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Mr Gavin Orr (consultant ophthalmologist at Nottingham University, Queens Medical Centre) opened the lecture programme with a presentation on the current management of diabetic eye disease. He stated that diabetes is still the leading cause of blindness in the UK working population with macular oedema being the most common reason. He described a new macular oedema treatment called intravitreal triamcinolone which is now available in larger ophthalmic departments. This involves injecting a steroid into the vitreous cavity and when successful can give dramatic improvement in vision (for example, 6/36 to 6/12 in four weeks). However, he said the technique is not without risks: following treatment, 20 per cent of patients have a significant increase of IOP, secondary cataracts can occur and there is a risk of endophalmitis. It may also need to be repeated as the effect can diminish with time.
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