FMGE Ophthalmology Syllabus

Ophthalmology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Ophthalmology in FMGE, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Anatomy and Physiology of the Eye

   2 topics

   • Anatomy of the eye
     • External structures (eyelids, conjunctiva, lacrimal apparatus)
     • Internal structures (cornea, iris, lens, retina)
   • Physiology of vision
     • Optics of the eye
     • Refraction
     • Accommodation
     • Visual pathways
2. 2

   Ophthalmic Examination and Investigations

   3 topics

   • Ophthalmic history taking
     • Chief complaint
     • Past medical history
     • Family history
     • Social history
   • Ophthalmic examination
     • Visual acuity assessment
     • Visual field testing
     • Slit-lamp examination
     • Dilated fundus examination
   • Ophthalmic investigations
     • Refraction
     • Tonometry
     • Gonioscopy
     • Ultrasound biomicroscopy
     • Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
     • Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA)
3. 3

   Refractive Errors

   4 topics

   • Myopia
     • Definition
     • Pathophysiology
     • Clinical features
     • Management
   • Hyperopia
     • Definition
     • Pathophysiology
     • Clinical features
     • Management
   • Astigmatism
     • Definition
     • Types
     • Clinical features
     • Management
   • Presbyopia
     • Age-related changes in accommodation
     • Clinical features
     • Management
4. 4

   Cataract and Lens Disorders

   3 topics

   • Age-related cataract
     • Types of cataracts
     • Clinical features
     • Management
   • Congenital cataract
     • Clinical features
     • Diagnosis
     • Management
   • Phakomatoses
     • Ocular manifestations of neurofibromatosis
     • Ocular manifestations of tuberous sclerosis
     • Ocular manifestations of Sturge-Weber syndrome
5. 5

   Glaucoma

   3 topics

   • Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG)
     • Pathophysiology
     • Clinical features
     • Diagnosis
     • Management
   • Angle-closure glaucoma
     • Acute angle-closure crisis
     • Chronic angle-closure glaucoma
     • Management
   • Secondary glaucoma
     • Causes
     • Clinical features
     • Management
6. 6

   Retinal Disorders

   3 topics

   • Diabetic Retinopathy
     • Classification
     • Clinical Features
     • Management
   • Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
     • Dry AMD
     • Wet AMD
     • Clinical Features
     • Management
   • Retinal Detachment
     • Rhegmatogenous
     • Tractional
     • Exudative
     • Clinical Features
     • Management
7. 7

   Neuro-Ophthalmology

   3 topics

   • Optic neuropathies
     • Optic neuritis
     • Ischemic optic neuropathy
     • Compressive optic neuropathy
     • Toxic optic neuropathy
   • Cranial nerve palsies
     • Third nerve palsy
     • Fourth nerve palsy
     • Sixth nerve palsy
   • Neuro-ophthalmic syndromes
     • Papilledema
     • Pseudotumor cerebri
     • Horner syndrome
8. 8

   Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

   3 topics

   • Amblyopia
     • Definition
     • Causes
     • Clinical Features
     • Management
   • Strabismus
     • Types of Strabismus
     • Clinical Features
     • Management
   • Congenital Anomalies of the Eye
     • Congenital Glaucoma
     • Congenital Cataract
     • Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
9. 9

   External Eye Diseases and Ocular Surface Disorders

   3 topics

   • Conjunctivitis
     • Infectious conjunctivitis (bacterial, viral, chlamydial)
     • Allergic conjunctivitis
     • Chemical conjunctivitis
   • Dry eye syndrome
     • Pathophysiology
     • Clinical features
     • Management
   • Blepharitis
     • Anterior blepharitis
     • Posterior blepharitis
     • Management
10. 10

    Ocular Oncology and Orbital Disorders

    3 topics

    • Ocular tumors
      • Retinoblastoma
      • Uveal melanoma
      • Conjunctival tumors
    • Orbital tumors
      • Orbital cellulitis
      • Orbital pseudotumor
      • Orbital metastases
    • Thyroid eye disease (Graves' orbitopathy)
      • Clinical features
      • Diagnosis
      • Management

Ophthalmology flashcards for FMGE

20 of 52 cards from the Ophthalmology deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the three layers (tunics) of the eyeball from outer to inner, and what does each contain?

   Outer fibrous tunic = cornea + sclera; middle vascular tunic (uvea) = iris, ciliary body, choroid; inner neural tunic = retina.

2. Name the five layers of the cornea from anterior to posterior.

   Epithelium, Bowman's membrane, stroma (substantia propria), Descemet's membrane, and endothelium.

3. What is the avascular, transparent structure responsible for about two-thirds of the eye's refractive power, and what is its approximate dioptric power?

   The cornea; it provides roughly +43 to +44 D of the eye's total ~+58 to +60 D refractive power.

4. Through what structures does aqueous humor drain after leaving the anterior chamber (conventional/trabecular pathway)?

   Trabecular meshwork to the canal of Schlemm to aqueous (collector) veins to episcleral veins.

5. In phototransduction, what happens to rhodopsin and the photoreceptor's membrane potential when light strikes a rod?

   Light isomerizes 11-cis-retinal to all-trans-retinal, activating rhodopsin and transducin, which activates phosphodiesterase, lowering cGMP; cGMP-gated Na+ channels close, hyperpolarizing the rod and reducing glutamate release.

6. Compare rods and cones in terms of number, location, function, and visual pigment.

   Rods (~120 million) are peripheral, used for scotopic/dim and peripheral vision, contain rhodopsin; cones (~6 million) concentrate at the fovea, mediate photopic/color/high-acuity vision, and contain three opsins (S/M/L).

7. What three key symptom areas should a focused ophthalmic history cover?

   Vision (acuity loss, distortion, field defects, diplopia), pain/discomfort (foreign body sensation, photophobia), and discharge/redness/watering — plus onset, duration, laterality, trauma, and systemic/drug history.

8. Which sudden, painless monocular visual loss symptoms are red flags suggesting retinal detachment?

   New floaters, photopsia (flashes of light), and a curtain or shadow descending across the visual field.

9. What does the abbreviation RAPD stand for and what does a positive result indicate?

   Relative Afferent Pupillary Defect (Marcus Gunn pupil); a positive swinging-flashlight test indicates an asymmetric optic nerve or extensive retinal lesion on the affected side.

10. What instrument and what dye are used to assess corneal epithelial defects, and what color does the defect stain?

    Slit-lamp with cobalt blue light and fluorescein dye; epithelial defects/ulcers stain bright green.

11. What is the normal range of intraocular pressure and the gold-standard method of measuring it?

    Normal IOP is 10-21 mmHg (mean ~16); Goldmann applanation tonometry is the gold standard.

12. What imaging investigation gives cross-sectional images of the retina and is key for diagnosing macular disease and glaucoma (RNFL)?

    Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT).

13. Which investigation uses intravenous sodium fluorescein to evaluate retinal and choroidal circulation and leakage?

    Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA).

14. Define myopia and state the type of corrective lens used.

    Myopia (nearsightedness) is a refractive error where parallel rays focus in front of the retina; corrected with a concave (minus, diverging) lens.

15. What is the formula relating the dioptric power of a corrective lens to its focal length?

    Power (D) = 1 / focal length (in metres).

16. Define hyperopia and the lens used to correct it; what accommodative consequence may occur in young patients?

    Hyperopia (farsightedness) is when parallel rays focus behind the retina; corrected with a convex (plus, converging) lens. Young hyperopes use accommodation to compensate, which can cause asthenopia and accommodative esotropia.

17. Define astigmatism and name the lens used to correct it.

    Astigmatism is unequal refraction in different meridians (often from an irregular/toric cornea), producing two focal lines; corrected with a cylindrical lens.

18. What is presbyopia, its cause, and its typical age of onset?

    Presbyopia is the age-related loss of accommodation due to lens hardening (decreased elasticity) and weakening of ciliary effective action, causing difficulty with near vision, typically beginning around age 40; corrected with convex reading lenses.

19. What is the most common type of cataract overall and the most common morphological type in age-related cataract?

    Age-related (senile) cataract is the most common overall; the nuclear sclerotic type is the most common morphological form, while cortical and posterior subcapsular are other key types.

20. Posterior subcapsular cataract characteristically causes which symptom and is associated with what systemic factor/drug?

    It causes disproportionate glare and difficulty in bright light/near vision; associated with corticosteroid use, diabetes, and radiation.

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