Eyeworld

MARCH 2021 | EYEWORLD | 13 by Alexa Thibodeau, MD, and Bradford Tannen, MD residency curriculum design must strike a balance between ensuring adequate cataract surgical volume to produce competent surgeons and facilitating other educational experiences to prepare residents for independent practice. While most young ophthalmologists express confidence in their ability to perform unsuper- vised cataract surgery upon graduation, many think that their exposure to other important surgical techniques during residency is lacking. 3 Surveys of young eye surgeons showed that the majority had never performed corneal relax- ing incisions or laser vision correction. 4 Fewer than half of respondents thought that they had received adequate training in capsular tension rings, and only 35% reported that they were A chieving competency in cataract surgery is an essential component of ophthalmology residency training. The Accreditation Council for Grad- uate Medical Education (ACGME) mandates that trainees perform at least 86 cat- aract surgeries during residency, with most resi- dents surpassing this minimum. 1 Between 2009 and 2015, the average number of phacoemulsi- fication cases performed by residents as primary surgeon steadily rose from 144 to 174. 2 Despite this increase in cataract surgical caseloads, the number of cases needed for a resident to achieve competency remains un- known. Identification of an optimal cataract surgical caseload is of particular interest for residency training programs; ophthalmic Review of "Quantifying the educational benefit of additional cataract surgery cases in ophthalmology residency" continued on page 14 residency at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, Dr. Ruit returned to Nepal. It was while working on a Nepal Blindness Survey that Dr. Ruit chose his life's path: to re- store sight to those unnecessarily blind. He was the first Nepali doctor to implant IOLs, and he pioneered a manual, small incision method for delivering high-volume, cost-effective cataract surgeries in remote eye camps to which his team must often trek on foot. In 1994, he founded the Tilganga Eye Center in Kathmandu, which treats 6,000 patients a week and provides much of the country's subspecialty eyecare. "Dr. Ruit is an extraordinary leader who has impacted how ophthalmic care is delivered in both the developing and developed worlds," said Kuldev Singh, MD. "His commitment to decreasing morbidity from human disease in his home country of Nepal is truly inspirational. Ophthalmology has been blessed with sever- al outstanding visionaries who have brought modern cataract surgery to underserved com- munities. What makes Sanduk truly special is his personal dedication and sacrifice in bringing his vision to fruition." Drs. Tabin and Ruit established the Hima- layan Cataract Project in 1995, vowing to elim- inate preventable and treatable blindness from the Himalayan region in their lifetime, a goal, in Dr. Tabin's words, "more audacious than setting out to make the first ascent of the East Face of Mount Everest." Their programs train and support ophthalmologists throughout Southeast Asia and Africa. "It gives us great joy to receive this incred- ible honor that is associated with two of our heroes, David Chang and the late Alan Cran- dall—legends of global medicine and among the most dedicated and kindest ophthalmologists we know. We stand on the shoulders of so many giants who've taught and inspired us and are excited to continue working with the ASCRS Foundation and its members to overcome the travesty of needless blindness in our world," Drs. Tabin and Ruit said. Drs. Tabin and Ruit have earmarked the fi- nancial prize to the Himalayan Cataract Project/ CureBlindness.org for their work in overcoming needless blindness in Nepal. continued from page 10 Bradford Tannen, MD Residency Program Director Kellogg Eye Center University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Alexa Thibodeau, MD Resident Kellogg Eye Center University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan ASCRS/EYEWORLD JOURNAL CLUB

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