Career hub → Intern Year → Ophthalmology Training
Irish College of Ophthalmologists
Ophthalmology Training
Ophthalmology training through the ICO, with surgical and medical pathways.
How the length works
Surgical pathway about seven years; medical ophthalmology about five.
- Medical Ophthalmology: About five years in total after intern year.
- Surgical Ophthalmology: About seven years in total after intern year.
Duration: 3-year basic training (surgical BST or medical BMT), 6-month rotations; full surgical pathway 7 years (BST + 4-year HST); medical pathway ~5 years
Annual intake: Not published; small annual cohorts across BST and BMT (per ICO Demographics Review)
Competition: Applicants exceed places (official wording); 2024/25 interviewees averaged 51.9/100 with a minimum of 47
Applications: 2027 intake dates not yet announced (ICO, tbc as of 26 August 2026; the college hosts a live careers talk online on Wednesday 28 October 2026). The 2026 intake opened 24 October 2025 and closed 4pm 16 January 2026; shortlisting late February; interviews early March
Entry: After intern year
Exams: FRCOphth Part 1 scores 10 points at entry; ICO membership/fellowship exams during training
Ophthalmology has separate surgical and medical training pathways, both with small annual intakes.
Shortlisting
The published minimums are 12 of 25 academic marks and 16 of 35 research marks. The scorecard awards points for FRCOphth Part 1, higher degrees and research; ophthalmology-specific research receives twice the weighting of unrelated work. In 2024/25, interviewees had a mean score of 51.9 of 100 and a minimum of 47. These are historical scores, not a predicted cut-off.
Training length
Surgical training comprises three years of BST followed by four years of higher surgical training. The medical pathway takes about five years and covers areas including medical retina, uveitis and neuro-ophthalmology.
How selection is scored
Section 1: Educational and academicmax 25
National medals and prizes3
Section capped at 25; minimum 12 to be shortlisted.
Section 2: Research and extracurricularmax 35
International first-author papers (10 each)15
National first-author papers (5 each)10
International presentations (4 each)8
Case reports, audits, courses (2–3 each)3
Minimum 16 to be shortlisted. Non-ophthalmic research scores at 50%.
Section 3: Interviewmax 40
Suitability for a career in ophthalmology15
Decision making, workload and stress management10
2024/25 interviewees averaged 51.9/100 with a minimum of 47.
Where you train
Accredited eye departments nationally, with employment contracts from the individual hospitals; the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin is the major postgraduate site. Interviews are held in Dublin.
Where this leads
Surgical ophthalmology (via higher surgical training) or medical ophthalmology.
Facts last verified 2026-07-13. Scheme details change year to year; always confirm against Irish College of Ophthalmologists's current documentation.