Resident Education

Didactic Lectures and Basic and Clinical Science Course

Residents are provided with a copy of the Basic and Clinical Science Course books at the beginning of their PGYII year. Didactic lectures are given mainly at 7-8 a.m. on weekdays with 1 or 2 evening conferences per month. A three year curriculum has been developed to incorporate annual coverage of high yield topics, while also allowing for lectures on a variety of lower yield yet still important topics throughout the course of each persons residency. The goal is to cover a wide range of topics in preparation for the Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment (OKAP) exam and ultimately the American Board of Ophthalmology written and oral examinations.

Additional Educational Events

Third year residents attend either the annual Academy of American Ophthalmology conference or another major conference of their choice (CLAO, ASCRS, ASOPRS, APOS, AGS, ASRS). There is the opportunity to attend a sponsored surgical wet lab course in Ft. Worth, Texas focusing on phacoemulsification. Any resident presenting a paper or poster as first author at a major national conference (e.g. ARVO, ASCRS, AAO) receives departmental support.

Education Conferences

In addition to the resident didactic lectures, there are other scheduled conferences on fluorescein angiography, ethics, and journal clubs. The Eye Institute is now conducting four major CME meetings including an oculoplastics symposium featuring the Levine lectureship, a pediatric ophthalmology symposium featuring the Bruner lectureship, a comprehensive ophthalmology symposium featuring the Purnell lecture and the Purnell visiting lecturer participates in the two day Visual Sciences Research Center (VSRC) symposium. At the VSRC Symposium the best resident research project is awarded a cash prize. Finally, all the area residents and ophthalmologists convene for the Cleveland Ophthalmological Society (COS) quarterly conference covering all the specialty areas, including the department-sponsored Lorand Johnson Lecture for the spring meeting. This conference is attended by the majority of ophthalmologists in northeast Ohio with active participation from the area residencies as well as private practice physicians.

Grand Rounds

Residents, faculty, and community ophthalmologists attend weekly Grand Rounds every Wednesday morning from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. from September to June. Grand Rounds speakers include local, regional, and national clinicians and researchers within the field of ophthalmology. Residents also participate in Grand Rounds, presenting interesting cases from UH and the VA. Over the course of the year, there is a comprehensive review of topics in all the clinical specialties and cutting edge research.

Microsurgical Curriculum—EyeSi Simulator and Wet Lab

The EyeSi simulator is located conveniently in the clinic at the VA with readily available access to all residents. It has four microsurgical modules provided for residents to complete, to provide a solid foundation of surgical skills prior to performing surgery on patients. Each module has progressively more complex microsurgical information, skills, and techniques for mastery.

In conjunction with the virtual simulator, a new wet-lab curriculum has been developed which involves one half day per week during two blocks of the PGYII schedule. This time is spent one on one with faculty and is designed to teach and familiarize residents with the techniques involved with intraocular surgery. Group wet-labs throughout the year also cover external suturing, botox and filler, corneal/scleral suturing, and glaucoma device placement.