Objective: Undergraduate UK medical curricula provide minimal exposure to ophthalmic microsurgery, despite its importance for surgical training and career motivation. To address this gap, Anglia Ruskin X Bart’s Ophthalmology 2025 included a dedicated microsurgical workshop. This study evaluated its impact on medical student confidence in performing suturing techniques and understanding microsurgical principles, while also comparing outcomes between pre-clinical and clinical students.

Methods: Sixty-nine attending medical student completed post-workshop surveys rating confidence (5-point Likert scale) for simple interrupted, horizontal and vertical mattress sutures, as well as their general microsurgery understanding . Data was analysed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank and Mann–Whitney U tests.

Results: Significant improvements (p<0.001) were observed across all domains. Confidence in simple interrupted suturing rose markedly, with many students shifting from low to high confidence. Mattress suturing, a more technically demanding technique, also showed a significant post-workshop gain, though baseline confidence was lower. Understanding of microsurgical principles demonstrated the greatest relative improvement, with the majority of students reporting strong confidence after training. No significant differences were found between pre-clinical and clinical attendees (p>0.05).

Conclusion: A short, focused microsurgical workshop markedly enhanced student confidence in ophthalmic suturing and microsurgery understanding, regardless of training stage. Early structured exposure could help address curricular gaps and inspire future ophthalmologists.

Vinesh Mistry is a clinical sciences student at Anglia Ruskin University, UK, studying medicine and endocrinology. He tutors mathematics and science, and has a strong passion for surgical specialities, particularly plastics and endocrine