Curriculum Hours and Approaches to Instruction in Veterinary Ophthalmology: A Global Survey of Veterinary Schools

Reports regarding curricula in ophthalmology across veterinary schools are not currently available. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the number of contact hours and approaches to teaching ophthalmology in the curriculum of English-speaking veterinary schools worldwide. An online survey was distributed to 51 veterinary colleges in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean. Questions pertained to hours dedicated to didactic and laboratory-based instruction, species used, final-year rotations, in-person compared with online instruction, and effective and less effective approaches to teaching veterinary ophthalmology. Descriptive statistics of the quantitative survey responses and a thematic analysis of the open-ended responses were conducted, respectively. A 71% (n = 36/51) response rate was recorded, and the average number of American or European board-certified ophthalmologist instructors per veterinary college was 2.33. Total didactic contact hours varied from 6 to 63 hours (M = 25.6 ± 15.7 hours), and total laboratory contact hours varied from 0 to 153 hours (M = 25.47 ± 38.17 hours), mainly occurring in the fourth year. Dogs were the most used species in surgical exercises (40%). Final-year rotations occurred in 88% of schools, and 88% of instruction was conducted in person across all schools. Case-based learning, review of basic sciences, and use of video were identified as effective didactic teaching strategies by 72% (26/36), 47% (17/36), and 31% (11/36) of schools, respectively. This report can serve as a reference for future studies guiding curricular delivery in veterinary ophthalmology.