PHIL'S WEBSIGHT
Eyes, Inflammation, and all that Jazz
RECENT NEWS
Read All About It
I HAVE A NEW HIP!
Well, not that recent news. I underwent a right total hip replacement on 4th April 2017 and made a full recovery. Many thanks to the skill and kindness of surgeon Prof. Damian Griffin, Anaesthetist Matthew Wyse, all staff on Charlecote Suite and Physios Caroline and Jake at BMI Meriden, Coventry, and Physio David at BMI Priory.
MY 'BABY' IS NOW 7 YEARS OLD!
What's that coming over the hill, is it a Boxster?
Yes, it’s a Boxster!
WELCOME TO MY WEBSIGHT
Just a little bit about me (well, I'm not going to tell you everything!)
I am Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Birmingham and until October 2022 I was Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Birmingham and Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist, Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre, City Hospital, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.
Born a cockney (within the sound of Bow Bells), but was brought up in West London. Educated at Latymer Upper School (click here for some notable Old Latymerians). Qualified in medicine from St. George's Hospital Medical School, London. Pursued a career in Ophthalmology with Registrar and Senior Registrar posts at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. Spent one year on sabbatical in Amsterdam at the Department of Ophthalmo-Immunology, Netherlands Ophthalmic Research Institute. Senior Lecturer then very briefly Reader in Ophthalmology in Birmingham. Over many years have 'acquired' two daughters Hannah and Ella, a wife (Tricia), and a PhD but not necessarily in that order. Living in Moseley Village (a suburb of Birmingham, UK) and recently described by Muddy Stilettos as one of the best place to live in the West Midlands. Moseley has an award-winning Farmers' Market (in 2023 it won Best Farmers' Market in the UK for the 4th time!), the Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival, the Moseley Folk Festival, plus Moseley in Bloom. Sometimes I can be found here.
My saxophone hero is Dexter Gordon and I am a passionate supporter of my boyhood football team Brentford FC (nickname The Bees) - check out my blog about them.
OXFORD HANDBOOK OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 4th EDITION
is here!
On sale now!
As it’s so good, why not buy 2!
P.S. We have now nearly finished the 5th Edition but don’t tell anybody
OUT OF THE BLUE BIG BAND
On Saturday 26th October OOTB and vocalist Lee Hamblett went down a storm at Solihull Methodist Church
NEXT GIG: Click here
ACADEMIC UNIT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY (AUO)
The AUO is part of the Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health of the University of Birmingham, UK. We also form part of the Neuroscience and Ophthalmology group.
Our group includes: myself, Si Rauz (Professor of Translational Ophthalmology), Alastair Denniston (Professor of Regulatory Science and Innovation), Graham Wallace (Non-clinical Associate Professor), Rob Barry (Associate Clinical Professor), Darren Ting (Birmingham Health Partners Clinician Scientist Fellow), Jose Romero Hombrebueno (Non-clinical Associate Professor), Liying Low (NIHR Clinical Lecturer), Gibran Butt (University Clinical Lecturer), Alberto Recchione (post-doctoral research Optometrist), Samuel Latham and Kusy Suleiman (NIHR Academic Clinical Fellows), Maryam Noeman (Junior Research Fellow), PhD student Nada Alfahad (MBChB-PhD), other PhD students, Immunosuppression Nurse Practitioner Nat Poonit, Research Nurses and Research Data Co-ordinator, Secretaries - Charlotte Harris, Anna Beckett
We are based on the 1st Floor of the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre (BMEC) and our clinical activities take place in the Centre for Inflammatory Eye Disease on the site of City Hospital, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, and in the Research Laboratories of the Centre for Translational Inflammation Research at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham.
To see some of our publications please use PubMed and search on: murray pi, rauz s, denniston ak, wallace gr, barry rj, hombrebueno jr.
WHAT IS UVEITIS?
Here are the Top 10 factoids about uveitis
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Uveitis is the third leading cause of blindness worldwide.
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Uveitis is a broad term that refers to inflammation of the uvea, which includes the iris, ciliary body, and choroid.
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Uveitis can be caused by a variety of factors, including infections, autoimmune diseases, trauma, and malignancy.
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Uveitis can affect people of all ages, but it is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 60.
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Symptoms of uveitis include eye redness, pain, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, and floaters.
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Treatment for uveitis often involves the use of corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, as well as immunosuppressive agents in some cases.
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Chronic uveitis can lead to complications such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular oedema, and retinal detachment.
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Some types of uveitis are associated with other medical conditions, such as sarcoidosis, ankylosing spondylitis, and Behçet's disease.
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Uveitis can be difficult to diagnose, and a thorough evaluation often includes a detailed medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and imaging studies.
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Uveitis can recur, and long-term follow-up with an ophthalmologist is often necessary to monitor for disease activity and potential complications.
For more information on uveitis please check out:
Been a patient and want to give something back for the care you have received or would just like to support Ophthalmology in Birmingham? Then please donate through the charity the Roper-Hall Eye Foundation.
MUSIC
The bands I am in
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OUT OF THE BLUE BIG BAND
I play baritone sax in possibly the greatest jazz Big Band in the UK (lol) - OK, I exaggerate slightly! Our repertoire is drawn from the classic swing and Big Band arrangements of the Basie and Ellington era as well as latin, blues, soul, pop and even rock n’roll.
THE SOUL PROVIDERS
We are a 9-piece band re-creating the great soul hits of the 1960s. We play numbers made famous by the soul greats Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd, Sam & Dave, Rufus Thomas, Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Irma Thomas, The Temptations, The Supremes as well as songs by the Blues Brothers, Georgie Fame, Tom Jones, Amy Winehouse and instrumental hits from Booker T & the MGs, The Mar-Keys and The Bar-Kays.
MY HORNS
A selection of tenors, altos and baritones
Trevor James Signature Custom RAW Tenor Sax (November 2023)
Selmer Mk VI alto sax - serial no: 232,xxx c1975
Conn 26M (Connqueror) VIII alto sax - serial no: 278,xxx c1937 (originally owned by Spike Robinson)
Conn Connqueror 26M alto with Spike Robinson's name engraved on the bell
Selmer MkVI tenor sax - serial no: 78,xxx c1959
Yanagisawa B901 low A baritone sax - serial no: 250,xxx c2002
Buescher Aristocrat low Bb baritone sax - serial no: 268,xxx c1934
Selmer MkVI low A baritone sax - serial no: 298,xxx c1979