Why attend?

The Cambridge Ophthalmological Symposium, facilitated by the Cambridge Eye Trust is unique among ophthalmological gatherings. It is a two day residential meeting (day rates available) which brings together basic scientists and clinicians to discuss a well-defined topic in detail under the chairmanship of leaders in that field.

The purpose of the symposium is, with the help of contributors of international repute, to take an aspect of ophthalmology, however small and interrogate it in depth so that those involved in basic science research can hear the views of clinicians and as importantly clinicians can come to understand the basic science behind their practice.

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Why St John’s College?

From its conception St John’s College has been the hosting venue for the Symposium. The fact that it is one of the oldest and best preserved Colleges in Cambridge is a fundamental reason for its choice as the fitting meeting location.

The College was founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort, (mother of Henry VII) whose descendants formed the Tudor dynasty. Its fine sixteenth and seventeenth century courts are linked to the later nineteenth century Gothic “New Court” by the picturesque Bridge of Sighs, and within the College can also be found the oldest surviving secular building in Cambridge, The School of Pythagoras, dating from about 1200. It was the St John’s College Boat Club which first challenged Oxford to a race, so originating the annual University Boat Race on the Thames.