Ophthalmology: Specialty Training Interview Questions Australia

The ophthalmology questions that sit on top of the specialty training core: clinical scenarios, the system and governance questions specific to the specialty, and presentation titles.

Updated 24 October 2026

The structures these questions are marked on

ETHICS Establish the facts and capacity, Think through the four pillars and name the tension, Hear the other side fairly, Identify two or three options, Choose a patient centred action with the next step, Safeguard and document. Full guide →
SAFER See the patient, Assess systematically with ABCDE, Fix what you can and decide, Escalate with a clear request in SBAR or ISBAR, Review: the patient told, the handover, the documentation and what you would do if the first plan failed. Full guide →
The What it is in a sentence, Why it matters with a fact, What it means for this organisation and specialty, What I would do at my level and how I would measure it. Full guide →

Motivation

Evidence of commitment over enthusiasm: rotations, courses, audits, exams sat. Know the programme's stages, exams and rural requirements. Say what you would bring to a rural site, not just that you are willing to go.

Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of department
Why ophthalmology, and what have you done to demonstrate your commitment to it?
One message, three pieces of evidence with what each taught you: the clinical attachment, the research and what it found, the surgical exposure and what it showed about your hands. Honesty about what you lack and what you are doing about it. In the recorded format, signpost and close before time.
Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the staff specialist colleague
Tell us about your experience in ophthalmology, including any clinical attachments, research or surgical exposure.
Specific: the attachments and what you saw, the theatre time, the research with its output, the skills course. Say what each taught you about the work and about yourself.
Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of department
What do you know about the RANZCO training programme, its examinations and the rotation requirements, including rural terms?
The length, the examinations and when they fall, the rotation requirements including rural terms, the surgical log, the supervision. Two accurate sentences, then what will be hardest.
Often askedUsually asked by the staff specialist colleague
What makes you suited to a microsurgical specialty, and how have you developed your manual skills?
Evidence of aptitude developed on purpose: the skills course, the wet lab, the suturing practised, the hobbies that demand fine motor control. Honesty that the skills are learned and what you have learned about how you learn.
Often askedUsually asked by the head of department
What will you find hardest about ophthalmology training?
Honest: the examinations, the competition, the precision the surgery demands, the rural rotations, the patients whose sight you cannot save. Name one and say how you would manage it.

Communication

One real conversation, stepped through, with the outcome. For the family refusing analgesia or treatment, explore the belief, involve an interpreter or cultural liaison, explain without pressure, and find the acceptable option. Practise ISBAR until it is automatic.

Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the staff specialist colleagueSPIKES
Explain to a patient that their vision loss from macular degeneration is permanent.
SPIKES: find out what they understand, a warning shot, the truth in plain words, silence, then what can be done: the treatments for the other eye and the wet form if applicable, low vision services, the practical support, and the follow up. Do not reassure falsely.
Often askedUsually asked by the head of departmentSPIKES
A patient is angry that their cataract surgery has been delayed again. What do you say?
Acknowledge first and genuinely, listen, explain what has happened without defending the system, say what you can do now, and offer the complaints process. De escalation is the mark.

Ethics and professionalism

For the supervisor, stay professional, use the supervisor of training and the college channels, and keep patients safe. Define cultural safety as the patient's experience and give your own actions. Know mandatory notification and open disclosure.

Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of departmentETHICS
A patient with visual fields below the driving standard insists they must keep driving. What do you do?
Explain the standard and why it exists, the patient's responsibility to notify the licensing authority, your own obligations in your state, the alternatives for getting around, and that you would document the advice. Respect the patient's distress about losing their licence.
Often askedUsually asked by the independent chair or consumer representativeETHICS
How would you improve eye care access for Aboriginal and remote communities, where trachoma and diabetic eye disease remain common?
Outreach clinics, telehealth screening, training the primary care and Aboriginal health workers, the trachoma and diabetic eye programmes, partnership with the community controlled services, and data on who is not being seen. Say how you would measure the change.

Clinical scenario

Systematic assessment, treat what you can, escalate early and clearly even when the consultant is distant, use retrieval and telehealth where they apply, and say what you would do afterwards. A safe answer that asks for help beats a clever one that does not.

Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of departmentSAFER
A patient presents with sudden painless loss of vision in one eye. What are your differentials and what do you do?
The diagnoses that must not be missed: central retinal artery occlusion, vein occlusion, retinal detachment, vitreous haemorrhage, giant cell arteritis in the older patient. The acuity, the pupils, the fundus, the inflammatory markers if arteritis is possible. For the artery occlusion the stroke pathway; for arteritis high dose steroids on suspicion. The consultant now.
Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the staff specialist colleagueSAFER
A patient presents with a red, painful eye, nausea and a fixed mid dilated pupil. What do you do?
Acute angle closure until proven otherwise: the pressure measured, the treatment to lower it started now with the topical and systemic agents in the protocol, nil by mouth, the pain and nausea managed, urgent ophthalmology involvement for the definitive laser treatment, and the other eye considered. Delay costs vision.
Often askedUsually asked by the head of departmentSAFER
A patient has a chemical injury to the eye. What do you do first?
Irrigation immediately and for a long time, before anything else, with whatever clean fluid is available then saline, until the pH is neutral and stays neutral. Then the history of the agent, the examination after irrigation, and the referral. Do not stop irrigating to examine.
Often askedUsually asked by the staff specialist colleagueSAFER
A patient with diabetes has not had an eye check in five years. What are you looking for, and how do you organise care?
Diabetic retinopathy and macular oedema, the grading, the risk of sight loss and the treatments that prevent it if caught. The dilated examination, the imaging, the follow up interval by the grading, the treatment pathway, and the conversation about diabetes and blood pressure control. Mention the screening programmes and the burden in Aboriginal communities.

System knowledge

Know the programme's requirements in detail. Name three current pressures and link each to your specialty. Be able to explain clinical governance and the standards most relevant to your work in a sentence each.

Often askedUsually asked by the head of departmentSYSTEM
What are the main eye health challenges facing Australia, including for Aboriginal and rural communities?
The ageing population and cataract and macular degeneration, the diabetic eye disease burden, the gap for Aboriginal and remote communities including trachoma, the public waiting lists and the public and private split. Say what a trainee can do about one.

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