Portfolio & evidence
Useful things to do before you apply
These are development ideas, not a claim about points in a particular recruitment cycle. Check the current official person specification and scoring guidance before relying on any activity for an application.
Seek exposure across clinics, imaging, procedures and theatre so you understand both medical and surgical ophthalmology.
Use audit data or a defined standard to build a project around outcomes, pathways or safety.
Keep examples that show precision, communication and adapting explanations for patients with visual impairment.
Reflect on how imaging and longitudinal outcome data shape decisions over time.
Royal College / Faculty watchlist
Current topics worth understanding
These are concise summaries of current professional-body material, not predicted interview questions. Use them to understand the specialty and then read the primary source.
National Ophthalmology Database
RCOphth's National Ophthalmology Database runs national audits in cataract surgery and AMD care so services can benchmark outcomes and identify variation.
Why it matters for a candidate: It is a concrete example of how specialty-level data can improve safety and outcomes. Think beyond 'I did an audit' to benchmarking, variation and sustained improvement.
Read the primary sourceAudit, data and standardised datasets
The College publishes clinical datasets and audit resources so outcomes can be recorded consistently and compared meaningfully.
Why it matters for a candidate: Understand why standardised data matters when comparing outcomes and judging whether a service has genuinely improved.
Read the primary sourceUseful stuff
Official tools you can actually use
Interview reflection
Turn exploration into a real “Why Ophthalmology?” answer
Which parts of precise examination, longitudinal care and technical treatment appeal beyond the procedures themselves?
Start with something you genuinely experienced. Explain what it taught you about the work, what appealed to you, what challenge you noticed and what you did next.