EBO-EURETINA Subspecialty Exam 2025

Applications Now Open

General Information

The EBO and Euretina have come together to develop the FEBOS-R qualification.

The purpose of this qualification is to harmonise the standard of expected knowledge and clinical acumen for retina specialists across Europe.

The exam will assess candidates’ ability to manage a retina clinic. It could be seen as an “exit” exam, that someone has achieved a theoretical level of knowledge required to manage patients safely and effectively.

• Euretina is designing this exam, as the society’s mission is to promote the most up-to-date science and encourage evidence-based practice, to provide the best care and outcomes for patients
• EBO is accrediting this exam, as part of its mission to harmonise knowledge and training in ophthalmology to promote better patient care across Europe
• Candidates will sit the exam, to attain certification that they have met the standards set by Euretina, regarding the knowledge and acumen of a retina specialist, who manages patients safely and effectively.
• The exam will benefit the wider community, as the standard for retina specialists across Europe is harmonised, fellowships and other opportunities for those training to become retina specialists can use the exam to inform their training.

In this way, Euretina and the EBO are setting the standard for retina specialists and patient care across Europe.

Structure

This exam will be conducted in two parts:

PART I: Online multiple-choice exam is conducted remotely, composed of Single Best Answer question types.

Candidates must pass Section I to proceed to Section II, the viva voce (clinical knowledge) test.

PART II: Viva voce is a 60-minute interview-based exam, in 4 parts. Candidates will be interviewed at 4 stations by experts.

Each station interview will be based on two case

Please note: these subjects represent the 8 subsections of Euretina. Each subject will carry an equivalent weight in the overall judgement of a candidate’s final score

Candidate Requirements

The following represent minimal requirements to sit the exam:

At a minimum, candidates should have passed the comprehensive EBO examination (FEBO) or equivalent national or international boards-level exam (FRCOphth, FRCS Ophthalmology (RCS Glasgow) etc.) And:

• Have completed a retina fellowship(where there are fellowships).
• OR have at leasttwo year’s experience working in a retina clinic.

Those with more extensive experience, but without a specific diploma will be considered.

Please note: The FEBOS-R diploma can only be awarded to candidates who trained in or have a permanent authority to work as a medical doctor in a UEMS member country. If you are from outside the UEMS, you will receive a certificate of accomplishment, stating you have passed the exam.

Informal enquiries about eligibility can be made by emailing exam@euretina.org. Please include “Exam Eligibility” in the subject line of your email so we can attend to it more quickly.

The examination working group will review applications to ensure applicants meet candidate requirements, prior to accessing the exam.

Please note, when applying you will be asked to upload a CV and recommendation letter. You must download and complete these in the following templates:

• EBO-EURETINA Exam CV Template
• EBO-EURETINA Exam Recommendation Letter Template

Failure to use these templates may result in your application being rejected.

Fees

The current fee for the EBO-Euretina exam is €550. Euretina and EBO reserve the right to increase the fee in future

Euretina will include a complimentary registration to the 25th Euretina Congress in Paris for those accepted to sit the exam

Where an applicant is not accepted to sit the exam, or if they withdraw before the closing date for applications, they will be refunded €400. €150 is retained by EBO and Euretina to cover administration and document review costs

Except in exceptional circumstances, if a candidate does not attend for the exam, or cancels after the closing date for applications, they will not be reimbursed their exam fee

Resits

Candidates who do not pass PART I or PART II will be eligible to resit the exam once, for a reduced fee of €150.

From the 2025 exam onwards, resits will be required to sit both parts of the exam.

Exam Process Overview

Applications will open on 18th November 2024. The application form will be accessed via a link on the EBO and Euretina websites.  

Applications will close on Friday February 28^th, 2025 (23:59 CET). EBO and Euretina reserve the right to close applications early if the number of expected applicants exceeds capacity.

During the application process, you will be asked to provide:

• The fee (currently set at €550)
• Photograph
• CV in the format provided (You must use the CV template, which you can download here)
• Recommendation letter in the format provided (you must use the recommendation letter template, which you can download here)
• Proof (Scan, etc.) of any certifications used to support your application (FEBO, FRCOphth, etc.)

The Euretina Examination board will review applications. For those selected to become candidates:

1. PART I(MCQs) will be conducted online on Monday June 9^th 2025
   You must pass the MCQ section to be invited to sit the viva voce.
2. PART II(Viva Voce) will be held on the day before the Euretina Congress opens, Wednesday 2nd September, in Paris. The specific location and time will be confirmed closer to the time. Typically, the exam is run in the morning from 08:30 until around 13:00.

If you do not pass PART I, you will be given an option:

1. You can apply to resit the exam in 2026 (if you are not a resit for 2025). There will be an administrative fee (currently €150). This will commute your registration for the Euretina Congress in 2026. Therefore, you will have to pay for registration for the 25^thEuretina Congress (2025) in Paris
2. OR, you can avail of your registration for the 25^thEuretina Congress (2025) in Paris. In this case, if you wish to take the exam in 2026, you will need to start the application process again (and pay the full fee) when applications open for the 2026 exam.

From 2025, if you pass PART I, but not PART II, you can apply to resit at the reduced rate (currently €150), however you will have to sit both parts of the exam from 2026 onwards.

On passing the EBO-Euretina exam, candidates who have a permanent authorisation to work in a UEMS country will receive the FEBOS-R diploma, and have the right to use the post-nominal title FEBOS-R.

Those who do not have a permanent authorisation to work as a medical doctor in the UEMS will receive a certificate of achievement, stating that they have passed the exam.

Recommended Reading

The minimum required knowledge is that covered in the AAO Basic and Clinical Sciences volumes:

Section 1: Update on General Medicine

Section 4: Ophthalmic Pathology and Intraocular Tumors

Section 9: Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation

Section 12: Retina and Vitreous (Please note a major revision of this volume has been published in 2022)

In addition, candidates will be expected to have kept abreast of recent important research, trials, and clinical practice.

Please also see the EBO-Euretina Exam curriculum for a detailed account of the subject areas covered in the exam.

The following texts have also been recommended:

Please also see the EBO-Euretina Exam curriculum for a detailed account of the subject areas covered in the exam.
 

If you are still unsure about your eligibility, please email exam@euretina.org, and outline your experience. We will be happy to advise.

View the candidate pass list here.