Simulated Ophthalmic Surgery

The Community Eye Health Institute offers in-person, hands-on simulation training courses over 1 to 3 days at the simulation training centre at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. Courses are suitable for trainees at different stages of surgical training. The Basic Microsurgical Skills (BMS) course is aimed at those starting out in ophthalmic microsurgery; the Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS), Phacoemulsification and Trabeculectomy courses for registrars who are earlier in their training; and the Introduction to Pars Plana Vitrectomy and Gonioscopy-Assisted Transluminal Trabeculotomy (GATT) courses for more senior trainees. The surgical procedures are broken down into individual steps which are discussed and taught in detail and practiced repeatedly on simulation models. Where appropriate, the surgical manoeuvres are also practiced on a high-fidelity virtual reality simulator (Eyesi®). The goal of these courses is to achieve a degree of competence, which the trainee takes back to their training facility where they receive further supervised training. The courses are also open to senior ophthalmic surgeons to be trained as simulation course trainers.

All courses are conducted in English.