Trainees
Broadening horizons in ophthalmology: crafting a varied elective experience
The elective period for medical students is a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in a field of interest. For students interested in ophthalmology, this can offer a dedicated experience for what can otherwise be quite limited through undergraduate rotations. Alongside...
Glasgow eye department continues to disrupt ocular simulation training through novel DRV system - the first of many?
Ongoing technological developments are enabling continuous progress to be made across all aspects of medical simulation training. This is particularly true within the field of ophthalmology, where surgical training advancements have enabled the role of simulation to expand dramatically over...
COMMENT ON: Watch your back: Ergonomics and Ophthalmology
Jim Innes. Dear Editors, I write to congratulate Aadil Hussain on his excellent Trainees article “Watch your back: Ergonomics and Ophthalmology”. Please can I reassure him that, at least in the Yorkshire School of Ophthalmology, the importance of good posture...
Ophthalmology specialty training applications: a costly affair?
Ophthalmology is one of the most competitive specialties to pursue training in worldwide. In the United Kingdom, the ST1 entry national selection competition ratio for the past few years has ranged between four to five applicants per post [1]. The...
The Duke-Elder exam: A medical student’s head start into ophthalmology
The Duke-Elder exam is a specialist ophthalmology exam intended for medical students to sit during medical school. It is named after Sir Stewart Duke-Elder, a pioneering Scottish ophthalmologist who was active in the first half of the 20th Century by...
Should it be a mandatory requirement for medical students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to attend clinical attachments?
The vast majority of medical students have positive attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine for themselves and patients, however, what about the small inevitable minority who resist it? Should they be prevented from attending clinical attachments in the NHS? It is...
The adverse effects of COVID-19 on undergraduate ophthalmology education: An opportunity to reform ophthalmology training
The steady erosion of undergraduate ophthalmology teaching, which has been acutely exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, has led to a lack of basic ophthalmology examining skills and knowledge amongst clinicians of other specialities. Concurrently, there has been a rise in...
Will COVID-19 impact the selection of ophthalmology as a career choice by medical students?
The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on medical education and has called for large shifts in the medical curriculum. Clinical attachments were suspended at the height of the pandemic and examinations were cancelled or were moved to an online...
