The EBOD—a diplomat’s perspective

The third diploma examination of the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBOD) was held in Paris in May. The EBO oversees many aspects of training and standards within the EU (see Commentary, BJO 1997;81:5–6) and while the EBOD has not yet become a statutory requirement for practising ophthalmologists in EU countries, there is a suspicion that it may not be too far distant. So what is the EBOD and how does it compare with existing UK professional examinations?

The minimum requirement for sitting the exam is success in the national qualifying examination and satisfactory completion of at least 4 years of a recognised ophthalmology residency programme. In fact, it represents an ‘exit’ exam. Each country is allocated a quota of candidates. This year’s round of examinations was coordinated by Professor Peter Eustace with candidates being greeted in English, French, German, and Italian. Language barriers were overcome by compromise, with examiners from different countries being paired for the oral examinations. Questions ranged from simple optics to complex retinal pathophysiology. While the EBOD is currently optional the universal concord, among all diplomats from the various ophthalmology training systems of Europe, was that the experience gained in the attainment of the EBOD was very worthwhile.

A gene for Stargardt’s disease

Hunting defective genes is all the rage and activity in this sphere within ophthalmology continues unabated. In the March issue of Nature Genetics (1997;15:236), Allikmets and colleagues describe several mutations in an ATP binding transporter gene (ABCR) which appears to underlie the …