We are proud to present the Alistair Fielder Prize in Ophthalmology which will be held during the Pantheo Eye Center Annual Congress in conjunction with the Midland Ophthalmological Society UK on the 13^th-14^th of April 2019 at the Amathus Beach Hotel, Limassol, Cyprus. The conference will be under the auspices of the University of Nicosia Medical School.

The prize is given to the best presentation given by a trainee in Ophthalmology during a rapid fire presentation session. There will also be a prize for the best poster. The theme of the conference this year is

“Keep an Eye on systemic disease”

Early exposure to such events and your peers’ recognition of your ability to participate and stand up to scrutiny is invigorating and inspiring, whether you win or lose. If this prize is to be a form of inspiration then it is only fitting that it is named after someone who throughout his career has been a source of inspiration for so many, Professor Alistair Fielder.

To register as a candidate for the prize or for further enquiries, please contact Ms Nikoletta Georgiou at conference@pantheo.com or nikoletta@pantheo.com or by phone +35725735353 or fax +35725732266.

10 November 2018, the Mobile Clinic in collaboration with the Pantheo Eye Center travelled to Platres to perform ophthalmology checks.

The Mobile Clinic team made a first stop in Limassol, at the Pantheo Eye Center, to pick up the necessary equipment for the expedition and to receive refresher training in visual acuity testing.

In Platres, the clinic was hosted in a historic marketplace, which proved to be a remarkable venue for these vision checks. The space is being renovated to act as a local community historical centre.

Sixty-eight patients came from four surrounding villages and were treated to lavender tea and treats while waiting for their exams.

The student volunteers were responsible for taking patient histories and performing visual acuity testing.

They also had the opportunity to observe, assist and learn from Drs Theodoros Potamitis, Katia Papastavrou, Savvas Christou and  Anthi Mina, who performed the screenings for ophthalmological diseases.

Throughout the visit, it was clear that a sense of community lay at the heart of this clinical activity. The Community leader, Mr Panayiotis Papadopoullos, sees events like this as not only a public service, but also as an opportunity for the community to become closer, stating that in Platres “hospitality is a part of life.”

Five of University of Nicosia Medical students travelled to London last June to participate in a number of events related to the specialty of Ophthalmology.  Following a competitive entry, the students were invited to present their posters at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) for the annual Ophthalmology section competition that was held on 14 June 2018.  The students exhibited three posters of unique cases of patients that they were involved with at Pantheo Eye Centre in Limassol, Cyprus. The five students are: Afreshdeep Sandhu, Victoria Mumford, Rahama John, Catriona Walker and Mohammed Durani.

During their stay in London, they also had the opportunity to visit the Royal College of Ophthalmology. They received a guided-tour by Professor Keeler who walked them through all the famous exhibits at the College’s museum.

Finally, the students gave oral presentations of their case reports at the North of London Clinical Governance meeting held at the Royal Free Hospital on 15 June 2018.

MBBS student Catriona Walker recollected: ‘Being selected to present our poster at the RSM Meeting for Medical Students and Trainees was such a great opportunity not only to represent the Medical School but also to meet other medical students and Foundation doctors based in the UK. It was an excellent experience to be part of the meeting and hear about some of the future advances in the field of Ophthalmology.

We gave oral presentations of our case reports at the North of London Clinical Governance Meeting at the Royal Free Hospital – what a special opportunity this was indeed!  This was a great experience for us to share our case reports and to practise our presentation skills.  Our audience consisted of consultants, ophthalmology and GP trainees, research fellows, and Foundation doctors who in turn presented their own case reports and audits.  This served as a great eye-opener into what we will be doing once we graduate and start our careers’.

MBBS student Victoria Mumford added: ‘It was such an honour to be invited to so many fantastic events in London. This was all thanks to the Pantheo Eye Centre for kindly guiding us and letting us work on their case studies. It has truly been enlightening to meet so many kind, hard-working people. Everyone I met shared one thing in common, their love and dedication to their patients.’