ESONT EuroTimes: April - June 2005
In this Edition:

  Laser light can heal or harm
Lasers are now a primary tool for ocular therapies, vital for cataract and refractive surgery and important for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and glaucoma. While these powerful tools offer remarkable therapies for ophthalmic problems, they can harm as well as heal.
 
Retinoblastoma: Managing patient and family
Retinoblastoma is a rare and dangerous condition that requires rapid action for the patient, and careful management of the parents, Maija-Kaarina Blixt, RN, Nursing Director, Helsinki University Eye Hospital, told delegates at the 2nd Annual Meeting of ESONT.
 

Nurse pressure helps reverse EU plan
to liberalise health services
Pressure from nurse organisations has helped change European Union plans to liberalise nursing and other health care services. The plans, which were announced last year, drew criticism from a number of nursing and medical groups. Those nurses and physicians warned that the plans –
contained in the proposed Directive on Services in the Internal Market – would endanger the quality and availability of health care throughout the EU by imposing commercial values on the provision of medical and nursing services.
  ESONT PROFILE:Nikos Astyrakakis
Ophthalmic Assistant Department of Ophthalmology
University of Crete Medical School
Deep satisfaction and a position of authority are the rewards Nikos Astyrakakis
received for 10 years of hard work, coupled with a determination to learn everything he could about ophthalmic diagnostics.
  Take '3 Cs' to prevent lawsuits
The '3 Cs' - communication, consent and candour - are the secret to minimising the risk of litigation, attendees at the 2nd Annual Meeting of ESONT heard.
"At the root of virtually every malpractice lawsuit or complaint against a
nurse or technician is a breakdown in communication, consent or candour," said Paul McGinn, a lawyer specialising in medical issues.
 
  Training vital for nurse-led clinics
Helen Gibbons RN, of Hinchingbrooke Hospital, is one of the few nurses in the world to perform YAG capsulotomy."There are only four nurses that I know of so far running YAG procedures in the UK and I know in US nurses are not yet doing these procedures. Similarly, at conferences in Germany
and New Zealand I couldn't find nurses from any other country who perform YAG procedures," said Mrs Gibbons, who runs a YAG laser clinic at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.