Articles in this section relate to the Eye and reflect chapter 11 of the British National Formulary
Age-related macular degeneration
March 2012
This article describes the condition and its diagnosis and gives a clear role to pharmacists, in giving advice on dietary factors and supplements, helping to recognise and prevent the disease, and explaining the issues behind the available treatments
Care and advice for contact lens wearers
September 2010It is believed that the idea of the contact lens came from Leonardo da Vinci and it took over 300 years before the concept was realised, in the form of a piece of blown glass that covered the whole white of the eye. Corneal contact lenses became available in 1936. By 2008, contact lenses were worn by around 3.5 million people in the UK. Marvyn Elton discusses salient points for pharmacists
Treatment of open-angle glaucoma
March 2010 (Clinical Pharmacist)
Last year (2009) the National Institute for Health and Clinical
Excellence issued guidance on chronic open-angle glaucoma and ocular
hypertension. Use this article to help you brush up on the available
treatments
Spotlight on medicines: Pegaptanib and ranibizumab
March 2009Treatment for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration has been revolutionised with the availability of medicines that inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor A
An update on glaucoma treatment
February 2008In the UK, some form of glaucoma affects two in 100 people over the age of 40 years and five in 100 people over the age of 75 years. Lucy Titcomb gives an overview of the condition and looks at treatment of primary open angle glaucoma
Ocular conditions from A to Z
February/March 2007The first of two articles in which Marvyn Elton presents an A to Z guide to ocular conditions with visible signs that pharmacists might encounter
Laser surgery for refractive errors
April 2006In this article, Lucy Titcomb examines refractive errors, the ways in which they can be treated by surgery and the drugs involved
Understanding cataract extraction
August 2005About 16 million people worldwide are affected by cataracts, one of the most common causes of loss of useful vision. With our increasing aged population and rates of elective cataract surgery being used to monitor access to services, pharmacists are meeting more people who have had, or are about to have, a cataract removed.
Glaucoma
July 2005Conjunctivitis and chloramphenicol
June 2005There are four main types of conjunctivitis: bacterial, adenoviral, allergic and chlamydial. It is also possible for a foreign body on the conjunctiva to cause conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis may be accompanied by soreness or discomfort, but the presence of pain is a sign that something else is wrong
