Cataract surgery training using surgical simulators and wet-labs: Course description and literature review

Cataract surgery is the most common surgery to face the ophthalmology training resident. To facilitate achieving surgical competency and reduce complication rates, wet laboratories and surgical simulators are used in surgical disciplines worldwide. We developed a simulator and wet-lab course that aims to build the microsurgery skills of trainees and improve safety during real surgical procedures. Herewith, we describe the standardized hands-on course that incorporates these tools for advanced training. Additionally, we review the literature on wet-lab and surgical simulators in ophthalmology, focusing on their importance in training centers. The course is offered four times per year since it started in December 2015, and t total of 88 trainees participated to date. Feedback received from the trainees’ supervising surgeons showed that this course addresses a major training challenge, and that a permanent version of this course should be established at each training center. We suggest incorporating fixed wet-lab and surgical simulator competencies in ophthalmology training programs. Additionally, we recommend that residents be allowed to operate on real patients only after passing the course. We believe that these steps would foster ophthalmologists with advanced training, decrease their learning curve, and empower them to safely conduct cataract surgery with low complication rates.