In this episode, podcast host Peter Cackett (consultant ophthalmologist, NHS Lothian) and guest speaker Lord David Blunkett (politician) discuss Lord Blunkett’s experience of coming to terms with sight loss at an early age and going on to build a career in politics.

Lord David Blunkett is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside for over 25 years. Lord Blunkett played a pivotal role in shaping the UK’s domestic policy in the early 2000s during his time as Home Secretary. Beyond politics, he has been a passionate advocate for accessibility and has worked to expand opportunities for people with disabilities.

This podcast contains content that some listeners may find upsetting. For support with mental health issues, please visit the links below:

Dedicated mental health support for all NHS doctors and dentists: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dedicated-mental-health-support-for-all-nhs-doctors-and-dentists

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/

In this episode, Lord Blunkett reflects on the family circumstances that shaped his path and the challenges he overcame along the way.

Packed with wisdom, humour and candid reflection, this episode offers inspiration and practical advice for anyone striving to make an impact, no matter the obstacles.

This is a non-promotional podcast organised and fully funded by Bayer plc.

October 2025 | PP-PF-OPHT-GB-1469

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Peter Cackett (Consultant Ophthalmologist, NHS Lothian) and guest

speaker Chris McCausland (comedian and actor) discuss Chris’s career as a comedian and his

personal journey coming to terms with his retinitis pigmentosa diagnosis. ​

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This episode delves into the challenges Chris encountered while building a successful career in

comedy alongside progressive vision loss, the role of technology in supporting people with visual

impairment, and his advice for both aspiring comedians and individuals adjusting to sight deterioration.​

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Chris originally studied and qualified as a software engineer; however, as his vision deteriorated, he

made the decision to leave the tech industry and pursue a career in stand-up comedy in 2003. Since

then, the British comedian has become well known on the comedy circuit and a stalwart in television

panel shows following his breakthrough performance on Live at the Apollo in 2018. More recently, he

won the most recent series of BBC’s family favourite, Strictly Come Dancing, in December 2024, and

he's on a roll because his waltz with Dianne Buswell to ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ won the most

memorable moment in TV at the recent British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) TV awards

ceremony. ​

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This episode offers insight into the patient experience, exploring the daily challenges of living with

retinitis pigmentosa and drawing inspiration from Chris’s unique personal and professional journey.​

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This is a non-promotional podcast organised and fully funded by Bayer plc.​

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July 2025 | PP-PF-OPHT-GB-1448​

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American Ophthalmologist and Comedian, Will Flanary (AKA Dr Glaucomflecken) joins us to discuss his use of humour as a coping mechanism for challenges in his life and how he has managed to integrate medicine and comedy. Will delves into the importance of laughter as a therapeutic tool, providing an invaluable perspective on how personal challenges have changed his outlook on life over the years.

This podcast contains content that some listeners may find upsetting. For support with mental health issues, please visit the links below:

Dedicated mental health support for all NHS doctors and dentists: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dedicated-mental-health-support-for-all-nhs-doctors-and-dentists

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/

In this episode, Will and Peter Cackett discuss the current global medical environment and relevant implications for healthcare professionals and patients. Will also offers key advice for prospective medical students and details how he has been able to leverage his position as a social media influencer to create change within the medical sphere and engage and advocate across wide audiences.

This is a non-promotional podcast organised and fully funded by Bayer plc.

March 2025 | PP-EYL-GB-2798

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Peter Cackett (Consultant Ophthalmologist, NHS Lothian) and guest speaker Henry Marsh CBE FRCS (neurosurgeon and author) discuss Henry’s career as a pioneering neurosurgeon and first-hand experience as both doctor and patient. This episode delves into the qualities that define a great surgeon, the emotional challenges of working in healthcare and Henry’s commitment to teaching the next generation of medical professionals, all while highlighting the often-overlooked patient perspective.

Henry is a world-renowned British neurosurgeon and author, who worked as a neurosurgeon in London until 2015. Henry pioneered operating on the brain under local anaesthetic, and has worked with neurosurgeons in Ukraine since the end of the Cold War in 1992. He has featured in an episode of the BBC documentary series Your Life in Their Hands in 2004, is the subject the 2007 BBC film The English Surgeon and has published three memoirs, namely Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon and And Finally. Henry was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2010.

This podcast episode explores how working in the NHS has changed over time, Henry’s advice for aspiring medical students and his personal experiences of working, teaching and being a patient in the NHS.

This is a non-promotional podcast organised and fully funded by Bayer plc.

October 2024 | PP-EYL-GB-2504

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Peter Cackett (Consultant Ophthalmologist, NHS Lothian) and guest speaker Dame Clare Gerada (general practitioner and founder of the NHS Practitioner Health programme) discuss and explore numerous aspects relating to clinician well-being. These include the reasons for mental health issues in doctors and how these can be addressed; burnout and the risk of burnout in doctors; ways of recognising and preventing mental health issues in doctors; and the NHS Practitioner Health programme.

This podcast contains content relating to mental health and suicide. For support with mental health issues, please visit the links below:

Dedicated mental health support for all NHS doctors and dentists: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dedicated-mental-health-support-for-all-nhs-doctors-and-dentists

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/

Dame Clare Gerada studied medicine at University College London, training in medicine and psychiatry before becoming a general practitioner. Clare has over 35-years of experience practising medicine and is passionate about providing well-being support for staff in the NHS. Her training in psychiatry lends itself to Clare’s interest in managing substance abuse and addiction, and since Clare has been awarded an MBE in the Millennium Birthday Honours for her work in the field.

This is a non-promotional podcast organised and funded by Bayer plc.

July 2024 | PP-EYL-GB-2294

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Peter Cackett (Consultant Ophthalmologist, NHS Lothian) and guest speaker Sir Robin Millar CBE (British Music Producer, Businessman and Campaigner for vulnerable people) explore Robin's first-hand experience of living with progressive vision loss and blindness while charting a successful career as a music producer.

Sir Robin Millar is one of the world's most successful record producers with 150 platinum, gold and silver discs, 44 number one hits and 55 million record sales to his name. He's been given various names over his illustrious career including ‘Golden Ears’ by Boy George and 'Original Smooth Operator' for his work with Sade. 

Outside of his music career, Sir Robin been involved in many charitable ventures and, in 2020, was appointed chair of the disability equality charity, Scope, and uses his voice to advocate for people with disabilities. He was made a CBE in 2010 in recognition of his musical, business and campaigning career and a Knight Bachelor as part of King Charles’ inaugural New Year’s Honours list in December 2022. Sir Robin is also listed on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100, a list of the UK’s top 100 influential disabled people and organisations.

This is a non-promotional podcast organised and funded by Bayer plc.

April 2024 | PP-EYL-GB-2223

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Peter Cackett (Consultant Ophthalmologist, NHS Lothian) and guest speaker Steven Schallhorn (refractive surgeon, prior consultant to NASA and NATO, and former aviator and TOPGUN instructor for the US Navy) soar through Steven’s experiences with TOPGUN and the role of vision in aviation, alongside his role in pioneering refractive surgery for the Department of Defence and consultation for NASA.

After graduating from Colorado State University, Dr Steven Schallhorn entered the US Navy in 1977 and trained as an F-14 naval aviator. Following several deployments on USS Ranger, he was selected and served as a Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) pilot and then instructor, teaching air combat to fleet fighter pilots. He then completed a medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, before undertaking an ophthalmology residency at the Naval Medical Center San Diego and a cornea followship at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California.

Throughout his career, Professor Schallhorn has received many awards and has led multiple case studies and publications on the safety profile and efficacy of eye surgery. He has served as a clinical investigator on numerous FDA clinical trials and has presented and written an impressive collection of academic papers. He was the founder of the Department of Defence refractive surgery program, which now consists of over 20 centres providing mission-enhancing surgery to active-duty personnel and was instrumental to the NASA approval of laser vision correction.

This is a non-promotional podcast organised and funded by Bayer plc.

November 2023 | PP-EYL-GB-1994

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Peter Cackett (Consultant Ophthalmologist, NHS Lothian) and guest speaker Professor Dame Sue Black (forensic scientist, published author, and President of St John's College, Oxford) will navigate through a sea of topics, including advancements within forensics, crime fiction, education of diverse audiences, strategies for coping with unpleasant scenes and the ultimate questions that surround life and death.

This podcast contains content that some listeners may find upsetting, including topics such as death and murder. For support, please visit the links below:

Dedicated mental health support for all NHS doctors and dentists: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dedicated-mental-health-support-for-all-nhs-doctors-and-dentists

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/ 

After graduating from the University of Aberdeen with a degree in human anatomy and forensic anthropology, Professor Black has enjoyed a diverse and esteemed academic career. She taught Anatomy at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and worked as a consultant in forensic anthropology for the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Her forensic work has spanned countries such as Iraq, Sierra Leone, and Grenada. Notably, she led forensic anthropological efforts in the investigations surrounding Kosovo's international war crimes. She also held the position of Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at Dundee University from 2003 to 2018.

With a wealth of written content and frequent media appearances, including BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and The Life Scientific, Professor Black was honoured as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours. This recognition celebrated her contributions to higher education and forensic science. In 2021, she became Baroness Black of Strome as a Crossbencher Peer in the House of Lords. Professor Black currently serves as the 65th President of the Royal Anthropological Institute and holds the prestigious position of lifetime Professor of Anatomy for the Royal Scottish Academy.

This is a non-promotional podcast organised and funded by Bayer plc.

September 2023 | PP-EYL-GB-1906

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Peter Cackett (Consultant Ophthalmologist, NHS Lothian) and guest speaker Dr Phil Hammond (Comedian, journalist and former NHS doctor) will reflect on a career in medicine and discuss topics such as medicine as part of a diverse career portfolio, medicine and journalism and mental health in medicine.

This podcast contains content relating to mental health and suicide. For support with mental health issues, please visit the links below:

Dedicated mental health support for all NHS doctors and dentists: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dedicated-mental-health-support-for-all-nhs-doctors-and-dentists

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/

For over thirty years, Dr Phil Hammond juggled jobs as an NHS doctor, Private Eye journalist, BBC broadcaster and comedian. He has since retired from the NHS, having worked in primary care, sexual health and paediatric chronic fatigue, and was also a lecturer in medical communication at the University of Bristol and the University of Birmingham. As a comedian, he appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022 in two shows: ‘Dr Hammond’s Covid Inquiry’ and ‘How I Ruined Medicine… for the better’. His coverage of the pandemic in Private Eye was highly praised, and a book of the columns – Dr Hammond’s Covid Casebook – is a Sunday Times bestseller. He is a patron of the Doctors’ Support Network and the Herpes Viruses Association, and he is the ‘honorary health secretary’ for the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.

This is a non-promotional podcast organised and funded by Bayer plc.

July 2025 | PP-EYL-GB-2903

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.