Skill and management: Keeler/Optician competition

There was a record number of entries for this year's Keeler/Optician fundus photography competition. As ever, the quality was outstanding. From the 140 or so entries suitable for our judges to consider, it is with regret that only a few plus the winners can be highlighted here.

Congratulations to all of the winners, and our appreciation to all who submitted images. There were three individual categories and a prize for the overall winner, this going to the entrant thought by the judges to best reflect all the categories combined

Photographic skill

Winner - Philip Jones, Carnforth

Prize - digital camera

This category prize was awarded to the entrant whose photography showed particular skill, either by capturing an image difficult to obtain or by showing a lesion in a way that reflected a good deal of skill.

Highly commendable entries included that from Ian Lucas from Stafford. His view of a rhegmatogenous detachment (1) at two focus planes was felt to show good skill. 'It is difficult to get a good, well-illuminated stereo', said one judge. 'Changing focus between images to increase the depth of field is a demonstration of good and advanced photographic technique.'

Sharon Wragg from Broadhurst, sent in several images including figure 2. This was remarked upon as having 'the sharpness emphasised through being able to see the blood vessels running under [the lesion].'

Category winner was Philip Jones of Carnforth in Lancashire. He sent in a small portfolio of images, all excellent. Figure 3 shows a composite image of a diabetic retinopathy. 'Each of the images used to make the composite is very well exposed, illuminated evenly and matches the others.

The pathology is found throughout the retina and so by using a composite the degree of retinopathy can be most ably demonstrated.' One judge particularly liked the triple retinal detachment image (4). The ability to view such an active lesion in a variety of ways reflected good photographic and patient management skills. Other images included a post-photodynamic therapy lesion (5), a bilateral view of a 10-year-old presenting with Stargardt's disease (6) and a nice shot of a swathe of myelin away from the disc (7).