hypermetropia in an opposing mechanism to concave lenses (1) (Figure 1). Figure 1, An illustration of myopia and hyperopia and how adding lens of different shapes in front of the eye can be used to alter the refraction of light and correct each impairment in vision (10) Besides supporting sight, which both types of lenses can do, contact lenses confer some advantages that make them preferable to glasses. Unlike glasses, contact lenses are less li...

Vision is one of our most precious possessions. Multiple polls globally show that most people are more fearful of becoming blind than losing any other sense. (1,2) With sight being such a valuable asset, one would assume that eyecare is at the forefront of medical services across the world. Living in the developed world, we perhaps take for granted the simple and yet crucial services available to us such as regular eye tests, glasses, contact lenses and high-quality ophthalmic care - most of which can be accessed for free or at a subsidised price. However, in many parts of the world this is not the case. 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, with 90% being from developing countries. (3) In China, for example, levels of blindness are increasing each year, however critically, rates of blindness have been reported at up to 4 times higher in the developing world as compared to more economically developed countries (4, 5). This is particularly worrying given that around 80% of...

As the current Co-President of my university’s ophthalmology society and general practice (GP) societies, I’ve always considered whether I could marry these interests when it came to pursuing my career in medicine. Several clinicians have thought similarly, with some GPs developing an ‘extended role’ (previously known as a ‘specialist interest’) in ophthalmology. These clinicians may run specialist clinics at GP surgeries for ophthalmological complaints or work part-time as ‘hospital doctors’ whilst continuing to be a GP. Primary care is an important part of the NHS. It is the first point of contact for patients and ensures continuity of care within a healthcare system, as well as being responsible for referring and coordinating other specialist care that patients might need. GPs and eye health services (such as opticians) are the primary care services that are likely to deal with ophthalmological complaints. Despite public perceptions that community opticians just sell glasses, optici...