An analysis of undergraduate ophthalmology training in Canada

To investigate the adequacy of undergraduate ophthalmology education in Canada in comparison with the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) guidelines.

Cross-sectional survey.

First-year residents who had graduated from Canadian medical schools.

Eligible residents were invited to participate in an online survey in 2007. Data were categorized by demographic variables, and basic statistics were done.

Responses were obtained from 386 of the 1425 individuals (27.0%) contacted. The majority (64.0%) stated they had "too little" or "no exposure" to ophthalmology in medical school. The majority (76.2%) of respondents stated that they had had 1 week or less of overall exposure to ophthalmology. Sufficient exposure to several ICO core subspecialty areas was reported, including lens/cataract (81.1%) and cornea/external diseases (81.6%); however, some areas did not receive adequate time allocation, such as vitreoretinal disease (41.9%). Similarly, competency was obtained in certain ICO examination skills, including assessment of visual acuity (83.3%) and pupillary reflexes (90.7%) but was not achieved for other skills, such as fundoscopy (52.3%), slit-lamp examination (44.8%), and intraocular pressure assessment (19.9%). When asked whether sufficient ophthalmology knowledge and skills had been obtained during medical school, only 42.9% and 25.9% agreed, respectively.

Undergraduate ophthalmology training in Canada contains gaps in certain key areas. Developing a national, standardized curriculum could ensure that medical students acquire competency in the ophthalmology knowledge and skills required for future clinical practice.