The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and The National Institute for Health Research are pleased to announce the launch of this year’s national award scheme to recognise outstanding contribution to clinical research by fellows/members of the College.

The Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Visual Disorders has advised that it is the visual problems associated with nystagmus that are relevant when assessing fitness to drive, not nystagmus itself.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists considers ECLOs as integral to meeting the needs of patients in hospital eye units.

Health Education England and NHS Improvement have published their report, 'Maximising the Potential: essential measures to support SAS doctors', making recommendations to support the career development of SAS doctors.

The College has recently received a report from NHS Improvement of a severe adverse reaction in a six month old child with anisocoria who had been administered apraclonidine 1% to help exclude Horner syndrome.

In April 2008 the ‘associate specialist’ (AS) grade was closed and succeeded by the new ‘specialty doctor’ grade. Over recent years there have been calls from the British Medical Association (BMA)1 and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC)2 to reopen the AS grade.