Cataract & Refractive Surgery - Theory - Online

The Postgraduate Diploma in Cataract and Refractive Surgery is now in its 18th year.



It was originally conceived and developed by Professor Tara Moore (Course Director, Professor of Personalised Medicine, Ulster University) who recognised the necessity for a high quality, evidence based, remote teaching platform for refractive and cataract surgery, students of which are often in full-time employment and reliant on ad-hoc teaching from inconsistent, biased or outdated sources.



Following the success of the original course, and as Refractive and Cataract practices changed, there were subsequent revisions led by Dan Reinstein, London Vision Clinic, Visiting Professor at Ulster University.



The teaching team for the course has recently been further restructured and updated with a carefully selected faculty of leading cataract and refractive surgeons from around the world.



The course includes contributions, reviewed, updated and added to annually, from internationally renowned specialists, complemented by a dedicated team of tutors who represent some of the brightest minds in ophthalmology and refractive surgery today. The course team currently includes Tim Archer (London, UK), Jack Gormley (Leeds, UK), Antonio Leccisotti (Siena, Italy), James Eide Macpherson (Oslo, Norway), Nick Maycock (Winchester, UK), Dan Reinstein (London, UK), Justin Sherwin (Melbourne, Australia), Alex Shortt (London, UK), Paul Tomlins (Gloucester, UK), Karim Tourkmani (Doha, Qatar), Andy Turnbull (Bournemouth, UK) and Geraint Williams (Hereford, UK).



The course undergoes review by external examiners including Professor Sheraz Daya, Mr Mayank Nanavaty and Professor Sathish Srinivasan.

Year one

• Introduction to Theoretical Aspects of Refractive Surgery

• Pre-operative Assessment in Cataract and Refractive Surgery

• The Theory of Laser Refractive Surgery

• Lens Refractive Surgery

• Correction of Regular and Irregular Astigmatism

• Understanding Phakic Iols

• Correction of Presbyopia and High Ametropia

• Post Operative Complications of Lens and Laser Refractive Surgery

• Business Development, Clinical Governance And Medicolegal Issues

Applicants must

(a) have gained an Honours or non-Honours degree in a cognate discipline from a University of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or from a recognised national awarding body, or from an institution of another country which is recognised as being of an equivalent standard;



or an equivalent standard in a Postgraduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate or an approved alternative qualification;



and (b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent) or, as an alternative to the above



(c) in exceptional circumstances, where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.



English Language Requirements

English language requirements for international applicants

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement.



Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

Fully online distance learning.

Notional student effort: 10 hours per credit point.

Start Date: October 2025

Career options

The majority of students undertaking this online programme will do so for their continued professional development within their individual areas of employment for career enhancement.