Pupil Pod

Episoade

• Case Review: White Dot Syndromes (Part 2) 22.06.2026 32min

  Maura Di Nicola, MD, joins Ogul Uner, MD, to talk about white dot syndromes, a group of inflammatory chorioretinopathies. They begin with a case of a 32-year-old woman who presents with blurry vision in the right eye for 2 weeks, with new onset floaters with mild pain and photophobia. Examination showed 2+ vitreous cells and multiple yellow-white chorioretinal lesions in both eyes. Dr. Di Nicola shares what questions to ask about the patient’s history and what factors to consider when forming a differential diagnosis. Drs. Uner and Di Nicola further discuss the signs of multifocal choroiditis, distinguishing between different presentations of white dot syndrome, and what can be learned from multimodal imaging.
• Case Review: Signs and Symptoms of Thyroid Eye Disease 22.05.2026 36min

  Ogul Uner, MD, invites Amina Malik, MD, to review a case of suspected thyroid eye disease (TED) in a 44-year-old female patient who presents with eye redness and diplopia. The patient reported no recent illnesses or medications, and external examination showed upper eyelid retraction, edema, erythema, and mild chemosis. Dr. Malik shares her initial thoughts on the case and describes the diagnostic features and most common clinical signs of TED. She also reviews treatment approaches for the acute and chronic forms of the disease.
• Case Review: Uveitic Ocular Hypertension and Glaucoma 06.04.2026 38min

  Erick Rivera Grana, MD, meets with host Ogul Uner, MD, to review a case of a 34-year-old woman who experienced blurred vision and mild discomfort in her right eye with an IOP of 38 mm Hg. The patient also presented with conjunctival injection and posterior synechiae. Dr. Rivera Grana describes his diagnostic approach to this case and explains the management of uveitic ocular hypertension and uveitic glaucoma.
• Case Review: Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy 19.02.2026 26min

  Neuro-ophthalmologist Amanda Redfern, MD, joins host Ogul Uner, MD, to review a case in which a 70-year-old woman experienced intermittent visual disturbances and headaches. Examination revealed a relative afferent pupillary defect and optic disc inflammation. Dr. Redfern explains her initial diagnosis of arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AAION) and outlines the typical demographics of patients who present with AAION.
• Case Review: Pars Planitis 20.01.2026 31min

  Ogul Uner, MD, is joined by vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist Akshay Thomas, MD, for a comprehensive, case-based discussion on intermediate uveitis and pars planitis. In this case of a young patient presenting with floaters and blurred vision, Dr. Thomas breaks down how to distinguish intermediate uveitis from pars planitis and recognize key exam findings. The conversation highlights the critical role of widefield imaging, OCT, and fluorescein angiography, as well as a thoughtful approach to systemic workup.
• Case Review: Pediatric Glaucoma Diagnosis 10.11.2025 35min

  Ogul Uner, MD, invites Ta Chen Peter Chang, MD, a pediatric glaucoma specialist, to review a case of a 9-month-old boy who presented with significant photophobia in both eyes. Examination showed IOP of 32 mm Hg in the right eye and 29 mm Hg in the left eye with moderate optic nerve cupping in both eyes. Dr. Chang shares what additional information he would look for to make a diagnosis of pediatric glaucoma. He also shares insights from the Childhood Glaucoma Research Network, a consortium of glaucoma specialists that has developed a consensus of diagnostic criteria. 
• Case Review: Acute Anterior Uveitis 28.10.2025 29min

  Kareem Moussa, MD, speaks with Ogul Uner, MD, about a case in which a 30-year-old man presented with pain, redness, and photophobia in his right eye for 3 days. The patient reports that the pain was sudden, worsening, and similar to a previous instance 1 year prior in his left eye that had been treated with drops. Dr. Moussa explains the information he would need to determine a diagnosis and recommend treatment for this patient. He emphasizes the importance of considering potential systemic conditions that can cause eye inflammation and shares the clinical findings of anterior uveitis, its treatments, and potential risks.
• Astigmatism Management During Cataract Surgery 09.09.2025 33min

  In this episode, instead of reviewing just one case, Sila Bal, MD, MPH, invites Neda Shamie, MD, to share her insights into challenging cases of astigmatism management during cataract surgery. Dr. Shamie explains how modern patients have higher expectations for optimized refractive outcomes and reviews her preferred techniques for astigmatism management in these cases. They discuss limbal relaxing incisions, arcuate incisions, and toric IOLs, and when to consider each approach based on the severity of astigmatism.
• Case Review: Retrobulbar Optic Neuritis 11.08.2025 34min

  In this episode, John Chen, MD, PhD, joins Ogul Uner, MD, to share his experience in neuro-ophthalmology. In the case discussed, a 32-year-old woman presented with decreased vision and pain in her right eye for 1 week, and examination revealed a rapid afferent pupillary defect. The patient also mentioned she had experienced numbness in her right arm 1 year ago. Dr. Chen explains why he would suspect retrobulbar optic neuritis in this case, and what his next steps would be to confirm that diagnosis and treat the patient.
• Case Review: Diagnosing Neovascular AMD 30.06.2025 30min

  Katherine Talcott, MD, joins Ogul Uner, MD, to review a case of a 70-year-old woman with a history of intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The patient now presented with wavy lines in her vision in the right eye, and dilated exam showed several large drusen in both eyes with no retinal hemorrhages. OCT of the right macula showed fibrovascular pigment epithelial detachments with retinal pigment epithelium and fluid. Dr. Talcott describes her initial thoughts about the case and the additional information she would look for to make a diagnosis of neovascular AMD. She also discusses her management approach for patients with wet AMD.
• Case Review: White Dot Syndromes (Part 1) 06.06.2025 26min

  Jordan Deaner, MD, vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist at Wills Eye Hospital, talks to Ogul Uner, MD, about white dot syndromes, a group of inflammatory chorioretinopathies. In the discussed case, a 35-year-old woman presented with photopsias in both eyes, and dilated examination showed 1+ vitreous cells and gray-white lesions in both eyes. Dr. Deaner explains what additional questions he would ask about this patient’s history and how he would start to build a differential diagnosis. Drs. Uner and Deaner further discuss the typical presentations of white dot syndromes, including acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE), multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS), and others.
• Case Review: Dermatochalasis, Periorbital Rhytids, and Mid-Face Volume Loss 09.05.2025 22min

  Julie Woodward, MD, oculoplastic and orbital surgeon, joins host Sila Bal, MD, MPH, to discuss surgical and nonsurgical treatment options for facial aesthetics and rejuvenation. In the case discussed, a 62-year-old woman presented with complaints of looking tired and was interested in rejuvenation options. Examination revealed mild dermatochalasis, periorbital rhytids, mid-face volume loss, and jowling. Dr. Woodward shares insights into determining the most appropriate treatment approach for patients like this. 
• Case Review: SICS for Bilateral Dense Cataracts 01.04.2025 36min

  Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA, joins the podcast to review a case of a 75-year-old woman who presented with blurred vision. She had nuclear sclerosis with uniform brunescence in her right eye, an intumescent white cataract in her left eye, and poor red reflex in both eyes. Dr. Pettey reviews this patient’s options for cataract removal and explains the indications and key steps of small-incision cataract surgery (SICS). 
• Case Review: Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment 07.03.2025 29min

  Ogul Uner, MD, invites Scott Oliver, MD, to the podcast to review a case of a 60-year-old man who presented with new flashes, floaters, and blurriness in his inferior field of vision in his right eye. The patient is a high myope with a relative afferent pupillary defect and pigmented cells in the anterior vitreous, with OCT imaging showing a macula-off retinal detachment. Dr. Oliver shares his approach to this case, reviews risk factors for retinal detachments, and shares insights into treatment.
• Case Review: Pigment Dispersion Syndrome 18.02.2025 22min

  In this episode, Kingsley Okafor, MD, joins Ogul Uner, MD, to review a case of a 40-year-old man who presented with intermittent visual changes, pain, and halos in his left eye. On examination, the patient had an IOP of 19 mm Hg, mild myopia, pigment on the corneal endothelium, and midperipheral transillumination iris defects in both eyes. Dr. Okafor reviews findings for pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) and risk factors for developing pigmentary glaucoma.
• Case Review: Suspected Stevens-Johnson Syndrome 28.01.2025 26min

  Cohost Ogul Uner, MD, invites the original host of the podcast, Sila Bal, MD, MPH, to discuss a case of possible Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS). The patient is a 55-year-old woman with a recent treatment of ibuprofen and doxycycline for cellulitis on her left foot. She was referred to Dr. Bal due to a concern for SJS. Dr. Bal outlines how patients with SJS typically present and describes her diagnosis and treatment approach in these cases. 
• Case Review: Hemifacial Spasm 06.12.2024 24min

  In this case, a 55-year-old man presented with an uncontrollable spasm on the right side of his face. Sila Bal, MD, invites oculofacial surgeon Julie Woodward, MD, to explain how she would approach the examination of this patient, describing the questions she would ask to obtain a detailed family and medical history and determine if the condition is a hemifacial spasm, blepharospasm, or myokymia. She shares insights into distinguishing each condition and outlines diagnostic and treatment approaches.
• Case Review: Diagnosing Proliferative and Nonproliferative Diabetic Retinopathy 20.11.2024 35min

  Sila Bal, MD, MPH, welcomes Vivienne Hau, MD, PhD, to review a case of a 56-year-old man with a history of ocular hypertension and type 2 diabetes who presented with mild nuclear sclerotic cataracts and a decrease in vision in both eyes. Dilated examination showed tortuous renal vasculature, scattered hemorrhages, cotton wool spots, and hard exudates in both eyes. Dr. Hau describes these clinical findings and explains next steps for diagnosing and treating this patient.
• Case Review: Addressing Poor Medication Compliance With Interventional Glaucoma 08.11.2024 28min

  Sila Bal, MD, MPH, invites I. Paul Singh, MD, to discuss a recent case in which a 72-year-old pseudophakic patient with open-angle glaucoma inquired about alternatives to topical treatments due to compliance issues. Dr. Singh reviews the benefits of more interventional treatment options such as selective laser trabeculoplasty and drug delivery platforms and explains how he counsels patients about these options.
• Case Review: Risk Factors for Age-Related Macular Degeneration 07.10.2024 32min

  Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD, FASRS, reviews a case of a 70-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and type-2 diabetes who presented with changes to the macula. On dilated exam, small macular drusen was observed in both eyes. Dr. Rachitskaya discusses the additional questions she would consider to better understand the patient’s risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), geographic atrophy, and more.