Irish College of Ophthalmologists Winter Meeting

The Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO) annual Winter Meeting was held on 21 November 2025 in the RCSI, Dublin.

The meeting was dedicated to the subspecialty of neuro-ophthalmology, featuring a distinguished panel of experts from both Ireland and the UK. 

Consultant Neuro-ophthalmologists, Ms Lisa McAnena, Beaumont Hospital and Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin; and Ms Áine Ní Mhéalóid, Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Dublin, co-chaired the event.

Dr Tasanee Braithwaite, Consultant Ophthalmologist in Neuro-ophthalmology and Uveitis at the Medical Eye Unit, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, opened the meeting with a presentation on optic neuritis, the inflammation of the optic nerve.

Dr Braithwaite provided an overview of the diagnosis and management of the condition, and an update on research into optic neuritis epidemiology, association with systemic and neurologic diseases, the potential for genetic risk scores to enhance disease prediction, and consideration of economic and health system factors on clinical practice patterns and patient outcomes.

Ms Ruchika Batra, Consultant Neuro-ophthalmologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK, gave her talk on ‘an approach to optic neuropathies’. 

Dr Patrick Nicholson, Consultant Neuro-Interventional Radiologist, Beaumont Hospital and Beacon Hospital, Dublin, discussed neuroimaging of the optic pathway.   

Ms McAnena’s talk on ocular imaging and electrophysiology addressed the various ocular imaging and electrodiagnostic modalities available in the ophthalmology clinic and their respective applications in neuro-ophthalmic conditions.

Annual Montgomery Lecture 2025

The Annual Montgomery Lecture, hosted by the ICO, took place at the same venue that evening. The lecture entitled ‘Journey of an accidental academic’ was delivered by Prof Anthony King, Consultant Ophthalmologist, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK.

Prof King’s primary research interest is in the clinical management of glaucoma, focusing particularly on advanced glaucoma and patient-centred delivery of care.

In his lecture, Prof King discussed the importance of definitions when reporting outcomes of glaucoma trials and the management of patients presenting with advanced glaucoma. His talk charted his experience along the pathway from a rookie researcher to a randomised controlled trial, discussing the realities of undertaking research, while strongly encouraging young ophthalmologists to embark on this journey.

Prof King is currently the Chief Investigator of the NIHR-funded Treatment of Advanced Glaucoma Study (TAGS).