Methods to reduce prescription errors in ophthalmic medication.

Purpose: The purpose of this audit was to determine the most common medication related prescription errors in ophthalmic practice, to determine avoidable prescription errors and evaluate the effect of preventative methods against these errors.

Methods: The first audit was conducted prospectively over a four week period in Oct 2009 and a re-audit after 6 months on May 2010, to determine the effects of preventative measures suggested in the first audit.

Results: There were 4.

Small eyes big problems: is cataract surgery the best option for the nanophthalmic eyes?

Nanophthalmos refers to an eyeball of short axial length, usually less than 20 mm which leads to angle closure glaucoma due to relatively large lens. Intra-ocular lens extraction relieves the angle closure in nanophthalmos. Cataract surgery in a nanophthalmic eye is technically difficult with high risk of complications such as posterior capsular rupture, uveal effusion, choroidal haemorrhage, vitreous haemorrhage, malignant glaucoma, retinal detachment and aqueous misdirection.