About EBOD | What is the EBO Diploma for?

What is the EBO Diploma for?

The comprehensive European Board of Ophthalmology Diploma (EBOD) is organized by the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO), which is one of the bodies of the UEMS Central, located at the Domus Médica Aeuropea (Brussels). The EBO belongs at the UEMS Ophtalmology section, which is also a UEMS body.

Although the EBOD Examination is not mandatory in most countries of the European Union, it has replaced the National Examination in some of them such as Switzerland, Belgium and Poland and it is very recommended in most EU countries. The main countries in number of examinees per year are France, Germany, Spain and Turkey.

The EBOD Exam harmonises European standards in accordance with its own quality standards and since its beginning in 1994, it has attained a lot of prestige and popularity among young ophthalmologists.

The examination is primarily indented for those who are in the fourth year of residency and for all the specialists in Ophthalmology.

Why is there a high number of candidates each year?

- Receive an internationally recognized EBO Diploma or certificate
- Expand your knowledge and achieve professional excellence
- Add the title Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology after your name
- Interact and share opinions and ideas with ophthalmologists from all over Europe

Who can take the EBOD Exam?

For a candidate to be eligible to take the EBOD Examination, they must be a certified Specialist in Ophthalmology or in the last year of residency in a country of the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey or United Kingdom.

There are two annual examinations: the Spring Exam (Paris, May) and the Autumn Exam (Berlin, October).

The number of candidates that can register for each examination is limited.

Certified specialists or doctors in their last year of residency that come from countries not mentioned above are eligible to sit the examination only when they have completed additional formal training in any of the countries listed above.

How does the EBOD Exam work?

The comprehensive EBOD Examination is divided into 2 sections: a written test and an oral exam.

I. Written exam (MCQ)

The MCQ Exam accounts for 40% of your final grade. A grade of 6/10 is considered a pass in both sections of the exam (and this pass grade is defined as the average score minus one standard deviation).

In this part of the examination you will need to answer 52 multiple choice questions, each containing 5 independent true/false statements.

This represents a total of 260 responses, and since you get 1 point for each correct answer, you need all 260 points to reach a perfect score.

Each incorrect answer is penalized with a score of -0.5 points, and so will double or triple responses (when more than one option is ticked) to avoid random guessing. Choosing to answer ‘don’t know’ won’t affect your total score, as it will result in 0 points. It is advised not to choose the ‘don’t know’ in more than 40 of the responses (15 percent of the total answers) as this may seriously impact your chances to be successful.

All questions cover any basic science, medical or surgical topic relevant to the practice of ophthalmology.

See list of topics

II. Oral exam (Viva-Voce exam)

The oral part of the comprehensive EBOD Examination consists of 4 separate Viva Voce sessions of 15 minutes, each conducted by a panel of two examiners which will expose a maximum of 2 cases per student.

This part of the examination accounts for 60% of your final overall score, meaning that the 4 interviews accounts for 15% each. A grade of 6/10 is a pass in both sections of the examination (oral and written).

The oral examination will cover 4 major topics in ophthalmology:

Topic A: Optics, Refraction, Strabismus, Paediatric Ophthalmology and Neuro-Ophthalmology
Topic B: Cornea, External Diseases, Orbit, and Ocular Adnexa
Topic C: Glaucoma, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery
Topic D: Posterior Segment, Ocular Inflammation and Uveitis

How will each case be presented to the candidate?

The structure of each case is the following:

Slide 1: Case presentation, display of a document / photo to show clinical signs. The candidate is expected to describe the differential diagnosis and suggest what test or investigation needs to be followed.

Slide 2: Display of further investigations and documents. The candidate is expected to confirm the diagnosis.

Slide 3: Management algorithm.

Slide 4: Complications / secondary effects / follow-up (not-mandatory). The candidate should discuss specific questions and issues.

List of topics

1. Optics, Refraction and Contact Lenses

2. Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

3. External, Corneal and Adnexal disease

4. Glaucoma, Cataract and Refractive Surgery

5. Retina, Vitreous and Uvea

6. Neuro-ophthalmology

7. Orbital Disease and Oculoplastic Surgery

8. General Medicine relevant to Ophthalmology

9. Ophthalmic Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

10. Pharmacology and Therapeutics