Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Is Diminishing Undergraduate Exposure to Ophthalmology Threatening the Competence of our Doctors?

Abstract

UK medical schools are no longer required to include ophthalmology rotations in clinical attachments. The current state of ophthalmic education has sadly seen little improvement over the last few decades with studies 25 years ago also reflecting an inadequate system, resulting in general practitioners with poor confidence in looking after patients presenting to them. Scantling-Birch and colleagues go as far as to say that we have a current crisis in ophthalmic education, where we may be seeing non-ophthalmologists in medico-legally indefensible positions, unable to complete a basic examination. Declining exposure to ophthalmology and the issues relating to its undergraduate education are not limited to the UK; Mottow-Lippa discusses the similar decline in the United States and stresses that efforts from the profession are needed if we want to preserve doctors who are competent in basic ophthalmic examination.