EC Ophthalmology

This paper presents the results of the feasibility of a one-year blended model of the traditional two-year paediatric fellowship in ophthalmology.

A blended course was developed with the aim of training paediatric ophthalmologists in a relatively short duration with no requirement for long periods away from home and without compromising the hands-on experience that they normally receive in traditional training program. Two female ophthalmologists participated in this pilot. Both successfully completed the fellowship and assessment were done as per the requirements of The International Council of Ophthalmology Ophthalmic Clinical Evaluation Exercise (ICO-OCEX) and the surgical skills were assessed using the ICO Ophthalmology Surgical Competency Assessment Rubric (ICO-OSCAR).

This pilot demonstrates the feasibility of a blended program for paediatric ophthalmology, without the need for long periods away from home, and with likely future benefits for those unable to relocate due to family responsibilities, costs or other factors.

Keywords: Paediatric Ophthalmology Training; International Council of Ophthalmology Ophthalmic Clinical Evaluation Exercise (ICO-OCEX); ICO Ophthalmology Surgical Competency Assessment Rubric (ICO-OSCAR)

1. Christina Mangurian EL., et al. “What’s Holding Women in Medicine Back from Leadership”. Harvard Business Review (2018).
2. Khan H and Moosajee M. “Facing up to gender inequality in ophthalmology and vision science”. Eye9 (2018): 1421-1422.
3. Julia Boorstin HT. “How coronavirus could do real, long-term damage to women’s careers”. CNBC (2021).
4. Cybersight online courses (2022).
5. Golnik KC., et al. “The ophthalmic clinical evaluation exercise (OCEX)”. Ophthalmology7 (2004): 1271-1274.
6. Badakere A., et al. “OCO-OSCAR scoring for pediatric cataract surgeries performed by pediatric ophthalmology fellows in training - stage of fellowship and quality of surgery”. Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus1 (2021): e99.