How effective is undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in ophthalmology?

Primary health eye care knowledge among general practitioners working in the Cape Town metropole

“…However, 83% of respondents who attended postgraduate courses in ophthalmology regarded their knowledge of primary care ophthalmology as being adequate. 3 Glaucoma recognition, treatment and referral seem to be universal problems. In a study conducted among GPs in Brisbane, Australia, only 15% of GPs were satisfied with their knowledge and skills in diagnosing glaucoma.…”

“…Studies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and USA have identified a similar situation. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Workshops to improve primary health clinical and diagnostic skills in ophthalmology have been found to be effective in improving the skills of primary care physicians in these countries. 7,8 In South Africa, we are not aware of any such courses to enhance the ophthalmic skills of the primary care doctor.…”

Teaching ophthalmoscopy to medical students (the TOTeMS study)

“…In fact, 47% percent of medical student clerks at one Canadian university expressed minimal confidence in their ability to use direct ophthalmoscopy to examine the ocular fundus through an undilated pupil, 15 and 43% of general practitioners surveyed in Great Britain lacked confidence in using the direct ophthalmoscope. 16 Recognizing the poor accuracy and lack of confidence in performing direct ophthalmoscopy, a variety of approaches have been attempted to improve ophthalmoscopy education. A change in the past decade included the creation of the PanOptic ophthalmoscope which provides a wider field of view and may be easier to use than the classic direct ophthalmoscope.…”

Direct ophthalmoscopy should be taught to undergraduate medical students—No

“…[1][2][3] Missed or delayed detection of ophthalmic signs can result in harm to patients: undetected disc swelling could lead to loss of vision from persistently raised intracranial pressure; an undiagnosed retinal artery occlusion could prevent potentially life-saving risk factor modification in a patient at risk of stroke; failure to spot Roth spots could delay the diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis. Ophthalmology-but not direct ophthalmoscopy-is an essential part of undergraduate medical education.…”

“…1 Furthermore, a 1997 survey found that 43% of UK general practitioners lacked confidence in using the direct ophthalmoscope. 2 Fundus examination is performed too infrequently by general physicians and emergency doctors, and, when it is carried out, the quality is poor. In the first phase of the FOTO-ED study, 3 only 14% of 350 patients who presented to an emergency department with symptoms or signs warranting fundus examination (acute visual change, focal neurological deficit, headache or diastolic blood pressure4120 mm Hg) had a fundoscopic examination by an emergency physician.…”