A brain tumour is an abnormal growth or mass of cells in or around the brain. They can be life-threatening and their incidence is increasing in the UK, as the population gets older. Around a third of people affected by a brain tumour report a problem with their vision. That’s why optometrists are uniquely placed to catch suspicious signs early and refer patients into hospital for further checks. You may well end up saving a life.

In the first of two episodes on brain tumours and neuro-ophthalmology, Michelle Hanratty speaks to Connor McCann, an optometrist in Bristol who was incidentally diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2022. Connor explains what it’s like to live with — and treat — brain tumours. He also shares insights on how to communicate with and care for patients with more compassion and empathy. 

Read more about Connor’s story on his blog, called “Eye Am Connor”. 

Don’t forget that if you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domain of Communication and Professionalism. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.

Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness among working age people worldwide. But thanks to the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme and an improved understanding of the impact of glycaemic control on diabetic retinopathy, there has been a significant reduction in the level of sight-loss in England and Wales. By catching the early signs of disease, eye care practitioners play a vital role in preventing the worst outcomes, such as proliferative retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema. Can this positive trend continue? 

In this episode, Michelle Hanratty speaks to Dr Rosalind (Rosie) Creer, a Lead Optometrist for Diabetes at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. Rosie emphasised how blood sugar control is directly linked to retinopathy progression, how to differentiate between different types of lesions and why the recent changes that have been made to eye screening programmes could affect optometrists. 

Rosie also presented Docet’s recent webinar, called, “Joining the Dots (and Blots) of Diabetic Retinopathy” and answers some of the questions that optometrists left during that session.

Find more information on the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (and grading criteria) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on the nations’ public health websites. 

This is our 50th episode of Sound Optometry and we’ve had more than one hundred thousand listens over the last five years. Thank you so much for continuing to support our podcast. Don’t forget that if you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

Since COVID-19, a greater number of enhanced optometric services have been rolled out across much of the UK. These pathways have been proven to reduce the burden on secondary care, reduce patient waiting times and have saved the NHS millions of pounds. As a result, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have commissioned optometric services far beyond CUES, MECS and pre- and post- operative cataracts. For example, in some areas, optometrists are now providing paediatric and glaucoma services in the community. What impact are these enhanced pathways having?

In this episode, Michelle Hanratty speaks to Dharmesh Patel, the CEO of Primary Eyecare Services – the largest provider of enhanced optometric care in England. Plus, Michelle asks Hayley Moore, an optometrist in Essex, about her experience of delivering enhanced paediatric and glaucoma services. Dharmesh and Hayley also provide their top tips for optometrists who want to upskill and get involved.

If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domain of Professionalism. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.

Primary angle closure disease is more common in the UK than was initially thought and it is important for optometrists to understand the condition’s stages of progression; from primary angle closure suspect (PACS), to primary angle closure (PAC) and primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). PACG is the stage we want to avoid, where structural damage to the optic nerve and loss of visual function have occurred because of the occluded drainage angle. PACG is far more visually destructive than primary open angle glaucoma, but if we detect the signs of primary angle closure disease early, preventative measures can be implemented, such as laser peripheral iridotomy or clear lens extraction.

In this episode, Michelle Hanratty speaks to Nishani Amerasinghe, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon in the south of England, who presented Docet’s recent webinar, called “PAC, PACS, and PACS+ in Focus: A guide for optometrists”.

If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.

Stress and burnout, which we explored in the last episode of Sound Optometry, is far from uncommon in optometrists. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty uncovers the severe implications that chronic stress can have on the health of optometrists in the future. How can we reverse its damage?

Michelle is joined by Professor Anna Whittaker, a health psychologist at the University of Stirling, who highlights the role of cortisol in stress responses and its long-term effects on mood, weight, sleep and the immune system. Professor Vanja Duric, a neuroscientist at Des Moines University in Iowa, also elaborates on how chronic stress can affect the brain in an unexpected number of ways.

Listen to our previous episode on how to address the root causes of stress in the workplace (episode 46). 

If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Professionalism, and Leadership and Accountability. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.

Stress and burnout, which we explored in the last episode of Sound Optometry, is far from uncommon in optometrists. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty uncovers the severe implications that chronic stress can have on the health of optometrists in the future. How can we reverse its damage?

Michelle is joined by Professor Anna Whittaker, a health psychologist at the University of Stirling, who highlights the role of cortisol in stress responses and its long-term effects on mood, weight, sleep and the immune system. Professor Vanja Duric, a neuroscientist at Des Moines University in Iowa, also elaborates on how chronic stress can affect the brain in an unexpected number of ways.

Listen to our previous episode on how to address the root causes of stress in the workplace (episode 46). 

If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Professionalism, and Leadership and Accountability. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.

A study conducted in Australia found that around half of optometrists experience burnout. One in every three optometrists also live with a mental health condition. We all know what workplace stress can feel like, but few of us can probably spot the signs of long-term stress turning into burnout. That can lead to even more serious mental health challenges and can affect how we care for our patients.

In this episode, Michelle Hanratty is joined by Neil Retallic, an optometrist and researcher in mental welfare at the University of Bradford, who is currently conducting a large survey of optometrists in the UK and Ireland. Neil explains why stress and burnout are more common in our profession than in the general population. Michelle then asks Dr Nicholas Taylor, a consultant psychiatrist, how to intervene before longer-term problems arise. Can we address root causes of stress in the workplace? 

Next month, Michelle will examine the physiological effect that long-term stress can have on optometrists.

Listen to our previous episodes on patient mental health (episode 26) and how to improve optometrists’ general wellbeing at work (episode 24). 

If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Professionalism, and Leadership & Accountability. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.

One in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop dementia — a term used to describe a range of neurological conditions that cause the loss of cognitive functioning. It’s been established that dementia can affect vision and recently, researchers have realised that visual impairment is a modifiable risk factor for dementia, too. In other words, vision correction can, at the very least, improve the quality of life of patients who have dementia. It may even reduce the progression of their cognitive decline. 

In this episode, Michelle Hanratty and Dr Rakhee Shah, an optometrist, lecturer and researcher at City St George’s, University of London, discuss the connections between dementia and the eyes. Michelle then asks Simon Raw, a domiciliary optometrist at The Outside Clinic, about how to get the most out of examinations with patients who have dementia. Finally, if advanced visual corrections are required, such as cataract surgery, how can optometrists ensure that the correct consent procedure is followed? Fadi Alfaqawi, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon for Optegra, explains how to determine what is in the best interest of a patient. 

This podcast expands on Docet’s recent webinar, which was presented by Rakhee Shah and Simon Raw. 

If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Clinical Practice and Communication. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.

Optometrists commonly encounter corneal conditions in practice—such as keratoconus, Fuch’s endothelial corneal dystrophy and recurrent corneal epithelial erosion syndrome. As Professor Sai Kolli explains in this podcast, the management of corneal dystrophies may involve monitoring, therapeutic treatment or onward referral, depending on their severity. Michelle Hanratty also hears from Christina and her son Sam, who discovered that he has keratoconus earlier this year. Their story illustrates the importance of regular childhood eye examinations and why clear, empathetic communication from optometrists is essential when they deliver potential diagnoses.

Professor Sai Kolli is the Consultant Lead for corneal, cataract and refractive surgery at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust. This podcast expands on Docet’s “Common Corneal Conditions: What every optometrist needs to know!”, which was presented by Professor Kolli. Sai answers many of the follow-up questions that optometrists sent in. 

If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.

Vision standards and occupational eye testing can have profound consequences on patients and their families, especially when children are weighing up their career prospects. It’s therefore important that optometrists understand how tests are carried out and the implications of their results. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty takes a trip to the vision research centre at City St George's, University of London, to meet Professor John Barbur. John explains how occupational vision standards vary and how different tests are carried out. 

What if a patient doesn’t meet the vision standards for their dream job, though? Optometrists will often need to break bad news to patients, which can be challenging. With this in mind, Michelle receives some tips from Ian Trimmer, a social worker who specialises in mastering difficult conversations. 

If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.

Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.