Masterclass in external eye disease

External eye diseases is a subspeciality of ophthalmology that deals with conditions of the front surface of the eye (anterior segment). In this course, you will learn about the presentation, diagnosis, and contemporary management of external eye pathologies.

Run jointly by the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, the course with be available from Monday 30 June 2025 and will be hosted on UCL Extend, UCL's learning platform for short courses and professional education.

Who is this course for?

This course is ideal for any of the following healthcare professionals interested in anterior segment disorders:

• ophthalmologists.
• resident doctors.
• physicians.
• general practitioners.
• medical students.
• optometrists.
• orthoptists.
• ophthalmic nurses.
• vision scientists.

Course content

This module offers a comprehensive understanding of anterior segment pathology, including examination, imaging, diagnosis, and management.

• Introduction
  • Overview of corneal anatomy.
• Corneal imaging
  • Corneal topography and tomography.
  • Anterior segment optical coherence tomography.
  • Confocal microscopy.
• Infective keratitis
  • Causes of infective keratitis (viral, bacterial, fungal and Acanthamoeba).
  • Investigations in infective keratitis.
  • Management of infective keratitis.
• Allergic eye disease
  • Types of allergic eye disease.
  • The immunobiology of allergic eye diseases.
  • Treatment of atopic and vernal keratoconjunctivitis.
• Corneal dystrophies
  • Classification of corneal dystrophies.
  • Clinical findings of corneal dystrophies.
  • Management of corneal dystrophies.
• Corneal ectasias
  • Types of corneal ectasias (including keratoconus).
  • Investigation of corneal ectasias.
  • Management of corneal ectasias.
• Corneal transplantation
  • Reasons for corneal grafting.
  • Types of corneal grafts.
  • Transition to lamellar transplantation.
• Corneal transplant complications
  • The biology of graft rejection.
  • Signs of graft rejection.
  • Management of graft rejection.
  • Other complications.
• Chemical eye injuries
  • Epidemiology of chemical eye injuries.
  • Staging of chemical eye injuries.
  • Medical and surgical management of chemical eye injuries.
• Corneal melts
  • Causes of corneal melts.
  • Medical management of corneal melts.
  • Surgical management of corneal melts/perforation.

Teaching structure

The course content is designed so that you can go through the topics and pre-recorded lectures online at your own pace. There will be a forum for asking questions. The course comprises:

• 3 hours self-study
• 8 hours of lectures (pre-recorded)

Certificates and assessment

There will be a multiple-choice quiz with 20 questions at the end of the course.

A certificate of completion will issued on completion of the multiple choice quiz and course feedback form.

Ophthalmologists are eligible for self-certification of CPD points at 1 point/hour in their portfolio.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of corneal anatomy, and how to utilise corneal imaging techniques for accurate examination and diagnosis
• Differentiate between the various causes of infective keratitis.
• Apply knowledge of allergic eye disease types to implement treatment.
• Identify different types of corneal dystrophies and corneal ectasias.
• Justify the reasons for corneal grafting and why a lamellar corneal graft might be preferred.
• Identify the signs of graft rejection.
• Evaluate chemical eye injuries, and manage these appropriately in an acute setting.
• Determine the causes of corneal melts and understand how to manage a corneal perforation.
• Integrate knowledge through the analysis of clinical cases.

Important booking note

This course is hosted on UCL Extend, UCL's learning platform for professional education. The UCL Extend platform is not linked to the Moorfields Education website and so enrolment for the course is carried out manually rather than being automatic upon purchase. This means there may be a delay between the point of purchase and receipt of the link to access the course. This will especially be the case if you make your purchase outside of UK office hours. The link will be shared as soon as possible after your purchase. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any queries.