Handwritten Exam Notes for Ophthalmology
The world's only ophthalmology exam-ready notes designed for FRCOphth, ICO/FICO, FAICO, DNB and NEET-SS. No 50-page chapters — just the exact points the exam tests, written by doctors who passed.
Handwritten PDFs
Exam-ready revision
Why handwritten notes beat typed PDFs
We tried typed notes for two years. Pass rates were lower, recall was worse, and residents complained the formatting felt sterile. Once we switched to genuine handwritten notes the difference was obvious — and the data backed it up.
Visual memory is stronger
Handwriting creates spatial anchors the brain encodes deeper than uniform type. You remember which corner of which page held a fact.
Forced distillation
Writing by hand is slow. That slowness forces us to compress a 40-page Kanski chapter into 3 hand-drawn pages — exactly what you need at 3am the day before the exam.
Drawn diagrams, not photos
Exam questions show schematics, not glossy textbook plates. Our hand-drawn diagrams match the style of FRCOphth and DNB stems.
No autoformatting noise
No bullet inconsistencies, no half-broken tables, no Word styles. What you see is exactly what we revised from.
Easier to annotate
Residents print our PDFs and add their own margin notes. Tightly typeset PDFs leave no room to do this.
Built by passers
Every note set was made by an ophthalmologist who cleared the exact exam you are sitting. The omissions are deliberate, not accidental.
What's inside each note set
Every set follows the same predictable structure so you spend zero time learning the layout and all of it revising.
- Page count120–250 pages per topic, A4 portrait, hand-drawn diagrams throughout.
- Opening mapEach topic opens with a one-page concept map so you see the whole subspecialty before diving in.
- Disease blocksDefinition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, classification, clinical features, investigations, management, prognosis — in that order, every time.
- Highlighted high-yieldMargin tags mark facts that have appeared in FRCOphth, ICO and DNB papers in the last five years.
- Mnemonics & memory aidsHand-drawn mnemonics for syndromes, drug side-effect profiles and grading systems.
- Self-test questionsEach chapter closes with 8–15 quick recall questions linked to MCQs in the app.
Topics covered across our note library
Full note PDFs
Browse the full PDF, then buy on the store
Open complete note PDFs on this site. When you’re ready, get lifetime access on ophthamcq.com.
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Retina Deciphered
Full handwritten retina notes — lifetime access on the OphthaMCQ store.
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Full PDF
Anatomy of Eye Notes
Full anatomy of eye handwritten notes on the OphthaMCQ store.
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Full PDF
Glaucoma Exam Ready Notes
Full glaucoma exam-ready notes on the OphthaMCQ store.
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Full PDF
Eyelids Exam Ready Notes
Full eyelids / oculoplastics notes on the OphthaMCQ store.
Open full PDFBest ophthalmology notes — by topic
Each set is a standalone purchase. Buy a single topic for ₹249–₹999, or combine sets to cover your whole exam.
Retina Deciphered
150+ pages of handwritten exam-ready notes covering the entire retina syllabus.
Eyelids Exam Ready Notes
Oculoplastics and eyelid disorders for your PG and fellowship exams.
Anatomy of Eye Notes
Complete ocular anatomy with clinical correlations and exam focus.
Glaucoma Exam Ready Notes
Complete glaucoma notes from pathophysiology to surgical management.
Optics & Refraction Notes
The most feared topic — made simple with diagrams and solved problems.
Short-Term Phaco
Hands-on phacoemulsification fellowship preparation notes and case discussions.
Instruments in Ophthalmology
High-yield ophthalmic instruments with uses, parts, and viva-ready explanations.
Recent Advances in Ophthalmology
Latest advances in ophthalmology distilled for PG exams, viva, and interviews.
Ophthalmology Case Presentation Format
Step-by-step case presentation formats for clinical exams, long cases, and viva.
Ophthalmology Drugs Practical PDF
Practical ophthalmology drugs guide with doses, indications, and exam pearls.
How to Read Ophthalmology Reports/Tests
Learn to interpret OCT, visual fields, FA, ICGA, B-scan, and other reports like an examiner.
Rings, Dots, Lines, Spots in Ophthalmology
The ultimate clinical guide to rings, dots, lines, and spots in ophthalmology.
Instruments & Drugs for Practical Exams/Viva
Combined instruments and drugs notes for practical exams and viva preparation.
Our notes vs. standard textbooks
Kanski, Ryan and BCSC remain world-class reference texts. They are not, however, designed for fast exam revision. Use them for first-pass learning. Use our handwritten notes for everything that comes after.
| Compare | OphthaMCQ Handwritten Notes | Kanski / Ryan / BCSC |
|---|---|---|
| Time to revise one topic | 45–90 minutes | 6–12 hours |
| Designed for exams? | Yes — every line is a testable fact | No — written for reference |
| Diagrams | Hand-drawn, exam-style | Photographs and atlases |
| Updates | Free lifetime updates | Buy new edition |
| Price | ₹249–₹999 per topic | ₹4,000–₹25,000 per book |
| Format | PDF + mobile app sync | Print only (mostly) |
The distillation methodology
"We read Kanski front-to-back, then Ryan, then Elkington. We listed every fact that appeared in three or more past papers. We threw away the rest. Then we wrote it by hand, page by page, until residents told us they could revise the whole topic in under two hours. That is the OphthaMCQ note."
— The OphthaMCQ author team
Full chapter coverage of Kanski, Ryan, Elkington, BCSC and Khurana.
Map every fact against 10+ years of FRCOphth, ICO, FAICO and DNB papers.
Hand-draw the final note set, peer-review with two passers, scan and ship.
Best ophthalmology notes for your exam
Pick the exam you are preparing for and we will show you the note bundle that maps to its syllabus.
FRCOphth
For FRCOphth Part 1 basic sciences and Part 2 clinical, lead with anatomy and optics, then layer retina and glaucoma for the written paper.
ICO / FICO
ICO Basic and Clinical Sciences map cleanly onto our anatomy, optics and retina notes — used by candidates writing from India, the Middle East and Africa.
FAICO
AIOS Fellowship requires subspecialty depth. Choose your fellowship track (Retina, Glaucoma, Oculoplastics) and pair the matching note set with the FAICO MCQ bank.
DNB Ophthalmology
DNB theory papers are wide and shallow. The full handwritten notes set covers every paper-one and paper-four high-yield area without 50-page chapter slogs.
NEET-SS
NEET-SS rewards depth in your chosen super-speciality. Retina Deciphered is the single highest-yield asset for retina aspirants.
PD-CET
PD-CET tests basics quickly. Our anatomy and optics notes condense each topic into a one-sitting revision the night before.
Sample our depth before you buy a note set
Our note explanations match the depth of our MCQ explanations. Try 200 free MCQs across every subspecialty and see exactly how we explain things — then decide which note bundle to invest in.
What residents say about the notes
A sample of unedited reviews from FRCOphth, DNB and NEET-SS candidates who used our handwritten notes.
"The exam ready notes have my heart — extremely helpful for my DNB finals."
"The best distillation of Ryan, Kanski and Elkington you will ever find. Passed FRCOphth Part 1 with 72%."
Notes — frequently asked questions
Honest answers to what residents ask before buying.
Are the notes really handwritten or are they typed PDFs?
Do I get a printable PDF or only digital access?
Is access lifetime?
How often are the notes updated?
Do notes sync with the OphthaMCQ mobile app?
Can I get a sample before paying?
Will these replace Kanski, Ryan and BCSC?
You've seen the sample.
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