Objective: To describe a stepwise surgical curriculum that was implemented to teach novice surgeons about currently available advanced technology intraocular lenses (ATIOLs) for correction of presbyopia and to report the experiences and surgical results of ATIOL surgery performed by residents who engaged in the curriculum.
Design, Setting, and Participants: Third-year ophthalmology residents participated in a curriculum incorporating didactic lectures (with objective assessment and wet-lab practice) and observation of attending-performed ATIOL surgeries prior to performing ATIOL surgery as primary surgeon under direct supervision. Post-operative outcomes studied were best corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA) and uncorrected distance (UDVA), intermediate (UIVA) near (UNVA) visual acuity and correction of astigmatism with at least 3 months of follow-up (POM3+). Residents were also given a survey to assess experiences with the surgical curriculum, preparedness for use of ATIOLs post-residency, and ATIOL practice pattern post-residency.
Results: A total of 12 residents from four consecutive classes completed the curriculum. Residents overall had a favorable opinion of the curriculum and felt well prepared to use ATIOLs after training. Graduates who currently perform cataract surgery felt comfortable using all available ATIOLs. A total of 100 eyes from 72 patients met the inclusion criteria for analysis in the study. At the POM3+ timepoint, 88% of eyes had UDVA of 20/30 or better, 93% had UIVA of 20/30 or better, and 71.2% had UNVA of 20/30 (J2) or better. Among eyes that received an astigmatism-correcting ATIOL, 91% had < 1 diopter of astigmatism after surgery.
Conclusion: Resident surgeons learned to perform ATIOL surgery (medical knowledge) and achieve strong surgical outcomes (patient care) with all currently available ATIOLs after completion of a stepwise curriculum. Educators may be encouraged to incorporate an ATIOL curriculum based on the results of this study. The curriculum presented is a prototype and may be further improved with future experiences and studies.
Keywords: cataract surgery curriculum, presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses, advanced technology intraocular lenses, resident cataract surgery