Ophthalmology education in Australian medical schools: a survey of Australian junior medical officers

Abstract

Ophthalmic presentations to the emergency department are common, and junior doctors who are often the first to review these patients may be required to determine whether an ophthalmology referral is required.1, 2 In addition, at least 3% (estimated range 3–19%) of all primary care consultations involve eye‐related conditions,1, 3 and ocular manifestations of systemic disease are common. The average time spent learning ophthalmology in Australian medical schools takes up less than 2% of university curricula,3, 4 underrepresentative when considering the frequency of ophthalmology‐related presentations in all clinical settings.