Department of
Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Program Aims

Overall Educational Goals

The overall goals of the West Virginia University School of Medicine Residency and Fellowship Programs are to provide residents and fellows with superior clinical and surgical training in every subspecialty of ophthalmology and to afford opportunities for productive scholarly activity.

The rotations are designed to provide exposure to increasing case complexity and surgical responsibility. During the first year, residents are expected to acquire knowledge about basic anatomy, pathology, optics, and clinical ophthalmology through didactic and computer-based instruction.

In the clinical rotation at the Louis A. Johnson VA in Clarksburg, WV, residents are expected to learn through the management of general ophthalmology patients, the fundamentals of ophthalmic history taking, diagnosis of basic categories of disease, refraction, and current practices for proper documentation of care. In the three years of the residency, residents will have a combination of comprehensive ophthalmology and subspecialty rotations at WVU and clinic and surgery at the VA.

General Objectives for Residents

  • Supervised direct patient care experience which allows the resident to:
    • Gain competent ophthalmologic examination skills
    • Formulate and work up differential diagnoses
    • Manage clinical problems of increasing complexity
    • Develop and exercise clinical and ethical decision-making abilities
    • Develop patient communication techniques
    • Work effectively as a member of the medical care team
  • Graduated supervised procedural and surgical experience including:
    • Modern cataract and anterior segment techniques, including strabismus and oculoplastics techniques
    • Anterior and posterior segment laser surgery
    • Exposure to all subspecialty areas of surgery
  • Development of a broad fund of basic science and clinical knowledge through lectures, reading, and interactive conference and review sessions
  • To provide residents with exposure to research, to teach them to knowledgeably assess research results, and to motivate residents to pursue projects
  • Development of teaching and leadership skills
  • Preparation for American Board of Ophthalmology written and oral exams

PGY-2 (1st Year) Residents

Goals

Residents will learn to provide general ophthalmology medical care to patients compassionately and professionally. [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]

In addition, the first-year resident will be introduced to subspecialty care at WVU and the VA. While on call (year-round) and with dedicated consult rotations during the second half of the year, the resident will learn to perform ophthalmic consultations on patients with systemic disease and coordinate care with other services and subspecialties. [PC, PLI, ICS, P, and SP]

Objectives / Knowledge Expected at End of PGY-2 Year

  • Development of a core knowledge base through the use of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Basic and Clinical Science Course and attendance at clinical conferences [MK, PLI]
  • Learning basic anterior and posterior segment examination skills [PC, PLI]
  • Performance of minor surgical procedures (i.e., chalazion excision) [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P]
  • Gain facility with management of most ophthalmic emergencies via emergency room coverage and manage them appropriately [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Introduction to examination techniques and management of basic problems in the subspecialty areas of glaucoma, cornea, ophthalmic plastics, retina, pediatrics and neuro-ophthalmology [PC, PLI]
  • Learning of retinoscopy, refraction and contact lens fitting techniques [MK, PC, PLI]
  • Understanding of the indications for and uses of low vision aids [PC, PLI]
  • Use of ophthalmic instruments including direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy, slit lamp examination with handheld and contact lenses, gonioscopy, Hertel exophthalmometer, Humphrey and Goldman visual field, OCT, lensometry and keratometry [MK, PLI]
  • Be able to use good judgment to seek consultation for serious conditions [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P SP]
  • Generate differential diagnoses for common clinical signs and symptoms [MK, ICS]
  • Develop a good understanding of common eye diseases and their treatments [MK, ICS]
  • Know the basic principles of low vision management [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Gain exposure to and an appreciation for subspecialty ocular surgery [PC, PLI, P, SP]
  • Present interesting cases at grand rounds conferences [PLI, ICS, P]
  • Participate in journal clubs [PLI, ICS, P]
  • Identification of an area of research interest and the pursuit of an original project with faculty guidelines for presentation at Research Day [MK, PLI, ICS, P]

PGY-3 (2nd Year) Residents

Goals

The resident will continue learning the delivery of medical and surgical care to comprehensive and subspecialty ophthalmology patients, to perform ophthalmic consultations on patients with systemic diseases and coordinate care with other services and subspecialties. [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]

The resident is exposed to a heightened level of clinical responsibility, both medically and surgically. [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]

The second-year resident gains increasing responsibility for consults and emergencies. [ICS, P, SP]

The residents are expected to develop surgical skills to the degree of taking primary responsibility for uncomplicated cataracts. [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P]

General ophthalmologic skills should improve to the point of managing most general ophthalmological cases with confidence. [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]

Residents should develop efficiency in clinic management. [PC, PLI, ICS, P, SP]

By the end of the second year, residents should have an in-depth understanding of each of the subspecialties, including the diagnosis and management of complex diseases. [PC, MK, PKI, ICS, P]

Objectives / Knowledge Expected at End of the PGY-3 Year

  • Increasing clinical decision-making in the management of general clinic and emergency patients [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Performance of portions of increasingly complex surgical procedures in the ophthalmic subspecialties [PC, PLI, P, SP]
  • Training in techniques of anterior and posterior segment laser surgery [MK, PC, PLI, ICS, SP]
  • Development of interpretive skills in assessing diagnostic tests such as fluorescein angiograms, radiologic images, etc. [ MK, PC, PLI, SP]
  • Performance of ophthalmic consultations on inpatients and in the emergency room [PC, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Demonstrate increasing ability to function independently in the clinical management of increasingly complex ophthalmologic problems [MK, PC, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Demonstrate ability to supervise and instruct junior residents in the development of necessary skills for performing ophthalmologic examinations and decision-making for diagnosis and treatment of common ophthalmologic problems [ICS, P, SP]
  • Communicate and interact with other services in a professional, collegial manner, and appropriately access the healthcare system to obtain necessary care for patients [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Present interesting cases at grand rounds conferences [PLI, ICS, P]
  • Participate in journal clubs [PLI, ICS, P]
  • Continue development and work on research projects [MK, PLI, ICS, P]

PGY-4 (3rd Year) Residents

Goals

The primary goals during the final year of residency are to refine subspecialty knowledge and to gain confidence in surgical skills to the point of independent surgery. Residents will also learn how to manage intraoperative and postoperative complications. Residents will acquire awareness of the present social, legal, and financial aspects of medicine. Residents will refine ethical concerns for patients through the role of the responsible physician and surgeon. Residents will learn how to solidify, organize and express their knowledge as teachers and mentors to the junior residents. Residents should acquire skills in teaching and pass on their knowledge to the next generation of junior residents.

Each of the third-year residents will acquire the experience, responsibility, and judgment necessary to be an excellent physician. [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]

The goal in the final year of residency is to refine subspecialty knowledge and to gain confidence in surgical skills to the point of independent surgery. [PC, MK, PLI, P]

The residents will be able to perform complex intraocular, oculoplastic and laser procedures, as well as be able to diagnose and repair ocular trauma. [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P]

The resident will be able to provide preoperative and postoperative care for his/her surgical patients. [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P]

The residents will refine ethical concerns for patients through the role of the responsible physician and surgeon. [P]

The residents will learn how to solidify, organize and express his or her knowledge, as teachers and mentors to the junior residents. [ICS, P, SP]

Objectives / Knowledge Expected at End of the PGY-4 Year

  • Demonstrate ability to function independently in the clinical and surgical management of complex ophthalmologic problems of the anterior segment [MK, PC, PLI, ICS, SP, P]
  • Training in the indications for, performance of, and complications of surgery in the subspecialty disciplines of glaucoma, retina, cornea, ophthalmic plastics and refractive surgery [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Demonstrate ability to supervise and instruct junior residents in the development of necessary skills for performing ophthalmologic examinations and decision-making for diagnosis and treatment of common ophthalmologic problems [ICS, P, SP]
  • Continued pathology training with an emphasis on clinicopathologic correlations. Includes completion of the AFIP Pathology Course and the subsequent teaching of this course content to the junior residents. [MK, ICS, SP]
  • Supervise junior resident coverage of ocular trauma and learn the independent management of ocular trauma [ PC, PLI, ICS, SP]
  • Communicate and interact with other services in a professional, collegial manner, and appropriately access the healthcare system to obtain necessary care for patients [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Independent surgical management of cataracts including lens aspiration, lensectomy, extracapsular cataract extraction and phacoemulsification, including management of intraoperative complications, as well as pre-and post-op management of astigmatism, inflammation, and infection [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Diagnosis and management of ocular trauma, including corneal and scleral lacerations/ruptures, lid and brow lacerations, orbital trauma and lacrimal drainage system trauma, including surgical management of canalicular lacerations [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P, SP]
  • Diagnosis and management of intraocular and orbital foreign bodies [PC, MK, PLI, ICS, P]
  • Ability to perform Nd:YAG posterior capsulotomy [PC, MK, ICS]
  • Ability to perform retinal laser photocoagulation, including cases with hazy media [PC, MK, ICS]
  • Present interesting cases at grand rounds conferences [PLI, ICS, P]
  • Participate in journal clubs [PLI, ICS, P]
  • Complete and present research projects [MK, PLI, ICS, P]