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‘Getting a head start’: ways medical students can boost their chances of entering ophthalmology training

Ophthalmology is one of the most competitive medical specialities in the UK, with 3.74 applicants per place in 2018 [1]. Given the competitive nature of this highly specialised field, medical students who are interested in pursuing a career in ophthalmology...

Ophthalmology Specialty Training 2024: What's different?

The 2024 intake for ophthalmology specialty training (OST) has undergone several significant changes in its approach towards candidate selection and assessment. This article provides a comparative analysis, detailing these new measures and comparing them against the previous year's standards. Our...

Demystifying external trainee selected components and out of programme experiences

If you don’t know your external TSCs from your OOPC/OOPT/OOPE/OOPR, then this article is for you. Trainee selected components (TSC) are College-approved periods of training, usually ranging from six months to a year (formally ASTO) of intensive subspecialty training in...

The first on-call

You’ve made into ophthalmic specialist training and before you know it, it’s your first on-call shift. You are expected to provide the specialist on-call service out of hours and there is a new wave of responsibility, with, let’s be honest,...

How to pass the FRCOphth part 2 oral exam

If you have got this far in terms of your exams, relax. In terms of pass rate, the hardest FRCOphth membership exams are already behind you. The pass mark for the part 2 oral exam is around 75%, and about...

Tips for the Online Proctored FRCOphth - Part 1

The FRCOphth Part 1 examination is a difficult exam in itself, testing candidates on a wide range of theoretical and biomedical ophthalmology. This used to be a two-part pencil-on-paper written examination, which was then digitalised for October 2019 and January...

How to pass the Refraction Certificate

Unfortunately, I had the pleasure of getting to know this exam intimately. With adequate preparation this does not have to be the case for most people. The exam has recently changed to consist of 10 OSCE style stations (previously 12)....

How a calcified Soemmerring ring was removed from the vitreous cavity when the cutter and forceps failed to do so

Know’st thou the land where lemon-trees do bloom,And oranges like gold in leafy gloom; A gentle wind from deep blue heaven blows, The myrtle thick, and high the laurel grows? ‘Tis there! ‘tis there, O my beloved one, I with...

An arm and a leg

“It cost me an arm and a leg.” – Mr B told me. An arm and a leg to be seen by the famous Russian eye surgeon who said that everybody can be spectacle-free. He took Mr B’s money (roughly...

A European ophthalmology perspective

Europe: from the Greek eurus: broad, wide, and ops: eye, face, sight. Thus Europe = the far-sighted (lady). For my first contribution to this column – as the successor of Jonathan Park, whose witty observations and entertaining style many of...

Friendly felines and a spot diagnosis

A nine-year-old girl presented to me in eye casualty with a three-week history of blurred vision in her left eye. Otherwise she was apparently well, with no past ophthalmic, medical, drug or relevant family history. Visual acuity was 6/4 right...

Strange Sequelae Succeeding ‘Surfer’s Eye’

Ophthalmologists in the UK are relatively infrequently faced with a patient requesting surgery for a pterygium. This condition is more common where ultraviolet exposure is greater, especially if coupled with activities associated with ocular surface irritation. For this reason, a...