Podcasts about Moorfields

Nuacht Mhall. Príomhscéalta na seachtaine, léite go mall.*Inniu an dara lá is fiche de mhí Feabhra. Is mise Liam Ó Brádaigh.Dé Domhnaigh, vótálfaidh muintir na Gearmáine i dtoghchán ríthábhachtach a chinnfidh treo na tíre do na ceithre bliana amach romhainn agus a mbeidh tionchar suntasach aige ar thodhchaí polaitiúil na hEorpa. De réir pobalbhreithe táthar ag súil go méadóidh an páirtí fíordheis Alternative for Germany a sciar vótaí go mór. Gheall na páirtithe eile, áfach, nach rachaidh siad i gcomhrialtas leis an AfD. Ciallaíonn an 'balla dóiteáin' seo nach dócha go mbeidh an AfD in áit ar bith ach sa Fhreasúra. Tar éis thorthaí iomlána an toghcháin, meastar go mbeidh caibidlíocht ar siúl go ceann roinnt seachtainí agus na páirtithe ag iarraidh comhrialtas a bhunú.Athraíodh saol ceathrar leanaí a rugadh dall mar gheall ar thriail thurgnamhach géinteiripe a d'fheabhsaigh a radharc. Dúirt an tOllamh James Bainbridge, máinlia na reitine ag Ospidéal Súl Moorfields, a chabhraigh leis an triail a stiúradh, go bhféadfadh an obráid seo difríocht mhór a dhéanamh d'fhorbairt na leanaí agus dá gcumas idirghníomhaithe le daoine eile. Cuireadh cóireáil ar shúil amháin an duine ar na leanaí (ar as na Stáit Aontaithe, an Tuirc agus an Túinéis iad) ar eagla go mbeadh aon éifeachtaí diúltacha ag an gcóireáil. Tugann na torthaí go dtí seo dóchas, áfach, go bhféadfadh buntáistí móra a bheith ag idirghabháil luath i gcoinníollacha súl géiniteacha óige.Nocht an Éigipt an chéad tuama ríoga ársa ó tugadh Tutankhamun chun solais níos mó ná céad bliain ó shin. Is leis an Rí Thutmose II an tuama, rí den 18ú ríora a mhair beagnach 3,500 bliain ó shin, a thángthas air in aice le Gleann na Ríthe in Luxor i ndeisceart na hÉigipte. Cé go dtugann réamhstaidéir le fios gur athraíodh a inneachar san am ársa, rud a d'fhág an tuama gan aon mhumaí ná seoda cosúil le fionnachtain Tutankhamun, dúirt an Aireacht seaniarsmaí go bhfuil an fionnachtain "ar cheann de na fionnachtana is suntasaí seandálaíochta le blianta beaga anuas".*Léirithe ag Conradh na Gaeilge i Londain. Tá an script ar fáil i d'aip phodchraolta.*GLUAISballa dóiteáin - firewallcaibidlíocht - negotiationdall - blindmáinlia na reitine - retina surgeonríora - dynastyfionnachtain - discovery

In this episode, our guests explore the impact of genetic discoveries on inherited retinal dystrophies, in particular retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The discussion highlights a recent study that identified two non-coding genetic variants linked to RP, predominantly in individuals of South Asian and African ancestry. The conversation highlights how advances in whole genome sequencing are uncovering previously hidden causes of genetic disease, improving diagnostic rates, and shaping the future of patient care. It also addresses the challenges faced by individuals from diverse backgrounds in accessing genetic testing, including cultural barriers, awareness gaps, and historical underrepresentation in genomic research. Our host Naimah Callachand is joined by researcher Dr Gavin Arno, Associate Director for Research at Greenwood Genetic Centre in South Carolina, Kate Arkell, Research Development Manager at Retina UK, and Bhavini Makwana, a patient representative diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and Founder and Chair of BAME Vision. We also hear from Martin Hills, an individual diagnosed with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. To access resources mentioned in this episode: Access the Unlock Genetics resource on the Retina UK website Visit the BAME vision website for more information and support Find out more about the groundbreaking discovery of the RNU4-2 genetic variant in the non-coding region which has been linked to neurodevelopmental conditions in our podcast episode   "Discoveries like this lead to better clinical management. We understand better the progression of the disease when we can study this in many individuals from a wide spectrum of ages and different backgrounds. We can provide counselling as Bhavini was talking about. We can provide patients with a better idea of what the future may hold for their eye disease, and potentially, you know, we are all aiming towards being able to develop therapies for particular genes and particular diseases."   You can download the transcript or read it below. Naimah: Welcome to Behind the Genes.   Bhavini: The few common themes that always come out is that people don't really understand what genetic testing and counselling is. They hear the word counselling, and they think it is the therapy that you receive counselling for your mental health or wellbeing. There is already a taboo around the terminology. Then it is lack of understanding and awareness or where to get that information from, and also sometimes in different cultures, if you have been diagnosed with sight loss, you know blindness is one of the worst sensory things that people can be diagnosed with. So, they try and hide it. They try and keep that individual at home because they think they are going to have an outcast in the community, in the wider family, and it would be frowned upon).  Naimah: My name is Naimah Callachand and I am Head of Product Engagement and Growth at Genomics England.  I am also one of the hosts of Behind the Genes. On today's episode I am joined by Gavin Arno, Associate Director for Research at Greenwood Genetic Centre in South Carolina, Kate Arkell, Research Development Manager at Retina UK, and Bhavini Makwana, patient representative.  Today we will be discussing findings from a recently published study in the American Society of Human Genetics Journal which identified two non-coding variants as a cause of retinal dystrophy in people commonly of South Asian and African ancestry. If you enjoy today's episode, we'd love your support. Please like, share, and rate us on wherever you listen to your podcasts.  Okay, so first of all I would like to ask each of the three of you to introduce yourselves. Bhavini, maybe we'll start with you.  Bhavini: Hi, I'm Bhavini Makwana, patient representative, and also Chair of BAME Vision. I have other roles where I volunteer for Retina UK, and I work for Thomas Pocklington Trust.  Naimah: Thanks Bhavini. Gavin.  Gavin: Hi, my name is Gavin Arno, I am Associate Director for Research at the Greenwood Genetic Centre in South Carolina, and I am Honorary Associate Professor at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology in London.  Naimah: Thanks Gavin. And Kate.   Kate: Hi, I'm Kate Arkell, Research Development Manager at Retina UK.   Naimah: Lovely to have you all today. So, let's get into the conversation then. So Gavin, let's come to you first. First of all, what is retinitis pigmentosa and what does it mean to have an inherited retinal dystrophy?  Gavin: So, retinitis pigmentosa is a disorder that affects the retina at the back of the eye. It is a disease that starts in the rod photoreceptor cells. So, these cells are dysfunctional and then degenerate causing loss of peripheral and night vision initially, and that progresses to include central vision and often patients will go completely blind with this disease. So, retinal dystrophies are diseases that affect the retina. There are over 300 genes known to cause retail dystrophy so far, and these affect different cells at the back of the eye, like retinitis pigmentosa that affects the rods. There are cone rod dystrophies, ones that start in the cone photoreceptors, macular dystrophies that start in the central retina, and other types of retinal dystrophies as well.  Naimah: Thanks Gavin. And Bhavini, just to come next to you. So, you received a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 17 after a genetic change was found in the RP26 CERKL gene. At this time only ten other families in the UK had been identified with this type of genetic alteration. Would you mind sharing a bit more about your journey to your diagnosis?  Bhavini: Yeah. So, at the age of 17 is when I got officially diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, but leading up to that I was experiencing symptoms such as night blindness. So, I struggled really badly to see in the dark, or just in dim lighting, like this time of the year in winter when it gets dark quite easily, all my friends from college could easily walk across the pavement, but I struggled. I was bumping into a lot of things. Like things that I wouldn't really see now that I know my peripheral vision, I was losing that, so like lamp posts or trees or bollards, I would completely miss or bump into them. I was missing steps, and had a really, really bad gaze to the sun. Like, everything was really hazy. That continued and I just put it down to stress of exams. You know, just given that age and where I was at the time of my life. But then it kind of continued. So, I went to the see the optician who then referred me, and after months of testing I got diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. Back in the late 90s when I was diagnosed there wasn't really anything about genetic testing, or cures., or treatments. I was basically just told to get on with it, and that was it.   It was only until about 15/16 years later I came across Retina UK, started understanding what retinitis pigmentosa is, and what it means, and then when I was offered genetic testing and counselling at one of my annual Moorfields appointments, they explained to me what it involved, what it could mean, what kind of answers I would get, and I agreed to take part. It was a simple blood test that myself and both my parents took part in.      Naimah: Thanks for sharing that Bhavini. So, I know you were able to receive a diagnosis through whole genome sequencing in the 100,000 Genomes Project after the alteration in the gene was found, and this was found in the coding region of the genome. But in this study that we are talking about in this podcast, we know that the two genetic changes that were found, they were in the non-coding region of the genome. Gavin, could you tell me in simple terms what the difference is between the coding and non-coding region of the genomes and why these findings are significant in this case?   Gavin: Yes, sure. So, the human genome is made up of about 3 billion letters or nucleotides which are the instructions for life essentially. Now, within that human genome there are the instructions for roughly 20,000-25,000 proteins. This is what we call the coding genome. These are the bits of DNA that directly give the instructions to make a protein. Now, we know that that part of the genome is only roughly 2% of the entire genome, and the remaining 98% is called the non-coding genome. Now, we understand that far less well. We have a far poorer understanding of what the function of the non-coding genome is versus the coding genome. So, typically molecular diagnostic testing or genetic testing is focused on the coding genome, and historically that has been the fact. Now with advances in genome technologies like whole genome sequencing and the 100,000 Genomes Project, we are able to start to look at the non-coding genome and tease out the previously poorly understood causes of genetic diseases that may lie within those regions of the genes.   Naimah: Thanks Gavin, I think you have just really highlighted the possibilities available with looking at the non-coding region of the genome.  Kate, coming to you next. I wanted to talk about the importance of uncovering and understanding genetic causes of inherited retinal dystrophies, and how do discoveries like these change the landscape of care for patients with inherited retinal dystrophies?  Kate: So, getting a genetic diagnosis can really help families affected by inherited retinal dystrophy. It helps them and their ophthalmologists to better understand their condition, and in some cases gain some insight into possible prognosis, which helps people feel a lot more in control. It can also potentially inform family planning decisions and even open up options around access to reproductive technologies for example, not only for the individual, but sometimes also for their close relatives. Of course, researchers are making great strides towards therapies, some of which have reached clinical trials. But a lot of these approaches are gene specific, so for people who know their genetic diagnosis, they are more able to recognise research that is most relevant to them and quickly pick out potential opportunities to take part. At the moment it is still the case that around 30% of our community who have a genetic test will not receive a clear result, and that can feel very frustrating. So, the more discoveries like this that are made, the better.   Naimah: Thanks Kate.  So, now we are going to hear a clip from Martin Hills, our Retina UK patient representative who has been diagnosed with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. Martin has undergone genetic testing and shares more about his experience.  Martin: My name is Martin Hills, and I was officially diagnosed with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa in 2001, and because of that I immediately had to stop driving which made a huge impact both on myself and my family.  My eyesight has slowly deteriorated over the years. It first started with difficulty seeing at night, and also playing some types of sport, which I think probably was in my 20s. My peripheral vision has been lost slowly and now has completely gone. Fortunately, I still have some reasonable central vision left which is a great help. I am registered as severely sight impaired, and I am also a symbol cane user. My father and aunt were both diagnosed with this condition, and my daughter has been relatively recently, as has altogether eight members of our wider family, and that also includes two younger generations. In 2015 I went for genetic counselling and testing and at that time it was for 176 genes known to be associated with retinal dystrophies. I believe that has now gone up to about 300, but at the time they couldn't recognise what my faulty gene was, and that has still been the case to my knowledge to date.   I have also been part of the 100,000 Genome Project along with several others of my wider family, and I am also a participant in the UK Inherited Retinal Dystrophy Consortium RP Genome Project, which has been sponsored by Retina UK. The impact of not having a positive genetic test result is quite interesting and has really been a rollercoaster. I guess it is all about hope, and to start with when I knew I was going to be genetically tested, I think my first reaction was optimism, and I think if you have a positive test result, that is a real hope for the future. I think that is quite exciting particularly as things seem to be progressing so rapidly. But because I didn't get a positive result, the next reaction I had really was disappointment because I felt one step behind people with a positive result. Of course the natural reactions are one of frustration, and then I guess followed by realisation of the situation, and heading towards trying to adjust and making coping strategies for the future.  I still feel that genetic testing for all forms of medical conditions is so important and has a huge future in understanding and then potential treatments for so many medical issues. I guess it might be a bit too late for me, but if I can contribute to finding a restorative treatment for the younger generations of my family, and for that matter other people, then I think that is good enough for me.   Naimah: So, we have just heard from Martin that although he has not been able to have a positive genetic test result, his involvement in various studies may have benefits in helping others find treatment. So, I guess on that point Bhavini, maybe you could comment, or ask you how you felt whenever you were about to get a diagnosis through whole genome sequencing?  Bhavini: Yes. When I got called in almost three and a half years after the testing that took place was a massive, massive relief because not only did I get genetic counselling before the testing period, but I got called in and I spoke to a genetic counsellor who explained what they had been able to find and what kind of RP it was, how it would progress, and just answer so many questions. I am the mother of two daughters and even having two children, I lost a lot of sight after my first daughter, but at that time there wasn't any evidence or there wasn't any … you know, there was nothing I even knew about what questions to ask or anything, so I did go on to have a second child and drastically lost more sight. I had always been told, because the lack of awareness and understanding of RP in my family, and I am one of four children, and I am the only one that has it, so there is no other family history. Now I know it could have skipped generations, but I was always told things like it was karma. I must have done something in my past life. I was told to kind of have these herbs or these remedies to cure my sight loss, you know my RP. I was even desperate enough to kind of …  all these bogues treatments that you find online. You know, anything. I was so desperate to find anything that would help me.   When I received that testing and the counselling, it explained so much about how my daughters may or may not be affected, how they are carriers, and that was explained to me, how it would progress. So many questions and worries that I had for almost a decade and a half, they were answered. And not only for me, for my family, and all those people that told me all these sorts of things that I used to worry about that could have caused my RP. I was able to explain it to them and they understood that it was nothing to do with me being bad in my past life. It was actually you know, there is something scientific about it. So, it kind of gave me lots and lots of answers, and actually I then created a private Facebook page just with my RP26 CERKL genetic that I have been diagnosed with, just to see if there is anybody else out there, because when I was diagnosed, I think at the time I was told there was only myself and nine other families in the UK diagnosed with this particular gene. Now, I haven't been that active on it, but you know there are people across the world who found my post and joined the group, and we share experiences about the age that we were kind of diagnosed, the kind of rate the symptoms have developed. It is so fascinating because we have got such similar experiences.   There is parents on there who are there on behalf of their children, and it is just so nice to see … I know it is RP, but the specific gene and the rate of which we have experienced all the symptoms, it is quite similar. So, it has been quite supportive and helpful and reassuring to my family including my daughters.  Naimah: That's incredible Bhavini and it's really nice that you have created that group and created kind of like a support network for all the other families that have been affected by the same genetic condition as well. Yeah, that's incredible. Gavin, I know the findings in the study show that the genetic changes in this study are more common in people of African and South Asian ancestry. So, so I want to understand why is this an impactful finding in the study?  Gavin: Yes, so Kate mentioned that around 30% of people with inherited retinal dystrophies who have genetic testing don't get a molecular diagnosis and we are working in my research lab and many other research labs to improve that. Now, that figure is very much higher in patients of for example African ancestry in the UK, and this is partly due to the fact that historically and even now genetic studies have been focused on European individuals and taken place in the US, and the UK, and Europe, and wealthy countries across the world. This means that people of African ancestry are poorly represented in genetic studies, not just genetic studies of genetic disease, but population studies as well. So, we have less of an understanding of the genetic variants found in the genomes of individuals of African ancestry. So, that means we solve less of the genetic cases, particularly at Moorfields we published a paper on this several years ago with the diagnostic rates in European patients versus those of African ancestry, and it was very, very much lower. So, we need to do better for those patients, and this study identified a cause of retinitis pigmentosa in 18 families of African ancestry who were recruited to the 100,000 Genomes Project.   This is a fairly large proportion of the patients with RP of African ancestry seen at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and when we contacted collaborators around the world many more families were identified, and I think we ended up publishing around about 40 families who were affected by this particular mutation. So, we can look at that variant, we can look at the DNA sequence around that variant, and we found there is a chunk of DNA around the mutation in the gene that was coinherited by all of those different individuals. So, this is what we call an ancestral haplotype. It's an ancient variant that goes back many, many generations and it has a fairly high carrier frequency in genomes of African ancestry. So, we think this will be a fairly significant cause of retinitis pigmentosa across the continent of Africa. And so, identifying it will enable us to provide a molecular diagnosis for those families. Potentially there will be many more families out there who don't know they have this cause of disease yet. They may be affected but they haven't yet received genetic testing.   But discoveries like this lead to better clinical management. We understand better the progression of the disease when we can study this in many individuals from a wide spectrum of ages and different backgrounds. We can provide counselling as Bhavini was talking about. We can provide patients with a better idea of what the future may hold for their eye disease, and potentially you know we are all aiming towards being able to develop therapies for particular genes and particular diseases. As Kate mentioned many of the gene therapies are gene specific, so if we identify a cause of disease that is predominant like this and affects many, many people, then of course there is more interest from the pharmaceutical industry to develop a therapy for that specific gene.  Naimah: Thanks Gavin. I think that really does showcase how impactful these findings really are. Kate, can I come to you. So, Gavin touched on it there that people with African and Asian ancestry are significantly less likely to get diagnosed, but why is it important to ensure that these groups are represented in the genomic datasets?  Kate: So, we need to ensure that genetic testing and diagnostic accuracy works for everyone, and not just those of European ancestry. So, as Gavin said if the datasets don't reflect the genetic variations seen in African or Asian populations, then the tests based on those data are more likely to give incomplete results for those groups of people. We really need a diverse range of genetic information for researchers to work on. As it is clear from this study's results, populations from African backgrounds for example may have unique genetic mutations linked to retinal dystrophy. So, if those are really underrepresented in datasets based on European populations, that is obviously going to present a problem. Gavin mentioned access to treatment. We need to overcome some of these disparities in healthcare access, and   inclusion of broad spectrum of genetic data is actually a foundation for that.   Naimah: Thanks Kate.  So underrepresented groups are often less likely to know about genetic testing due to a combination of social economic and systemic factors that create barriers to access information. Cultural taboos can also play a significant role in shaping attitudes towards genetic testing, and I think Bhavini you kind of touched on this slightly with some of your experiences. I wonder, did you experience any of these cultural taboos?  Bhavini: Yes, some of them, but I think by the time I was informed about what genetic testing and counselling is I had come across Retina UK and I had already started having that background knowledge, so when that was offered to me, I actually had a basic understanding. But as Chair of BAME Vision I work with a lot of ethnic communities, and when I speak about my own personal experience about receiving genetic testing and counselling, I kind of break it down into my own language, and the few common themes that always come out is people don't really understand what genetic testing and counselling is. They hear the word counselling, and they think it is the therapy that you receive counselling for your mental health or wellbeing.  So, again there is already a taboo around the terminology. Then it is lack of understanding and awareness, or where to get that information from. Also sometimes in different cultures, if you have been diagnosed with sight loss, you know blindness is one of the worst sensory things that people can be diagnosed with, so they try and hide it. They try and keep that individual at home, because they think they are going to have an outcaste in the community and the wider family, and you will be frowned upon, people will talk really bad.   So, it is not really common knowledge, so they don't even talk about it. So, there is a lot of layers to unpick there. That is one of the priority areas in 2025 that we at BAME Vision are going to be working on to try and raise that awareness in different communities about what genetic testing is, what it could mean, how to get genetic testing if it is not offered to you at your own clinic. There is a lot of work I know Retina UK have done, so working with them, and how we can reach different communities to raise that awareness.  Naimah: That's great. You have touched on how important the education piece is. I wonder, do you have any other examples of how healthcare providers and genetic counsellors might better engage communities to ensure that they are receiving the care that they need?  Bhavini: Yeah, absolutely. So, I think having information in different languages is essential, and I don't expect to have lots and lots of leaflets in different languages. Whether it is audio form or whether there is different professionals within that setting that speak different languages that can communicate to those patients, or even their family or friends that could translate. I think language is definitely something. And having representation, so like different people who have accessed this and sharing their story and going out into community groups and sort of sharing those messages, is definitely what has been working for us, and we have been doing that on other topics that we have used.  Naimah: Yes, they all sound like really important ways to try and engage with different communities. You have already mentioned how amazing that Retina UK have been and the support that you have received from them. So, I wonder Kate, if you could tell us a bit more about the support that is available for those with inherited sight loss, and how these resources can support people from underrepresented groups as well.  Kate: So, we have a range of support services at Retina UK most of which involve our fantastic team of volunteers, one of whom is Bhavini, who are all personally affected by inherited retinal dystrophy themselves. So, they are all experts by experience so to speak. The team also does include members of the Asian community as well. So, if somebody makes a call to our helpline, they will be able to speak to somebody who genuinely understands what they are going through, which can be a lifeline for those who are feeling isolated and especially I think as Bhavini mentioned, if they feel unable to talk openly with their own family and certainly within their community. We have a talk and support service that offers ongoing more regular telephone support as well as in-person and online peer support groups where people can make social connections with others in similar situations. I think Bhavini has mentioned that she herself runs our London and Southeast local group.  We also have an information resource called Unlock Genetics. That explains genetics in understandable language and clearly explains how people can access testing and what that will involve. So, we have stories on there from people who have gone through the process and talk about that. So, that is available on our website, and we can provide it in audio format as well.  Naimah: So Gavin, looking to the future, what does this research mean for patients with sight loss and their families? What does this mean in the future?  Gavin: So, I think now that we have access to whole genome sequencing through projects like the 100,000 Genomes Project, we are able to start the process of understanding new causes of disease that are found outside of the coded region.  So, we can now look for non-coding variants that cause disease which was previously not possible because genetic testing was focused on 2% of the genome. As we make discoveries like this these will inform future studies. So, the more we identify this type of variant and are able to functionally test the effect on the gene or the protein, we are able to use that information to lead future tests. What this needs is large population datasets to be able to analyse these sorts of variants at scale. The more genomes we have the better our understanding will be of our population frequencies, and the key thing is here for inherited retinal dystrophies, all of these variants that we are identifying are very, very rare. So, we only find them in a very small number of individuals affected with disease, and an infinitely smaller number of individuals in the unaffected general population. So, the larger that population dataset is that we can study, the better we can understand the rarity of these variants and pick those out from the many, many millions of non-pathogenic or harmless variants that we find in the genomes of all the individuals.  Naimah: Do you think the paper will help lead the way for diagnosis of other conditions in African and South Asian communities?    Gavin: Yes. The better we understand causes like this, and we are now at the point where most of the genes that cause retinal dystrophy have been identified already, so the remaining causes to be identified will be these more difficult to find cases, non-coding variants, structural variants, which we haven't touched on today which are larger rearrangements of the genome. These things are harder to find, harder to interpret, so the more that we find like this, the better our ability will be to interpret those sorts of variants. There are many similar findings coming out of genome studies like 100,000 Genomes Project. For example, there was a significant finding recently published on a non-coding RNU gene which causes a significant proportion of neurological disorders in the 100,000 Genomes Project. You need these studies to be able to drive forward the research in areas like this.   Naimah: Thanks Gavin, and the discovery that you are mentioning is the RNU4-2 gene that was discovered earlier this year. You can hear more about that on our other podcast on our website which is ‘How has groundbreaking genome work discovery impacted thousands far and wide' to learn more about that as well. But yeah, I agree it is another really great example of how impactful these findings can be. Okay, we'll wrap up there. Thank you to our guests Gavin Arno, Kate Arkell, and Bhavini Makwana for joining me today as we discussed the findings from a recent study which has identified genetic changes responsible for retinal dystrophy, and people commonly of South Asian and African ancestry. If you'd like to hear more like this, please subscribe to Behind the Genes on your favourite podcast app. Thank you for listening. I have been your host and producer, Naimah Callachand, and this podcast was edited by Bill Griffin of Ventoux Digital.

In this episode Prof Pearse Keane- Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields and Professor of Artificial Medical Intelligence at University College London discusses AI in Ophthalmology. Conversation topics include: The story of the Moorfields- Google Deep Mind collaboration and the use of AI to detect retinal diseases The birth of 'oculomics' as a field: Using the eye as a window to the rest of the body The practical challenges of moving from code to clinic when it comes to Healthcare AI The potential for the UK to be a world leader in healthcare AI by linking NHS data with top universities Medical foundation models and their role in the future of healthcare

Spurred on by the seemingly hopeless plight of patients with AMD, professor Robyn Gymer is one of the leading lights in dry AMD research. Robyn explains why it was important to have developed a universally accepted classification for GA, the relationships between macular structure and function, and why early OCT signs of nascent GA can help us identify who is at risk of progression. She also explores the potential role of complement blockers and gene therapy in slowing the progression of GA.This episode is a perfect way to get up to speed with the rapidly evolving field of GA, a condition with which 60 million people globally will suffer by 2040.Plus Robyn regales us with a wonderful anecdote about her first Moorfields clinic with Professor Bird, when her rather direct Antipodean manner left the other British trainees open-mouthed!You can hear more from Robyn in our subscriber episode, including the crucial role of nutrition and diet in the aetiology of AMD. You can get full access to Eyes On Tomorrow, including:* Monthly bonus conversations from our guests  * PDFs of reading material  linked to topics discussed in the podcast and perfect for your CPD* Summaries of the key learnings as a regular newsletter* Discussion with other subscribersAll for just £25 per year, when you subscribe at eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribeProduced by Daisy Chakoo at Rethink Audio. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe

We meet the man behind much of the evidence base for the surgical management of glaucoma, Prof. Keith Barton. Recorded in Belfast this summer, John & Dermot find out why trabeculectomy is still the gold standard in dropping intraocular pressure in advanced glaucoma to a level that's sufficient to halt progressive visual field loss - and why proper surgical training is so important.Along the way Prof Barton shares his incredible career path - from Belfast to Moorfields, Miami and back, and the story behind a lovely tribute from Elton John - as well as what Ophthalmologists and Optometrists alike can learn from his groundbreaking studies.Produced by Matt Hill at Rethink Audio.Get full access to Eyes On Tomorrow, including:* Bonus conversation on MIGs (minimally invasive glaucoma surgery) and patient education, as well as Barton's passion for cycling and fundraising work.* Monthly PDF of reading material  linked to topics discussed in the podcast and perfect for your CPD* Summaries of the key learnings as a regular newsletter This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe

Jeannette is joined by Professor Anthony Khawaja, a top eye specialist at Moorfields, focusing on the topic of glaucoma. Professor Kawaja shares his journey to becoming a leading expert in the field of ophthalmology, highlighting the importance of early detection and treatment of glaucoma. He discusses the impact of genetics, lifestyle choices, and advancements in artificial intelligence on eye health KEY TAKEAWAYS Anthony's innovative approach to combining medicine and surgery in the field of ophthalmology, particularly in glaucoma, showcases his commitment to finding new solutions. Professor Khawaja's groundbreaking genetic research in glaucoma has led to significant advancements in understanding the disease and potential treatments. The emphasis on making a difference and impacting society through his work is a driving force for Professor Kawaja, motivating him to push boundaries and challenge the status quo. The importance of finding a balance between work and personal life, as well as the support of a partner like Claire, is crucial for managing the emotional toll of challenging cases and maintaining fulfilment in one's career. BEST MOMENTS "It's moved so quickly. I remember when I first started ophthalmology for some inherited, I did a clinic, you only get these clinics at Northfields where everybody has these rare genetic dystrophies" "In some cases you're dealing with death, you're dealing with potential blindness in your field."  "Glaucoma is what commonest causes of blindness. In the UK and in developed countries it's usually the second commonest cause after a condition called age-related macular degeneration."   This is the perfect time to get focused on what YOU want to really achieve in your business, career, and life. It's never too late to be BRAVE and BOLD and unlock your inner BRILLIANT. Visit our new website https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/ - there you'll find a library of FREE resources and downloadable guides and e-books to help you along your journey. If you'd like to jump on a free mentoring session just DM Jeannette at info@brave-bold-brilliant.com. VALUABLE RESOURCES Brave Bold Brilliant - https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/ Brave, Bold, Brilliant podcast series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970    ABOUT THE GUEST Professor Anthony Khawaja leads a data science and genomics research team at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, aiming to improve the care of patients with glaucoma and other common eye diseases. He is an Honorary Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon practicing at Moorfields Eye Hospital, where he specialises in the medical and surgical care of patients with glaucoma and cataract. Anthony completed his medical training at the University of Cambridge and University College London, and his ophthalmic residency and glaucoma fellowship training at Moorfields Eye Hospital. His research training began with a Wellcome Trust funded PhD programme at the University of Cambridge, including a Masters in Epidemiology for which he won the Nick Day Prize. He was also awarded the Berkeley Fellowship which supported a period at Harvard Medical School. Anthony is currently a UK Research & Innovation Future Leaders Fellow and a Lister Institute Fellow. He holds several leadership positions including: Director of the European Society of Ophthalmology Leadership Development Programme, President of the European Eye Epidemiology Consortium, Chair of the European Glaucoma Society Screening Task Force, Chair of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Informatics and Audit Committee, Chair of the UK Glaucoma Genetics Consortium, Chair of the UK Glaucoma Real-World Data Consortium. ABOUT THE HOST Jeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board advisor, and business mentor with over 30 years of global professional business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality, and property sectors. Having bought, ran, and sold businesses all over the world, Jeannette now has a portfolio of her own businesses and also advises and mentors other business leaders to drive forward their strategies as well as their own personal development. Jeannette is a down-to-earth leader, a passionate champion for diversity & inclusion, and a huge advocate of nurturing talent so every person can unleash their full potential and live their dreams. CONTACT THE HOST Jeannette's linktree - https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/ YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/@braveboldbrilliant LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jeannette.linfoot/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jeannette.linfoot Podcast Description Jeannette Linfoot talks to incredible people about their experiences of being Brave, Bold & Brilliant, which have allowed them to unleash their full potential in business, their careers, and life in general. From the boardroom tables of ‘big' international businesses to the dining room tables of entrepreneurial start-ups, how to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities and take risks, whilst staying ‘true' to yourself is the order of the day.Travel, Bold, Brilliant, business, growth, scale, marketing, investment, investing, entrepreneurship, coach, consultant, mindset, six figures, seven figures, travel, industry, ROI, B2B, inspirational: https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot

In this podcast, Prof Frank Holz (Germany) discusses assessment of visual dysfunction in Intermediate AMD in the context of the Macustar trial with Dr Hannah Dunbar, Principal Optometrist at Moorfields and UCL

17 April 2024: We get an update on Horizon International School with Mr Gale then chat to Dr Neil Hopkin about the situation at Fortes Education. Rena Dean from Serenity Dental Clinic explores the advancements in technology that have revolutionized dentistry over the past decade. Discover the possibility of painless dental injections and the potential for a spa-like experience during dental visits. Dr. Imad Hakim, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields, discusses the most prevalent methods for vision correction and the factors influencing the choice of technique for different individuals. For Pets & Vets, Amer, founder of Book My Pet gives us a call and Dr. Michaela Gradinger DVM from Vienna Vets provides expert advice on pet health and veterinary care, offering valuable insights to pet owners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GCP Goes To Atomic Pro Wrestling '1st Anniversary Show' from the Azvex Brewery in Liverpool with Andy & Geoff Ogden as they review the show plus the beers & pubs of the day (Liverpool Lime Street & Moorfields areas of Liverpool)@gcppodcast1 @oggypart3 @geoffogden2Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gcp/donations

Preached at Tottenham-Court Road and the Tabernacle near Moorfields. 1770

SALMOSDEVOCION VESPERTINANarrado por: Joyce VejarDesde: Arizona, USA24 DE MARZO SALMO 8:2 «De la boca de los niños y de los que maman, fundaste la fortaleza, a causa de tus enemigos, para hacer callar al enemigo y al vengativo» (Sal. 8:2, RVR1960).  ¡C on qué frecuencia los niños nos hablan de un Dios al cual nosotros hemos ­olvidado! ¿No proclamaron su «¡Hosanna!» los niños en el templo, ­cuando los fariseos, orgullosos, guardaban silencio y mostraban desprecio? ¿Y no cita el ­Salvador estas mismas palabras como justificación de sus gritos infantiles?  Fox nos dice en su Libro de los mártires que cuando el Sr. Lawrence fue quemado en Colchester, después de llevarlo a la hoguera en una silla porque a causa de la crueldad de los papistas no podía sostenerse en pie, varios niños acudieron cerca de la hoguera y gritaron, diciendo según ellos pidieron: «Señor, fortalece a tu siervo y guarda su promesa». Dios contestó su oración, porque el Sr. Lawrence murió con una calma y una firmeza que cualquiera podría desear para sí en sus últimos momentos. Cuando uno de los capellanes papistas le dijo al Sr. Wishart, el gran mártir escocés, que tenía dentro de sí un diablo, un niño que estaba cerca exclamó: «Un diablo no puede decir palabras como las que dice este hombre». Un ejemplo más lo tenemos en un período más cercano a nuestros tiempos. En una posdata a una de sus cartas, en la cual detalla su persecución cuando empezó a predicar en Moorfields, Whitefield dice: «No puedo por menos que añadir que varios niños y niñas que acostumbraban sentarse alrededor de mí en el púlpito mientras predicaba, y me entregaban las notas que les daba la gente por más que con frecuencia les arrojaban huevos podridos, fruta, fango, etc., que iban dirigidos a mí, nunca cedieron y dejaron de hacerlo; al contrario, cada vez que me tocaban con algo, me miraban con sus ojuelos llenos de lágrimas, y parecía que deseaban recibir los impactos dirigidos a mí. Dios hizo de ellos, en sus años de crecimiento, mártires grandes y vivos para Él, que «¡de la boca de los niños y de los que maman perfecciona la alabanza!».  ¿Quiénes son estos niños y niñas que maman? El hombre en general, que viene de un comienzo tan débil y pobre como son los niños y los que maman, con todo, acaba teniendo tal poder que puede enfrentarse y vencer al enemigo y al rebelde.  Los apóstoles, cuya apariencia externa era deplorable, en cierto sentido comparable a los niños y a los que maman si los cotejamos con los grandes del mundo, aunque criaturas pobres y despreciadas, eran, con todo, instrumentos principales al servicio y gloria de Dios. Por tanto, es notable que cuando Cristo glorificó a su Padre por la dispensación sabia y gratuita de su gracia salvadora (Mateo 11:25), dijera: «Te doy gracias, oh Padre, Señor del cielo y de la tierra, porque has escondido estas cosas de los sabios y los prudentes, y las has revelado a los niños».  Se nos dice (Mateo 18:3): «A menos que os convirtáis y os volváis como niños…», como si hubiera dicho: «ustedes se esfuerzan por lugares preeminentes y por la grandeza mundana en mi reino; yo les digo que mi reino es un reino de niños, y en él no hay sino los que son humildes y los que se ven poca cosa a sus propios ojos, y están contentos con ser pequeños y despreciados a los ojos de los demás, y no buscan los grandes lugares y cosas del mundo». 

06 March 2024: We spoke with some Sage Clinics team, featuring Clinical Psychologist Dr. Gurveen Ranger, Psychologist Hiba Salem, and Consultant Dietician Hala El-Shafie, discussed identity and body image ahead of their women's workshop. They explored common concerns about self-care, multiple roles, and reconnecting with authenticity. Their insights aimed to empower women and promote self-awareness. Joyce Azzam is the first Lebanese woman to conquer the Seven Summits, holds multiple degrees, and serves as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Lebanon. Now, she's facing the challenge of motherhood with an 8-week-old baby, which she considers her toughest feat yet. Dr. Salman Waqar, Consultant Ophthalmologist in Adult Glaucoma and Cataract Surgery from Moorfields. Lastly, for Pets & Vets we spoke with Dr Joana Porto from Dogventure HQ about Senior Care : what to look out for nutrition and supplementation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew Simmans is hiking Kilimanjaro to raise money for Moorfield's eye hospital. He told Amelia about his experiences in the hospital and how he's preparing for the almost 6000m climb. Follow this link to visit Matthew's JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/page/matthew-simmans-1699703617500 Image: Matthew leans against a short brick wall with a misty hillside behind him and two hiking backpacks either side. He is smiling to the camera and wears a blue Moorfields vest over an orange fleece and grey hiking trousers.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) Development Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS) has announced an award of £1.2 million funding for clinical research by Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit (CCTU) at UCL.   The study is being led by Mahi Muqit, consultant vitreoretinal surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and honorary clinical lecturer at UCL. The study is an early phase drug discovery that will explore a novel treatment for retinal detachment surgery complicated by scar tissue known as Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy (PVR). This novel use of a well-established drug has the potential to reduce or eliminate the retinal scarring from PVR and reduce sight loss.  RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey caught up with Mahi Muqit to find out more about this new retinal detachment clinical trial and began by asking Mahi to explain what actually is a detached retina and how the detachment affects people's vision.  Mahi went on to outline how the drug used in the new trial will help to reduce retina scarring which will in tern help to reduce some patients vision loss.  The retinal detachment clinical trial is due to be set up late 2024 with details being signed posted on the Biomedical Research Centre pages of the Moorfields website with the hope of the study starting in January 2025. More details about Moorfields Eye Hospital can be found on their website - https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk Image: RNIB Connect Radio Bright Green 20th Anniversary Logo

11 October 2023: Today is baby loss awareness and we talk to experts and a father about navigating through such a difficult timeBrows By Patsy is offering her services for free to support breast cancer patientsIt's World Sight Day so Moorfields is here to keep our eyes razor sharpDr. Eiman from The Hills Veterinary Clinic is in the studioAnd we find out what's new at the Green Planet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helen is coming live from Jumeirah Emirates Tower Hotel, and giving away one lucky winner a five star summer experienceOur vet Dr Dr Katrin is on hand to answer your questionsAre mixed marriages more complicated, we ask relationship coach NatashaWe find out from Moorfields how to take care of your children's eyes over the summerAnd a new  workshop is looking at female expat identity this weekendSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Straight From The Off welcomes Stephen Wright to the podcast. Stephen went from supporting Everton to playing for the Liverpool, and taking abuse off his friends and family that were blues! He represented Bootle Schoolboys where he gathered interest from local clubs in Everton and Liverpool. Ste was also capped for England at Under 21 level, playing in the same teams as John Terry etc. He tells is what it was like to be a youngster at Liverpool in the same age group as Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen and what it felt like to play in the champions league with the club. He tells us about the other teams he has played for in his career including Sunderland, Coventry and Brentford amongst others and all about the players he played with and against and throughout his career. Episode 98: is brought to by Fischer Crowne. Located in the heart of Liverpool on Castle Street. They are walking distance to Moorfields and James Street mainline train station. Suite 3, 34 Castle St, Liverpool L2 0NR 0151 363 9448

13 October 2022: We talk to some brave mums and dads about how they have coped with the loss of their babies.Gaming addiction is on the rise, and David Golding explains why.We chat to Moorfields on International World Sight DayWe find out how the education sector is supporting students of determinationAnd Helen chats to teen confidence coach, Jasmine Navarro.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The London Undone ‘City of London Churches' podcast series: A journey around the magnificent and many churches of the City of London. Learn about their histories, architecture, associations, features and their spiritual lives today.35. This is the only Roman Catholic church in the square mile and it's easily mistaken for a shop! But do take a walk through its oft open doors for some peace and tranquility and tune in to this podcast where Fr Chris Vipers shares its history, features and a sense of its spirituality.

Rebounds are not limited to basketball.  Three-Year Clinical Trial of Low-Concentration Atropine for Myopia Progression (LAMP) Study: Continued Versus Washout. Rebounds are not limited to basketball. Dr Sarah Hull examines the rebound effect in the Three-Year Clinical Trial of Low-Concentration Atropine for Myopia Progression (LAMP) Study. What are the outcomes of continued atropine treatment, and what is the ideal concentration? View article hereSarah Hull is a UK-trained Ophthalmologist who completed a PhD in paediatric retinal genetics at UCL and Moorfields in 2016. She has been living in New Zealand since 2018, working as a consultant Ophthalmologist specialising in paediatrics, strabismus and genetics at Auckland District Health Board and Auckland Eye. She is also a Senior Lecturer at Auckland University. Her research focuses on inherited eye disease as well as optic neuropathies.

This content was recorded during a Retina UK webinar on Thursday 31 March 2022. You can watch the full version, which includes slides, on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RetinaUK. Dr Daniel Jackson will talk about medical imaging of the retina. Detailed imaging of the eye is crucial for the assessment of many eye conditions and retinal disorders in particular. He will be discussing what images you are likely to have during a hospital appointment; how they are taken; why we take them; how we interpret them; and how this helps in the management and treatment of retinal conditions. He will talk through pictures and examples to help illustrate exactly what we are looking at and what it means. Daniel is a Clinical Research Fellow working at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Institute of Ophthalmology in London. He is currently undertaking a PhD with Professor Mariya Moosajee and works in the adult and children genetics clinics at Moorfields. His background is in Clinical Ophthalmology where he has almost completed his training in the Oxford training programme. He has a special interest in genetic eye disorders, including inherited retinal conditions, paediatrics and glaucoma.

Following on from the recent news about a lady in her 80's who has dry Age Related Macular degeneration who has just been given a bionic eye implant as part of a Europe wide clinical trial developed by Pixium Vision in France along with Consultants from Moorfields Eye Hospital here in the UK. Connect Radio's Toby Davey chats with Mahi Muqit, the Eye Consultant from Moorfields Eye Hospital, who implanted the bionic chip into 'Bionic Nana' as her Grandchildren call her to find out more about the technology behind the clinical medical trial of this bionic eye chip implant. Mahi began by giving Toby a bit of background to the clinical medical trial and how the technology works. Mahi then talked about how in the future the bionic eye chip implant could be very beneficial to other people like Bionic Nana who have dry Age Related Macular Degeneration which is currently not able to be treated with injections like wet AMD.     Mahi ended by stating that the technology and the clinical medical trial is very much in the early stages however, there is hope for the future. More details about the clinical medical bionic eye chip implant can be found by visiting the following article on Moorfields website - https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/news/revolutionary-bionic-chip-inserted-moorfields-patient-s-blind-eye   (Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)

In this episode we speak with Ocular Oncologist and Consultant Ophthalmologist Bertil Damato and A&E Service Director, deputy director of education and Consultant Ophthalmologist Gordon Hay both from Moorfields about the MOLES system; a scoring system used to risk stratify choroidal lesions. We speak about how the system was conceived and developed as well as the Moorfields experience of implementing this with a digital referrals system. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eyetoeye/message

Today we are taking the train to a wonderful little building… Actually scratch that… This place was once so crazy( no pun intended) that its nickname became a common word.  The definition of the word is "A place or situation of chaotic uproar, and where confusion prevails. " The word is Bedlam. The place is Bethlehem Royal Hospital. The hospital is considered the first lunatic asylum. The word "bedlam" is derived from the hospital's nickname. Bedlam is a bastardization of the word bethlem, which in turn was a corruption of the name Bethlehem. Although the hospital became a modern psychiatric facility, historically it was representative of the worst excesses of asylums in the era of lunacy reform. We're gonna get into all that craziness tonight and see what kind of "Bedlam" actually went on there.    Bethlem Royal Hospital's origins are unlike any other psychiatric hospital in the western world. As a formal organization, it can be traced to its foundation in 1247, during the reign of King Henry III, as a Roman Catholic Monastery for the Priory of the 'New Order of St Mary of Bethlem' in the city of London proper. It was established by the Italian Bishop of Bethlehem, Goffredo de Prefetti, following a donation of personal property by the London Alderman and former City-Sheriff, the Norman, Simon FitzMary. It bears its name after its primary patron and original overseer. The initial location of the priory was in the parish of Saint Botolph, in Bishopsgate's ward, just beyond London's wall and where the south-east corner of Liverpool Street station now stands. Bethlem was not initially intended as a hospital, much less as a specialist institution for the mentally ill. Rather, its purpose was tied to the function of the English Church; the ostensible purpose of the priory was to function as a centre for the collection of alms to support the Crusaders, and to link England to the Holy Land. Bishop De Prefetti's need to generate income for the Crusaders, and restore the financial fortunes of his apostolic see was occasioned by two misfortunes: his bishopric had suffered significant losses following the destructive conquest of the town of Bethlehem by the Khwarazmian Turks in 1244; and the immediate predecessor to his post had further impoverished his cathedral chapter through the alienation of a considerable amount of its property. The new London priory, obedient to the Church of Bethlehem, would also house the poor, disabled and abandoned; and, if visited, provide hospitality to the Bishop, canons and brothers of Bethlehem. The subordination of the priory's religious order to the bishops of Bethlehem was further underlined in the foundational charter which stipulated that Bethlems's prior, canons and male and female inmates were to wear a star upon their cloaks and capes to symbolize their obedience to the church of Bethlehem.   During the 13th and 14th centuries, with its activities underwritten by episcopal and papal indulgences, Bethlem's role as a center for the collection of alms for the poor continued. However, over time, its link to the mendicant Order of Bethlehem increasingly devolved, putting its purpose and patronage in severe doubt. In 1346 the Prior of Bethlem, a position at that time granted to the most senior of London's monastic brethren, applied to the city authorities seeking protection; thereafter metropolitan office-holders claimed power to oversee the appointment of prios, and demanded in return an annual payment of 40 shillings from the coffers of the order. It is doubtful whether the City of London ever provided substantial protection, and much less that the priorship fell within their patronage, but dating from the 1346 petition, it played a role in the management of Bethlem's organization and finances.   By this time the crusader bishops of Bethlehem had relocated to Clamecy, France under the surety of the Avignon papacy. This was significant as, throughout the reign of King Edward III (1327–77), the English monarchy had extended its patronage over ecclesiastical positions through the seizure of alien priories, mainly French. These were religious institutions that were under the control of non-English religious houses. As a dependent house of the Order of Saint Bethlehem in Clamecy, Bethlem was vulnerable to seizure by the English crown, and this occurred in the 1370s when Edward III took control of all English hospitals. The purpose of this appropriation was to prevent funds raised by the hospital from enriching the French monarchy, via the papal court, and thus supporting the French war effort. After this event, the Head Masters of the hospital, semi-autonomous figures in charge of its day-to-day management, were crown appointees, and Bethlem became an increasingly secularized institution. The memory of Bethlem's foundation became muddled. In 1381 the royal candidate for the post of master claimed that from its beginnings the hospital had been superintended by an order of knights, and he confused the identity of its founder, Goffredo de Prefetti, with that of the Frankish crusader, Godfrey de Bouillon, the King of Jerusalem. The removal of the last symbolic link to the mendicant order was confirmed in 1403 when it was reported that master and inmates no longer wore the symbol of their order, the star of Bethlehem. This was exclusively a political move on the part of the hospital administrators, as the insane were perceived as unclean or possessed by daemons, and not permitted to reside on consecrated soil.   From 1330 Bethlehm was routinely referred to as a "hospital" does not necessarily indicate a change in its primary role from alms collection – the word hospital could as likely have been used to denote a lodging for travellers, equivalent to a hostel, and would have been a perfectly apt term to describe an institution acting as a centre and providing accommodation for Bethlem's peregrinating alms-seekers or questores. It is unknown from what exact date it began to specialise in the care and control of the insane. Despite this fact it has been frequently asserted that Bethlem was first used for the insane from 1377. This rather precise date is derived from the unsubstantiated conjecture of the Reverend Edward Geoffrey O'Donoghue, chaplain to the hospital, who published a monograph on its history in 1914. While it is possible that Bethlem was receiving the insane during the late fourteenth-century, the first definitive record of their presence in the hospital is provided from the details of a visitation of the Charity Commissioners in 1403. This recorded that amongst other patients then in the hospital there were six male inmates who were "mente capti", a Latin term indicating insanity. The report of the 1403 visitation also noted the presence of four pairs of manacles, eleven chains, six locks and two pairs of stocks although it is not clear if any or all of these items were for the restraint of the inmates. Thus, while mechanical restraint and solitary confinement are likely to have been used for those regarded as dangerous, little else is known of the actual treatment of the insane in Bethlem for much of the medieval period. The presence of a small number of insane patients in 1403 marks Bethlem's gradual transition from a diminutive general hospital into a specialist institution for the confinement of the insane; this process was largely completed by 1460. In 1546, the Lord-Mayor of London, Sir John Gresham, petitioned the crown to grant Bethlem to the city properly. This petition was partially successful, and King Henry VIII reluctantly ceded to the City of London "the custody, order and governance" of the hospital and of its "occupants and revenues". This charter came into effect in 1547. Under this formulation, the crown retained possession of the hospital, while its administration fell to the city authorities. Following a brief interval when Bethlem was placed under the management of the Governors of Christ's Hospital, from 1557 it was administered by the Governors of the city Bridewell, a prototype House of Correction at Blackfriars. Having been thus one of the few metropolitan hospitals to have survived the dissolution of the monasteries physically intact, this joint administration continued, not without interference by both the crown and city, until Bethlem's incorporation into the National Health Service (NHS) took place in 1948.    In 1546, the Lord-Mayor of London, Sir John Gresham, petitioned the crown to grant Bethlem to the city properly. This petition was partially successful, and King Henry VIII reluctantly ceded to the City of London "the custody, order and governance" of the hospital and of its "occupants and revenues". This charter came into effect in 1547. Under this formulation, the crown retained possession of the hospital, while its administration fell to the city authorities. Following a brief interval when Bethlem was placed under the management of the Governors of Christ's Hospital, from 1557 it was administered by the Governors of the city Bridewell, a prototype House of Correction at Blackfriars. Having been thus one of the few metropolitan hospitals to have survived the dissolution of the monasteries physically intact, this joint administration continued, not without interference by both the crown and city, until Bethlem's incorporation into the National Health Service (NHS) took place in 1948.   The position of master was a sinecure largely regarded by its occupants as means of profiting at the expense of the poor in their charge. The appointment of the early masters of the hospital, later known as keepers, had lain within the patronage of the crown until 1547. Thereafter, the city, through the Court of Aldermen, took control of these appointments where, as with the King's appointees, the office was used to reward loyal servants and friends. However, compared to the masters placed by the monarch, those who gained the position through the city were of much more modest status. Thus in 1561, the Lord Mayor succeeded in having his former porter, Richard Munnes, a draper by trade, appointed to the position. The sole qualifications of his successor in 1565 appears to have been his occupation as a grocer. The Bridewell Governors largely interpreted the role of keeper as that of a house-manager and this is clearly reflected in the occupations of most appointees during this period as they tended to be inn-keepers, victualers or brewers and the like. When patients were sent to Bethlem by the Governors of the Bridewell the keeper was paid from hospital funds. For the remainder, keepers were paid either by the families and friends of inmates or by the parish authorities. It is possible that keepers negotiated their fees for these latter categories of patients.   In 1598 the long-term keeper, Roland Sleford, a London cloth-maker, left his post, apparently of his own volition, after a nineteen-year tenure. Two months later, the Bridewell Governors, who had until then shown little interest in the management of Bethlem beyond the appointment of keepers, conducted an inspection of the hospital and a census of its inhabitants for the first time in over forty years. Their express purpose was to "to view and p[er]use the defaultes and want of rep[ar]ac[i]ons". They found that during the period of Sleford's keepership the hospital buildings had fallen into a deplorable condition with the roof caving in, the kitchen sink blocked up and reported that: "...it is not fitt for anye man to dwell in wch was left by the Keeper for that it is so loathsomly filthely kept not fitt for anye man to come into the sayd howse".   The 1598 committee of inspection found twenty-one inmates then resident with only two of these having been admitted during the previous twelve months. Of the remainder, six, at least, had been resident for a minimum of eight years and one inmate had been there for around twenty-five years. Three were from outside London, six were charitable cases paid for out of the hospital's resources, one was supported by a parochial authority, while the rest were provided for by family, friends, benefactors or, in one instance, out of their funds. The precise reason for the Governors' new-found interest in Bethlem is unknown but it may have been connected to the increased scrutiny the hospital was coming under with the passing of poor law legislation in 1598 and to the decision by the Governors to increase hospital revenues by opening it up to general visitors as a spectacle. After this inspection, the Bridewell Governors initiated some repairs and visited the hospital at more frequent intervals. During one such visit in 1607 they ordered the purchase of clothing and eating vessels for the inmates, presumably indicating the lack of such basic items.    The year 1634 is typically interpreted as denoting the divide between the mediaeval and early modern administration of Bethlem.    Although Bethlem had been enlarged by 1667 to accommodate 59 patients, the Court of Governors of Bethlem and Bridewell observed at the start of 1674 that "the Hospital House of Bethlem is very olde, weake & ruinous and to[o] small and straight for keeping the greater numb[e]r of lunaticks therein att p[re]sent". With the increasing demand for admission and the inadequate and dilapidated state of the building it was decided to rebuild the hospital in Moorfields, just north of the city proper and one of the largest open spaces in London. The architect chosen for the new hospital, which was built rapidly and at great expense between 1675 and 1676, was the natural philosopher and City Surveyor Robert Hooke. He constructed an edifice that was monumental in scale at over 500 feet (150 m) wide and some 40 feet (12 m) deep. The surrounding walls were some 680 feet (210 m) long and 70 feet (21 m) deep while the south face at the rear was effectively screened by a 714-foot (218 m) stretch of London's ancient wall projecting westward from nearby Moorgate. At the rear and containing the courtyards where patients exercised and took the air, the walls rose to 14 feet (4.3 m) high. The front walls were only 8 feet (2.4 m) high but this was deemed sufficient as it was determined that "Lunatikes... are not to [be] permitted to walk in the yard to be situate[d] betweene the said intended new Building and the Wall aforesaid." It was also hoped that by keeping these walls relatively low the splendour of the new building would not be overly obscured. This concern to maximise the building's visibility led to the addition of six gated openings 10 feet (3.0 m) wide which punctuated the front wall at regular intervals, enabling views of the facade. Functioning as both advertisement and warning of what lay within, the stone pillars enclosing the entrance gates were capped by the figures of "Melancholy" and "Raving Madness" carved in Portland stone by the Danish-born sculptor Caius Gabriel Cibber.   At the instigation of the Bridewell Governors and to make a grander architectural statement of "charitable munificence", the hospital was designed as a single- rather than double-pile building,  accommodating initially 120 patients. Having cells and chambers on only one side of the building facilitated the dimensions of the great galleries, essentially long and capacious corridors, 13 feet (4.0 m) high and 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, which ran the length of both floors to a total span of 1,179 feet (359 m). Such was their scale that Roger L'Estrange remarked in a 1676 text eulogising the new Bethlem that their "Vast Length ... wearies the travelling eyes' of Strangers". The galleries were constructed more for public display than for the care of patients as, at least initially, inmates were prohibited from them lest "such persons that come to see the said Lunatickes may goe in Danger of their Lives"   The architectural design of the new Bethlem was primarily intended to project an image of the hospital and its governors consonant with contemporary notions of charity and benevolence.    By the end of the 18th century the hospital was in severe disrepair. At this point it was rebuilt again on another site.  As the new facility was being built attempts were made to rehouse patients at local hospitals and admissions to Bethlem, sections of which were deemed uninhabitable, were significantly curtailed such that the patient population fell from 266 in 1800 to 119 in 1814. The Governors engaged in protracted negotiations with the City  for another municipally owned location at St. George's Fields in Southwark, south of the Thames.   The deal was concluded in 1810 and provided the Governors with a 12 acres site in a swamp-like, impoverished, highly populated, and industrialised area where the Dog and Duck tavern and St George's Spa had been.   A competition was held to design the new hospital at Southwark in which the noted Bethlem patient James Tilly Matthews was an unsuccessful entrant. Completed after three years in 1815, it was constructed during the first wave of county asylum building in England under the County Asylum Act ("Wynn's Act") of 1808. Female patients occupied the west wing and males the east, the cells were located off galleries that traversed each wing. Each gallery contained only one toilet, a sink and cold baths. Incontinent patients were kept on beds of straw in cells in the basement gallery; this space also contained rooms with fireplaces for attendants. A wing for the criminally insane – a legal category newly minted in the wake of the trial of a delusional James Hadfield for attempted regicide – was completed in 1816. Problems with the building were soon noted as the steam heating did not function properly, the basement galleries were damp and the windows of the upper storeys were unglazed "so that the sleeping cells were either exposed to the full blast of cold air or were completely darkened". Faced with increased admissions and overcrowding, new buildings, designed by the architect Sydney Smirke, were added from the 1830s. The wing for criminal lunatics was increased to accommodate a further 30 men while additions to the east and west wings, extending the building's facade, provided space for an additional 166 inmates and a dome was added to the hospital chapel. At the end of this period of expansion Bethlem had a capacity for 364 patients. In 1930, the hospital moved to the suburbs of Croydon,[211] on the site of Monks Orchard House between Eden Park, Beckenham, West Wickham and Shirley. The old hospital and its grounds were bought by Lord Rothermere and presented to the London County Council for use as a park; the central part of the building was retained and became home to the Imperial War Museum in 1936. The hospital was absorbed into the National Health Service in 1948. 1997 the hospital started planning celebrations of its 750th anniversary. The service user's perspective was not to be included, however, and members of the psychiatric survivors movement saw nothing to celebrate in either the original Bedlam or in the current practices of mental health professionals towards those in Mneed of care. A campaign called "Reclaim Bedlam" was launched by Pete Shaughnessy, supported by hundreds of patients and ex-patients and widely reported in the media. A sit-in was held outside the earlier Bedlam site at the Imperial War Museum. The historian Roy Porter called the Bethlem Hospital "a symbol for man's inhumanity to man, for callousness and cruelty."  The hospital continues to operate to this day in this location.    Ok so with that history out of the way let's drive into what really transpired to give this hospital it reputation and that drove Bedlam to strain it's current meaning in our lexicon.    Early on Sanitation was poor and the patients were malnourished. Most of the patients were able to move about freely, but those who were considered dangerous were kept chained to the walls. Patients' families often dumped unwell family members in the asylum and disowned them. We've discussed other asylums and things dealing with them so we won't get into the fact that most of the patients were horribly misdiagnosed due to little to no understanding of mental health until relatively recently. Some of the treatments used ranged from barbaric and esoteric to just plain crazy.    One of those crazy ass ones was called rotational therapy. Charles Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, began using “rotational therapy”, which involved spinning a patient around and around on a chair or swing for up to an hour. They would sometimes be spun over 100 times per minute. Obviously this would create issues for the patient. Many would get sick and vomit. Most would become very upset and distraught while becoming severely disoriented. The vomiting was seen as a good thing and progress in the treatment. Doctor Joseph Mason Cox was a doctor who actually picked up this type of treatment later on. The time spent spinning, and the speed of the spin, were to be determined by the good doctor. Considering the fact that the common side effect was fear, extreme pallor, vomiting, and voiding the bowels and bladder, the doctor evidently commonly overdid it. Of course he didn't think so at the time. He wrote happily that, “after a few circumvolutions, I have witnessed the soothing lulling effects, when the mind has become tranquillized and the body quiescent.” It's true that after being spun until fluid leaves the body via every available orifice, most people have had the fight taken out of them and are ready for a nap. There is one positive side effect of this kind of rampant torture of the insane. Scientists started noticing that vertigo has visual effects, and used the chairs to study them. These rotating chairs mark the beginning of a lot of visual and mental experiments done on perception. The early 1800s were a particularly grim time, and many patients were chained to the walls naked or almost naked, as the medical director felt that it was necessary to break each person's will.    Some of the more barbaric and esoteric treatments included bloodletting, leeches and good old fashioned starvation and beatings.  Ice baths would often be used to try and calm down hysterical patients.    At the time, bloodletting was believed to be a completely acceptable and normal way to cure a patient of a variety of mental and physical ailments. Doctors thought that they could literally bleed a sickness out of a patient, which not only doesn't work, it extra-double doesn't work on mental illnesses. Many of the patients were forced to undergo treatment with leeches and the induction of blisters, which mostly just sounds unpleasant, but it often proved fatal. Reportedly, the physicians at the time at least understood that everyone needs blood, so only patients who were deemed strong enough to undergo treatment were allowed to have this "cure."    Here's another fun one. A doctor named William Black wrote that patients were placed in straitjackets and given laxatives, which was seen at Bethlem as one of the "principal remedies." Hearing voices? Some explosive diarrhea oughta clear that up. Seizures? One diarrhea for you. Diarrhea for everyone!   We all know the best thing for someone who may not be in their right mind is to be left alone… in the dark… for long periods of time… Like really long periods of time. Well we may know that's probably NOT the best, but Bedlam never got the message. Some patients were left alone in solitary for days, weeks, even months at a time. Seems very counterproductive.    One of the worst ones was the example of the inhumane conditions was that of James Norris. Norris, an American Marine, had been sent to Bethlem on the 1st of February 1800. Her was kept in Bethlem's “incurable wing,” Norris' arms were pinned to his sides by iron bars. He was also kept chained to the wall by his neck. This fifty-five-year-old man had been continuously kept in this position for “more than twelve years.”   The apathy of families abandoning their relatives to a hellish existence in Bethlem led to a new form of exploitation. From the 1700s to the 1800s, there was a marked increase in the dissection of bodies to learn more about human anatomy. In the 1790s, Bethlem's chief surgeon was Bryan Crowther, a man who saw opportunity in the search for corpses to study. Crowther would dissect Bethlem's dead patients in the name of medical science, believing that he would be able to find a difference in the brains of his mentally ill patients, compared to “normal” people. Of course, he did these operations without any kind of consent or legal right.   One of the best ways to sum up the reasoning behind this torture is to let you know from the man who was behind the worst of it. John Haslam was one of the most sinister figures in the history of Bethlem, and it was while he was the head of management that the institution sunk to a new low in depravity. While Bryan Crowther was conducting illegal dissections as chief surgeon, Haslam used various tortures against the patients. He was adamant that the first step to curing the patients was breaking their wills first. So ya… They figured fuck em… Break their will and they'll be fine… Wow. Oftentimes patients would lack even basic amenities for living. That includes proper clothing and food.    To make things even worse for the patients, from approximately the early 1600s until 1770, the public was able to go for a wander through Bedlam. Money was collected as entrance fees, and it was hoped that seeing the crazy people would make people feel sufficiently compassionate that they would donate funds to the hospital. Another reason for this is that they hoped it would attract the families of these patients and that they would bring those patients food and clothing and other things they needed so the hospital would not have to provide them.    Oh if that's not bad enough, how about the mass graves. Modern-day construction of the London Underground unearthed mass graves on the grounds of Bethlem, created specifically to get rid of the corpses of those who didn't survive the hospital's care. Discovered in 2013, the mass graves dating back to 1569, and there are somewhere close to 20,000 people buried in them. Amazingly, authorities have managed to identify some of the deceased, but many others will likely never get a face and name.   Anything about any of these areas being haunted? Yup we got that too. Although the first few sites have long been transformed into other things, the girls that happened there could have left tons of negative juju. We found this cool story.            "The Liverpool Street Underground Station was opened in February of 1874 on the site of the original Bedlem Hospital. Former patients haunt this busy section of the London Underground.    One compelling sighting happened in the summer of 2000. A Line Controller spotted something strange on the CCTV camera that he was monitoring that showed the Liverpool Station. It was 2:00 am in the morning and the station was closed for the night. This witness saw a figure wearing white overalls in an eastbound tunnel. He became concerned since he knew no contractors worked the station this late at night. He called his Station Supervisor to report what he was seeing on the screen.   The Supervisor went to investigate. The Line Controller watched as his Supervisor stood nearby the mysterious figure. So he was confused when his Supervisor called to say he had not seen any figure. The Line Controller told his boss that the figure had stood so close to him that he could have reached out and touched it. Hearing this the Supervisor continued to search for the figure.   Again the Line Controller saw the figure walk right passed his boss on his screen, but again his boss did not see the figure. The Supervisor finally giving up went to leave the station but as he did so he spotted white overalls placed on a bench that he had passed before. He stated that they could not have been placed there without him seeing who did it.   Even before the Liverpool Station was built the area where the hospital stood was considered haunted. Between 1750 and 1812 many witnesses reported hearing a female voice crying and screaming. It is believed that this is a former patient from Bedlam.    Rebecca Griffins was buried in the area. While alive she always frantically clutched a coin in her hand. Witnesses state they hear her asking where her ha' penny is."   Fun stuff!   The following comes from the old building that was turned into the imperial war museum.    It is said that  to this day  the spectres of those who suffered in Bedlam still roam the hallways and rattle their chains in remembered anguish.   During the Second World War, a detachment of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force was stationed inside the Imperial War Museum with barrage balloons. Much of the museum has parts that date back to Bedlam and it isn't hard to imagine them as cells full of the damned inmates. Many of the young girls who were garrisoned inside had never heard of the buildings sordid past, so had no reason to fear it. Yet soon complaints began to flood in as during the night many found they couldn't sleep, kept up by strange moaning and the rattling of chains. The long passed inmates of Bedlam made their displeasure well known. Eventually the complaints became so bad the entire detachment had to be rehoused nearby.   Possibly the most famous ghost of Bedlam is the sad spectre of poor Rebecca. At a merchant's house by London Bridge lived a lovely young girl by the name of Rebecca. She fell head over heels in love with a handsome young Indian man who had come to lodge with the family. So besotted was she that when he packed up his bags to return to India she was shocked that he hadn't loved her quite nearly as much as she'd loved him. She helped him to pack his things, hoping all the while that he would change his mind and agree to stay. But all she received was a gold sovereign that he slipped into her hand before leaving forever.   The grief of her spurning was too much for her mind to handle and she snapped, soon being admitted to Bedlam Hospital. The golden sovereign he had given her was gripped firmly in her fist for the remainder of her short life, the final token from her lost love, never to be given up. When she finally wasted away into death it didn't go unnoticed by one of the guards who prised the coin from her hand and then buried her without her most prized possession. It was after that the guards, inmates and visitors all began to report a strange sight indeed. A wan and ghostly figure began to roam the halls of Bedlam, searching for her lost love token, her spirit refusing to be put to rest until she had it back in her hand. It is said that she still wanders the halls to this day, looking for that stolen coin to make her whole once more.   Well… There you have it, the history and craziness of Bedlam Asylum!    British horror movies https://screenrant.com/best-british-horror-movies/   BECOME A P.O.O.P.R.!! http://www.patreon.com/themidnighttrainpodcast   Find The Midnight Train Podcast: www.themidnighttrainpodcast.com www.facebook.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.twitter.com/themidnighttrainpc www.instagram.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.discord.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.tiktok.com/themidnighttrainp   And wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.   Subscribe to our official YouTube channel: OUR YOUTUBE   Support our sponsors www.themidnighttraintrainpodcast.com/sponsors   The Charley Project www.charleyproject.org

Today we're speaking with Adam Mapani MBE and first nurse consultant in the area of Opthamology. He has spent most of his career at Moorfields Eye Hospital championing therapies that save eyesight. He talks to us about his journey, the impact of his work and why he is doing an executive MBA at Warwick Business School.If you like this podcast, check out Kirra from our archive.About UsMany students come to an MBA from banking, consulting, or MNC backgrounds, but what about those that don't? The Modern MBA podcast with Marie Kirwan and Kristen Rossi shares the stories of those transitioning from or using their MBAs in unorthodox MBA sectors including the arts, healthcare, not-for-profit, academia, and more.Website: http://www.themodernmba.co.ukSubscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google PodcastsFollow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TwitterSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Themodernmba)

Imogen Levy is head of digital at Moorfields Eye Hospital. She is an active mentor in the OOUX Forum, and an emerging leader in the OOUX movement. She's using OOUX to shepherd Moorfields through a true digital transformation. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Imogen discuss how PDFs are bad for accessibility, why OOUX is not waterfall design, and exactly how many times you have to repeat yourself for your message to sink in. LINKS: Connect with Imogen on LinkedIn: Imogen Levy Keep up with her on Twitter: @teppie Get on the waitlist for Cohort 5 of the OOUX Certification: https://www.objectorientedux.com/certification See the comparison between the Self-Paced Masterclass and the OOUX Certification: https://www.objectorientedux.com/training --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ooux/support

Moorfields Eye Hospital in London is calling out for patient stories on the eye care services they have received from Moorfields over the last year or so during the Covid pandemic to shape the future of eye care services.Connect Radio's Toby Davey caught up with Mark Redhead and Irenie Ekkeshis from Moorfields to find out more.Mark began by talking about the changes that Moorfields have made over the last year or so to continue to provide eye care services to patients in a Covid safe way and how the hospital will use the feedback from patient stories to shape the future of eye care at Moorfields.Irenie outlined some of the key points that patients have already fed back so far to Moorfields through their patient stories and how the process of giving feedback has been made as accessible as possible.If you would like to give feedback to Moorfields on your experiences of eye care services from the hospital over the last year or so through your own patient story please do either visit the Moorfields website and type ‘Future' in the search field -  https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk or use the short website link bit.ly/MoorfieldsStories to go straight to the feedback form.You can also call Moorfields on 020 7521 4661 and if you leave your phone number someone will call you back. (Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)

In The Longest Battle Emma Martins chats with people who have gone through a similar life changing situation to her own when Emma caught a virus in 2013 which completely changed her life for ever. The virus that Emma caught in Vietnam caused a brain aneurysm which in turn has severely affected Emma's  eyesight.In today's The Longest Battle Emma is chatting with stand-up comedian, award nominated actor, writer and as her website states one eyed legend Georgie Morrell. At the age of 3 Georgie was diagnosed with chronic arthritis, And After a year she got glaucoma and cataracts in both eyes. In her late teens Georgie lost the sight in her left eye and at the age of 21 she lost the sight in her right eye for about a year before the wizards at Moorfields restored about 90 per cent of her vision in her right eye. Emma began by asking Georgie about her arthritis diagnosis and how it affected her vision before then chatting with Georgie about what made her want to become a comedian.  If you would like to know more about how Emma has coped with her own longest battle, do visit Emma's website https://www.thelongestbattle.co.uk(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath) 

New technology from Aira is set to give visual assistance to blind and partially sighted patients and support them to attend hospital eye appointments. The 6-month trial, launched today, will support patients attending appointments at Moorfields Eye Hospital. It is funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust and will be free of charge for blind and partially sighted people to use. It will link visually impaired patients attending appointments at the hospital's City Road site to a network of trained, professional agents who will be able to help them navigate to and around the hospital. Steven Scott chats to Charles Colquhoun, Chief Executive Officer at TPT, and RNIB's Alex Wallis about the news.

Moorfields Eye Hospital has been at its City Road location in London for just over 120 years and subject to planning permission will be moving with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology to a brand new purpose built building near King’s Cross. The exterior design of the building has now been finalised and the Oriel Project Team behind the development and move to the new building are looking for blind and partially sighted people to help with the design of the interior spaces of the new building such as lighting, colour schemes, acoustics, etc.  RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey caught up with Jo Moss Director of Strategy and Business Development from Moorfields and Sunand Prasad Lead Architect on the project from Penoyre Prasad Architects to find out more and how blind and partially sighted people can help to shape the interior design of the new building. Do visit the Oriel London website for more details and how you can get involved:  https://oriel-london.org.uk

Ten years ago the shooting of PC David Rathband by the fugitive killer Raoul Moat shocked the UK. Blinded in the attack, the police officer eventually took his own life. The manhunt unfolded in real time against the relatively new backdrop of social media. We talk to writer Christopher Hogg whose award-winning drama Rathband explores the resonances of a tragedy which mirrored the communication failures and breakdowns which still define the medium today. He discusses the role Peter White's early interviews played in the conception of the drama and Robin Paley-Yorke discusses his role as host of a new Zoom performance and the perspective living in the North East and losing some of his own sight in a violent incident brought to the project. Lord Low of Dalston gives us his take on the new Business and Planning Bill which makes it easier for bars and businesses to put seats out on the pavement and Consultant Paediatrician Pete Thomas tells us about a revolution taking place at Moorfields Eye Hospital during Lockdown. As Director of Digital Innovation he tells us about the thousands of patients accessing online consultations throughout lockdown and how the technology could change how consultants work in the future. Presented by Peter White Produced by Kevin Core

As it's glaucoma week, Red spoke to Georgie about living with the condition, and her relief of being able to get back to Moorfields. 

How do you get into MedTech and collaborate with DeepMind/Google Health to lead world-renowned Deep Learning research? All to help stop people from going blind? This is 30 minutes of pure gold — Dr Pearse Keane's advice on how to get into exciting Deep Learning projects, approaches that worked for him and books he recommends. Dr Pearse Keane is a consultant ophthalmologist and NIHR Clinician Scientist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. Pearse was responsible for starting the collaboration between Moorfields and DeepMind. Some of his most famous research uses deep learning to identify retinal disease from OCT scans. Clinically applicable deep learning for diagnosis and referral in retinal disease: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-018-0107-6)

What can 2 million retinal images and a machine-learning algorithm achieve? Early-detection of Alzheimers—at least that's what Dr Siegfried Wagner along with a team led by Dr Pearse Keane at the Moorfields Eye Hospital are working towards. We discuss the study at Moorfields, before going down a deep dive into how a relatively novel AI technique—Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) can be used in Medicine. You may have seen a number of 'deep fakes' online, all made using GANs. But what legitimate uses do they have in Medicine and research? Mentioned Links AlzEye Study: https://readingcentre.org/workstreams/artificial_intelligence_hub/alzeye/ Economist article on AlzEye: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/12/18/a-system-based-on-ai-will-scan-the-retina-for-signs-of-alzheimers Rotterdam Study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2685868 Biobank Study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2685869 Predicting age and sex from retinal fundus images: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-018-0195-0

ODI Fridays are free lunchtime lectures for everyone. You bring your lunch, we provide tea and coffee, an interesting talk, and enough time to get back to your desk. Could ophthalmology be first branch of medicine to be fundamentally reinvented through the application of artificial intelligence? Ophthalmology is among the most technology-driven of the all the medical specialties, with treatments utilising high-spec medical lasers and advanced microsurgical techniques, and diagnostics involving ultra-high resolution imaging. Ophthalmology is also at the forefront of many trailblazing research areas in healthcare, such as stem cell therapy, gene therapy, and – most recently – artificial intelligence. In July 2016, Moorfields announced a formal collaboration with the world’s leading artificial intelligence company, DeepMind. This collaboration involves the sharing of >1,000,000 anonymised retinal scans with DeepMind to allow for the automated diagnosis of diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). In his presentation, Pearse Keane will describe the motivation – and urgent need – to apply deep learning to ophthalmology, the processes required to establish a research collaboration between the NHS and a company like DeepMind, the initial results of the research.

The ambition of much of AI research is to create systems that can help to solve problems in the real world. In this episode, Hannah meets the people building systems that could be used to save the sight of thousands, help us solve one of the most fundamental problems in biology and reduce energy consumption in an effort to combat climate change. But whilst there is great potential, there are also important obstacles that will need to be tackled for AI to be used effectively, safely and fairly. If you have a question or feedback on the series, message us on Twitter (@DeepMindAI using the hashtag #DMpodcast) or emailing us at podcast@deepmind.com. Further reading: Wired: Inside DeepMind's epic mission to solve science's trickiest problem DeepMind blogs on the partnership with Moorfields NHS eye hospital and predicting eye disease, and Moorfields’ news announcement on its research with DeepMind DeepMind blog: AlphaFold: Using AI for scientific discovery DeepMind blogs on reducing Google’s energy bill for datacentre cooling and how this project has progressed Research paper: Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning Quanta magazine: How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Science DeepMind blog: How evolutionary selection can train more capable self-driving cars Other examples of the application of AI for real-world impact include: Francis Crick Institute: machine learning models that can help predict heart disease NASA: AUDREY machine learning system to better guide first responders through fires University of Southern California: Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security using AI to help wildlife conservation Interviewees: Pearse Keane, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital; Sandy Nelson, Product Manager for DeepMind’s Science Program; and DeepMind Program Manager Sims Witherspoon. Credits: Presenter: Hannah Fry Editor: David Prest Senior Producer: Louisa Field Producers: Amy Racs, Dan Hardoon Binaural Sound: Lucinda Mason-Brown Music composition: Eleni Shaw (with help from Sander Dieleman and WaveNet) Commissioned by DeepMind

Great Fire of London, (September 2–5, 1666), the worst fire in London’s history. It destroyed a large part of the City of London, including most of the civic buildings, old St. Paul’s Cathedral, 87 parish churches, and about 13,000 houses. On Sunday, September 2, 1666, the fire began accidentally in the house of the king’s baker in Pudding Lane near London Bridge. A violent east wind encouraged the flames, which raged during the whole of Monday and part of Tuesday. On Wednesday the fire slackened; on Thursday it was extinguished, but on the evening of that day the flames again burst forth at The Temple. Some houses were at once blown up by gunpowder, and thus the fire was finally mastered. Many interesting details of the fire are given in Samuel Pepys’s Diary. The river swarmed with vessels filled with persons carrying away as many of their goods as they were able to save. Some fled to the hills of Hampstead and Highgate, but Moorfields was the chief refuge of the houseless Londoners. This is the story of Day 3.

Angela Smith is the Chief Exec of Friends of Moorfields and gave an informative presentation regarding the services that they can offer and the support that they give to the hospital and it's patients. To contact Angela you can email Angela.smith@moorfields.nhs.uk

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the early years of Bedlam, the name commonly used for the London hospital of St Mary of Bethlehem outside Bishopsgate, described in 1450 by the Lord Mayor of London as a place where may "be found many men that be fallen out of their wit. And full honestly they be kept in that place; and some be restored onto their wit and health again. And some be abiding therein for ever." As Bethlem, or Bedlam, it became a tourist attraction in the 17th Century at its new site in Moorfields and, for its relatively small size, made a significant impression on public attitudes to mental illness. The illustration, above, is from the eighth and final part of Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress' (1732-3), where Bedlam is the last stage in the decline and fall of a young spendthrift,Tom Rakewell. With Hilary Marland Professor of History at the University of Warwick Justin Champion Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London and President of the Historical Association And Jonathan Andrews Reader in the History of Psychiatry at Newcastle University Producer: Simon Tillotson.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the early years of Bedlam, the name commonly used for the London hospital of St Mary of Bethlehem outside Bishopsgate, described in 1450 by the Lord Mayor of London as a place where may "be found many men that be fallen out of their wit. And full honestly they be kept in that place; and some be restored onto their wit and health again. And some be abiding therein for ever." As Bethlem, or Bedlam, it became a tourist attraction in the 17th Century at its new site in Moorfields and, for its relatively small size, made a significant impression on public attitudes to mental illness. The illustration, above, is from the eighth and final part of Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress' (1732-3), where Bedlam is the last stage in the decline and fall of a young spendthrift,Tom Rakewell. With Hilary Marland Professor of History at the University of Warwick Justin Champion Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London and President of the Historical Association And Jonathan Andrews Reader in the History of Psychiatry at Newcastle University Producer: Simon Tillotson.

Welcome to our eleventh podcast of 2015 from Merseyrail Sound Station, recorded at Tankfield Studios with our host Jay Hynd. In these monthly podcasts we bring you all you need to know about the most exciting new music in the Merseyside area. For November's instalment we have a stunning live session from future pop pioneer TOM LOW. Elsewhere, we have great music from MARVIN POWELL, ETCHES, THE SHIPBUILDERS and THE NIGHT CAFE. We also unveil the 10 finalists who will play at the Merseyrail Sound Station Festival on 21st November at Moorfields, to battle it out for the Merseyrail Sound Station Prize 2015! And Bido Lito! magazine's Craig G Pennington joins us as usual to look ahead to some great live music coming up in the area in November and December. Remember to send us your thoughts on the podcast via Twitter: @MRSoundStation The new music network.