Ophthalmology Commons^™

Independent Associations With Research Productivity Among U.S. Academic Ophthalmologists Using The Us-Aofd, Brenton T. Bicknell, Josephine Rudd Zhong Manis, Yejin Heo, Haley Chishom, Lance Dzubinski, Taylor L. Aaserud, Alvina Liang, Shayan Massoumi, Thanushri Srikantha, John Stoffer, Guihua Zhai, Basil K. Williams Jr, Steven E. Brooks, Robert Tauscher

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Scholarly productivity is a key marker of achievement in academic ophthalmology, influencing promotion, research support, and leadership opportunities. Prior studies have reported variation by gender, subspecialty, and rank, but few applied regression methods to identify independent predictors.

Purpose: To evaluate demographic, academic, and subspecialty factors associated with research productivity among U.S. academic ophthalmologists and to identify independent predictors through multivariable regression.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 4,028 ophthalmologists across 126 accredited U.S. residency programs using the U.S. Academic Ophthalmology Faculty Database (US-AOFD). Faculty demographics and academic information were obtained from institutional websites, and bibliometric data (publications, …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Dry Lab Cataract Simulation For Medical Students, Ashley Choi, Andrew Chen, Miel Sundararajan, Karine D. Bojikian, Anthony Chung, Shu Feng

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Cataract surgery is a major component of ophthalmologic surgical training. However, medical students often lack early exposure to intraocular surgery, limiting their ability to assess their interest in the field.

Purpose: To evaluate the educational impact of a cataract surgery dry lab workshop for medical students using the Kitaro Anterior Segment Dry Lab Kit.

Methods: The workshop included a faculty-led presentation on eye anatomy, cataract formation, and cataract surgery, followed by hands-on practice. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires were conducted to evaluate students’ knowledge in cataract surgery, interest in ophthalmology, interest in microsurgery, and evaluation of the …

Expansion Of A Self-Guided Curriculum And Validation Of A Self-Assessment Tool For Ocular Examination Skills, Maria Lee, Irene Pak, Aryan Chaychian, Isabell Kassaye, Adam Alyafaie, Neeti Parikh, Madeline Yung

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Public interest in vision health is growing, yet ophthalmology remains underemphasized in medical education due to time constraints associated with in-person instruction.

Purpose: To demonstrate effectiveness of self-guided e-learning modules for ocular examination skills and to determine whether self-assessments can reliably assess medical student proficiency in these skills.

Methods: Medical students at a single institution participated in a skills workshop. Group 1 completed self-guided modules for visual acuity, confrontational visual field testing, pupil examination, and extraocular motility evaluation. Group 2 completed a self-guided module for the slit lamp anterior segment examination. Afterward, each student completed a …

Program Leaders’ Plans, Perceptions, And Anticipated Effects Of Preference Signaling Before Implementation In Ophthalmology, Melissa Goldin, Alvina Liang, Quentin Eichbaum, Edwin Williamson, Janice Law, Reid Longmuir, Jennifer L. Lindsey

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Purpose: To assess the plans, perceptions, and anticipated effects of preference signaling on the 2024e2025 match cycle among ophthalmology program directors and associate program directors. Methods: A 16-item questionnaire was distributed to 177 ophthalmology program directors and associate program directors prior to the start of the 2024e2025 application cycle. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 71 ophthalmology program directors and associate directors (40 % response rate). Sixty-two program leaders (89 %) planned to incorporate signaling into the application review process. The most common plan was to give additional consideration throughout the application review process (n ¼ 45 [63 %]) followed …

Patterns Of Ophthalmology-Related Interfacility Transfers To The Emergency Department By Temporal Trends, Laura E. Ramirez, Michael Waxman, Denis R. Pauze, Edward J. Wladis

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Interfacility transfer patients are associated with inferior outcomes, higher costs, and emergency department (ED) overcrowding. Previous studies have analyzed the general trends influencing interfacility transfers, but the patterns affecting ophthalmology-related transfer rates remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify the patterns of interfacility ophthalmology-specific transfers to the ED by temporal trends and to determine the type of ophthalmic services required by the transferred population.

Methods: All patients transferred to the ED of a single level 1 trauma center because of ophthalmology-related complaints from 2016 to 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Transfer and nontransfer …

Cross-Sectional Analysis Of International Rotations Among Ophthalmology Residency Programs, Malcolm M Kates, Riley Ct Duke, Krupa H. Patel, Russell W Read

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Applicants to ophthalmology residency programs have increasingly expressed interest in international surgical rotations. As such, ophthalmology residency program directors (PDs) have expanded international offerings to meet this desire but the true number of residency programs with international offerings is unknown. Methods: In February 2023, the official residency websites of all 125 accredited US-based ophthalmology residency programs were analyzed for any mention of international rotations. Websites were identified using a Google™ search by entering the program name and “ophthalmology residency.” All websites were surveyed for information regarding international rotations including the presence/absence of an international rotation and any additional information …

Gender Representation Of Presenters At American Academy Of Ophthalmology Conferences From 2004-2019, Eleanor Burton, Chase Paulson, Ayesha Patil, Ruby Garcia, Sydni Johnson, Josie White, Adriana Rush, Devin Eddington, Jeff H. Pettey, Rachel G. Simpson

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Importance: Gender equity is an important topic in medicine and accurate trends are essential to evaluate historical, current, and future trends.

Objective: To describe changes in gender representation at American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) meetings from 2004 to 2019.

Participants: Presenters at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meetings from 2004 to 2019.

Design & Setting: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Data was extracted using AAO annual and subspecialty meeting archives for every third year between 2004 and 2019. Sessions were stratified by category and subspecialty. Poster sessions were excluded. Gender was considered binary and determined …

Representation Of Women At Select Academic Ophthalmology Institutions In The United States, Hazem M Mousa, Camryn Thompson, Sri Meghana Konda, Keke Liu, Jay Rathinavelu, Terry Lee, Katherine Peters, Kevin J. Jackson, Laura Enyedi, Pratap Challa, Sharon Fekrat

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Purpose: To investigate the representation of women among ophthalmology faculty members at select academic institutions in the United States (US).

Design: Cross-sectional study

Subjects: Clinical faculty members at the top 20 academic ophthalmology institutions in the U.S. according to US News and World Report ranking

Methods: Gender as reported on institutional websites either directly or via pronouns, academic rank, medical school graduation year, and subspecialty were collected about clinical faculty members with MD, MD/PhD, MBBS or DO from their respective institutional websites. The number of publications for each faculty member was collected using Scopus ® (Elsevier, …

Cataract Simulator Training And Medical Student Attitudes Towards Ophthalmology, Victor Sanchez, Christian Diaz, Zachary Elkin, Laura Palazzolo, Andrea Blitzer, Manjool Shah, Christina R. Prescott

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Introduction: Simulation-based learning offers novel opportunities to teach ophthalmology to medical students and inspire interest in the field. Eyesi surgical simulators have become widely adopted by ophthalmology departments and may serve a purpose in medical student education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of cataract simulators on medical student attitudes towards ophthalmology and to assess their performance/improvement on a series of simulator tasks.

Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of 31 medical students. Participants were recruited through an email sent via the school’s listserv. Enrolled students completed a series of tasks on the …

Real-World Assessment (Rwa): Validity Evidence For Cataract Surgery With A Tool Your Faculty Will Actually Use, Grace L. Paley, Hui Zhao, Victoria M. Addis, Casey J. Beal, Geetha K. Davis, Gabriela M. Espinoza, Michael S. Lee, Stacy L. Pineles, Jamie B. Rosenberg, Robert T. Swan, Misha F. Syed, Evan L. Waxman, Susan M. Culican

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: We developed and implemented a real-world assessment tool (RWA) for resident surgery. It was designed to improve utility by reducing faculty and trainee cost (completion and training time, cognitive burden). RWA uses an entrustability scale where higher scores indicate a resident’s readiness for independent surgical practice. We describe a two-phase implementation of RWA and report validity evidence for cataract surgery assessment.

Methods: RWA was developed iteratively with resident and faculty input and piloted at a single residency program in phase 1. Phase 2 implemented RWA at 11 ophthalmology residency programs. The main outcome measures were 1) number …

Student Perceptions Of A Novel No-Cost Mobile Application For Ophthalmic History And Physical Examination, Soryan Kumar, Anagha Lokhande, Spandana Jarmale, Arnav Kumar, Samantha Rosenthal, Grayson W. Armstrong, Michael Migliori, Jamie Schaefer

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Mobile applications have shown promise in enhancing medical trainee performance. In ophthalmology, a comprehensive mobile app can streamline the trainee education process by providing guidance for patient intake. Language barriers pose additional challenges impacting the quality of care for Spanish-speaking patients; literature has documented the adverse impacts of inadequate translation on quality of medical care for both trainees and patients. We aim to develop a free mobile application to guide medical trainees through the ophthalmic patient intake process and assist with Spanish-language translation.

Methods: We developed EyeCheck as a free mobile application for ophthalmology trainee education with …

Community Outreach Vision Screenings With Student-Led Eye Health Education Improves Student Eye Health Knowledge And Ophthalmic Health Disparities Awareness, Tannia M. Rodriguez, Karim Dirani, Samantha M. Arsenault, Ryan Lee Freedman, John-Michael Guest, Kathleen George, Collin Richards, Leo Hall, Mark S. Juzych, Anju Goyal

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of vision impairment and discordant lack of eye care utilization makes it essential to develop effective avenues to educate the future physician work force regarding basic eye health knowledge and ophthalmic health disparities. The public is often not aware that blinding eye diseases can begin asymptomatically. It is important for medical students to understand basic eye health knowledge, such as blinding eye diseases can begin asymptomatically. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an eye health knowledge 5-Point Teaching Intervention (5PTI) and structured patient intake form on student eye health knowledge and …

Investigation Of Change And Stability In Medical Students’ Ophthalmology Specialty Intention From Matriculation To Graduation: Gender And Racial/Ethnic Differences, Douglas Grbic

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Purpose

Using data from a national sample of graduating medical students, this study describes the patterns of change and stability in ophthalmology intentions relative to various other specialties and explains how those patterns vary by the intersection of gender and race/ethnicity.

Method

National survey data from MD-granting medical school graduates who matriculated between 2013-2014 and 2018-2019 and graduated by 2021-2022 were examined. The outcome consisted of four groups based on ophthalmology specialty intention at matriculation and graduation: non-ophthalmology, switched out, switched to, and reaffirmation. Percentages for “reaffirmation” and “switched to” were each compared to the median values for 13 major …