Impact of cornea recovery training and certification on ophthalmology residents

BACKGROUND: In Asian countries, such as Taiwan, social taboos regarding organ and tissue donation decreases the prevalence of organ and tissue transplants. This also applies to cornea recovery, which is a skill that requires precision and practice to perform well. In Taiwan, to ensure the maintenance of high-quality corneas, a comprehensive training program and certified examination has been implemented. This study aims to investigate the impact of these programs and examinations on cornea recovery. METHODS: Researchers evaluated the efficiency of the training and certified examination process by comparing the corneoscleral rim width, Descemet's membrane folds, endothelial layer stress lines, and endothelial cell density performed by ophthalmology residents in 2018 and 2019. RESULTS: After training and certification, the Descemet's membrane folds rate decreased from 14.3 % to 2.0 % and endothelial layer stress lines rate decreased from 22.5 % to 5.0 %. The endothelial cell density of donor grafts significantly improved from 2681.9 cells/mm(2) to 2869.7 cells/mm(2) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study used objective data to evaluate cornea recovery quality after training and certification. The training and certified examination significantly improved the surgical skills of ophthalmology residents and could be applied in other tissue or organ recovery procedures to maintain and improve quality.