Your Oculoplastic and Lacrimal Surgeon

How can you tell if your Oculoplastic Surgeon is a Specialist?

In this blog, I will tell you about how the oculoplastic and lacrimal surgeon trains and keeps up to date.

“Oculoplastic and Lacrimal Surgeons have done one to two years additional training after becoming a fully fledged ophthalmic surgeon and are Members of BOPSS”

Additional Fellowship Training

Ophthalmologists who specialise in oculoplastic and lacrimal surgery have done extra training in advanced techniques. They do this after they have completed their speciality training in ophthalmology. Many then work only in the sub-specialty.  Their oculoplastic and lacrimal workload makes it impractical for them to maintain skills in intraocular cataract surgery.
Oculoplastic and lacrimal Surgeons hold the FRCOphth from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists or from the Scottish Medical Colleges.
Oculoplastic and Lacrimal surgeons belong not only to their own college, e.g. Royal College of Ophthalmologists. They are  Ophthalmologists, but also may belong to specialised Oculoplastic Surgery Societies.

Membership of BOPSS

Your Oculoplastic and lacrimal Surgeon is likely to be a member of BOPSS, the British Oculoplastic Surgery Society. It holds a scientific meeting every year. BOPSS also promotes education and training, together with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
You can check on the BOPSS website to see which oculoplastic surgeons work in your region. It also has lots of information about eyelid and tear duct problems, directed towards patients.
BOPSS encourages close working ties between Oculoplastic and Lacrimal surgeons with other related sub-specialities. For example, dermatologists, oncologists, ENT surgeons, neurologists, etc. They always invite specialists from those groups to lecture at the BOPSS annual meetings.

Membership of ESOPRS, ASOPRS and APSOPRS

These stand for the respective European, American and Asio-Pacific Societies of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. They are the “International Oculoplastic Societies” whereas BOPSS is the National Oculoplastic Society.
Many Oculoplastic and Lacrimal Surgeons will also list their membership of one or more of these international societies.
I often lecture on oculoplastic and lacrimal surgery in the courses run by these international societies.

Summary:

I hope that you have enjoyed my blog on Oculoplastic and Lacrimal Surgery and learned something new and useful. Do you have any questions about anything discussed in this blog? Please just email me and ask me. I will be happy to reply.