The Irish College of Ophthalmologists or ICO is the recognised body for

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

training in Ireland. Founded in 1991, it represents over 200 ophthalmologists in Ireland. Its current president is Dr Patricia Quinlan. Yvonne Delaney serves as

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

Governance

The ICO is overseen by its Council which is elected every 3 years by College members. The College also appoints a Clinical Lead for National Clinical Programme in Ophthalmology, a Dean of Postgraduate Education, and a Programme Director for Surgical Training. The business of the College is assisted by: a Manpower, Education and Training Committee; a Medical Ophthalmology Committee; an Ethics Committee; and a Scientific and

Continuing Professional Development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive ...

Committee.

Education

The ICO oversees postgraduate medical and surgical ophthalmology training in Ireland. The ICO is a recognised training body of the

Medical Council of Ireland The Medical Council ( ga, Comhairle na nDochtúirí Leighis) is the regulator of the medical profession in Ireland. It maintains the register of medical practitioners licensed to practice, and has the power to place restrictions on or revoke suc ...

. Its remit includes approval of hospital training posts. As part of its international activities, the College is twinned with the New England Ophthalmological Society. In 2011, the ICO introduced an online Professional Competency Scheme, to comply with new legislation and Irish Medical Council regulations. The ICO also collaborates with the

Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive (HSE) ( ga, Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte) is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005 ...

and engages in outreach and education for patients and the general public.

Training scheme

The ICO supervise and co-ordinate the two strands of the ophthalmology training programme in Ireland: Basic Surgical Training (BST) and Higher Surgical Training (HST). Completion of a pre-registration intern year is required before applying for ophthalmology training.

Basic Surgical Training

The BST programme involves rotating through various sub-specialities. Trainees work as

Senior House Officer A senior house officer (SHO) is a non-consultant hospital doctor in the Republic of Ireland. SHOs are supervised in their work by consultants and registrars. In training posts these registrars and consultants oversee training and are usually their ...

s over a minimum of three years at hospital sites in one of three combinations: *1. South Dublin Scheme:

Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital (also known as The Eye and Ear) ( ga, Ospidéal Ríoga Victoria Súl agus Cluas) is a public teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin was founded in 1895 and ...

(RVEEH) and

Sligo University Hospital Sligo University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Shligigh) is an acute general hospital in Sligo, Ireland. It is managed by Saolta University Health Care Group. History The hospital has its origins in the Sligo County Hospital which was buil ...

*2. North Dublin Scheme:

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal an Mater Misercordiae), commonly known as the Mater ( "matter"), is a major teaching hospital, based at Eccles Street, Phibsborough, on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is managed b ...

University Hospital Galway University Hospital Galway ( ga, Ospidéal na hOllscoile, Gaillimh) is a major acute hospital in Galway, Ireland. It is managed by Saolta University Health Care Group. History The hospital has its origins in the Galway Central Hospital which was ...

, and

University Hospital Waterford University Hospital Waterford ( ga, Ospidéal na hOllscoile, Port Láirge), formerly known as Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH), is a teaching hospital located in Waterford, County Waterford, Ireland. It is managed by South/Southwest Hospital Gro ...

*3. Munster Scheme: Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick and

Cork University Hospital Cork University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a large university teaching hospital in Wilton, Cork in Ireland. Its academic partner is University College Cork. It is the only Level 1 Trauma Centre in Ireland. It is a public ...

Formal training includes use of surgical simulators, continuous assessment and a mandatory

human factors Human factors and ergonomics (commonly referred to as human factors) is the application of psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems. Four primary goals of human factors learnin ...

course. During the BST, trainees sit examinations at RVEEH to gain Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the MRCSI (Ophth) qualification. At the end of the BST, successful trainees receive the Certificate of Completion of Basic Surgical Training (CCBST), with which they may apply for the competitive HST programme.

Higher Surgical Training

The HST scheme is a pre-requisite for obtaining a post as a hospital consultant. HST lasts four-and-a-half years and covers seven core sub-specialities: *

oculoplastic Oculoplastics, or oculoplastic surgery, includes a wide variety of surgical procedures that deal with the orbit (eye socket), eyelids, tear ducts, and the face. It also deals with the reconstruction of the eye and associated structures. Training ...

, adnexal, and lacrimal surgery *

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power ...

and external diseases *

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble w ...

and

refractive surgery Refractive eye surgery is optional eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea (keratomileu ...

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

retina The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which then ...

vitreous Vitreous may refer to: Materials * Glass, an amorphous solid material ** Vitreous enamel, a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing * Vitreous lustre, a glassy luster or sheen on a mineral surface Biology * Vitreous body, ...

uvea The uvea (; Lat. ''uva'', "grape"), also called the ''uveal layer'', ''uveal coat'', ''uveal tract'', ''vascular tunic'' or ''vascular layer'' is the pigmented middle of the three concentric layers that make up an eye. History and etymolog ...

, and

ocular oncology Eye neoplasms can affect all parts of the eye, and can be a benign tumor or a malignant tumor (cancer). Eye cancers can be primary (starts within the eye) or metastatic cancer (spread to the eye from another organ). The two most common cancers t ...

neuro-ophthalmology Neuro-ophthalmology is an academically-oriented subspecialty that merges the fields of neurology and ophthalmology, often dealing with complex systemic diseases that have manifestations in the visual system. Neuro-ophthalmologists initially complet ...

* paediatric ophthalmology and

strabismus Strabismus is a vision disorder in which the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object. The eye that is focused on an object can alternate. The condition may be present occasionally or constantly. If present during a ...

Trainees are assessed every 6 months and in their final year must complete a

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

exam, the FRCSI (Ophth). This exit exam comprises a one-hour

viva voce ''Viva voce'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "with living voice" but most often translated as "by word of mouth." It may refer to: *Word of mouth *A voice vote in a deliberative assembly *An oral exam **Thesis defence, in academia *Spoken evi ...

and a written test. Successful candidates also receive the Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST).

Research

The ICO holds an annual conference where members and guests present research abstract, talks and posters. From 2000 to 2011, the annual ICO/

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

Research Fellowship was presented at the conference. The award sponsored trainee doctors to undertake research in ophthalmology. From 2013, the ICO partnered with

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

to sponsor the ICO/Novartis Research Award. In 2017, the ICO introduced a Clinical Fellowship Bursary, in conjunction with

Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...

Recipients of the ICO/Bayer Clinical Fellowship Bursary

*2017 – Caroline Baily

Recipients of the ICO/Novartis Research Award

*2016 – Sinéad Connolly and Reinold Goetz (

ex aequo ''Ex aequo et bono'' (Latin for "according to the right and good" or "from equity and conscience") is a Latin phrase that is used as a legal term of art. In the context of arbitration, it refers to the power of arbitrators to dispense with conside ...

) *2015 – Ghaleb Farouki and Khalid Kamel (

) *2014 – Maedbh Rhatigan, *2013 – Micheal O'Rourke

Recipients of the ICO/Pfizer Research Fellowship

*2011 – Conor Malone *2010 – Fergus Doyle and We Fong Siah (ex aequo) *2009 – Catherine Cleary *2008 – Kevin Kennelly *2007 – Jeremy O'Connor *2006 – unknown *2005 – Noel Horgan *2004 – Tom Flynn *2003 – unknown *2002 – unknown *2001 – unknown *2000 – unknown

Notable members

* Kate Colema

, founder of charity Right to Sigh

*

Fatima Hamroush Fatima Hamroush (Arabic: فاطمة الحمروش) (born 14 February 1959) is an ophthalmologist and Libyan politician. Personal life Born in Benghazi on 14 February 1959, Hamroush moved to Ireland in 1996 and later became an Irish citizen th ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

's first female Health Minister

Presidents

References

External links

ICO Website
{{authority control 1991 establishments in Ireland Medical education in the Republic of Ireland Organizations established in 1991 Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Surgical organizations Medical and health organisations based in the Republic of Ireland