A knighthood has been awarded to Professor Peng Tee Khaw, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust's director of research and development. He was awarded a knighthood for services to ophthalmology in the Queen's Birthday Honours. Professor Khaw, an eye doctor who specialises in glaucoma surgery, said: 'I am very humbled to have been awarded this incredible honour.' Up until May he was also president of global research organisation the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
Heidelberg Engineering has supplied a Spectralis OCT ophthalmic imaging device for docking at the International Space Station (ISS). It was packed into the European Space Agency spaceship Albert Einstein in a launch earlier this month, and will be used for detailed examinations of the back of ISS astronauts' eyes. A NASA programme to study ocular changes after space flight and mitigate potentially sight-threatening risks on long-duration missions has seen the agency purchase several of the devices.
A number of research grants were awarded by the International Glaucoma Association (IGA) totalling £255,000. The value of its grants programme increased by 60 per cent on the previous year, including a £90,000 joint award for the Royal College of Ophthalmology and £30,000 for the College of Optometrists. IGA CEO Russell Young said: 'We are committed to supporting the many professionals who work tirelessly to investigate, manage and care for people with glaucoma.'
An eyeball licking craze in Japan has prompted a health warning from eye care professionals. The fetish, known as oculolinctus or 'worming' was said to be an expression of affection, but experts have warned of the dangers of corneal abrasions, conjunctivitis as well as the transmission of herpes. A report on medicaldaily.com said the craze came to the attention of school staff when they noticed children as young as 12 wearing eye patches in classes.