Section 3 Accredited Self-Assessment Programs

Join us for accredited on-demand learning activities featuring two symposia from the 2020 COS virtual Annual Meeting. Earn section 3 credits by participating in these two self-assessment programs:

• Retina Infinity War: Is Bone-dry Our Endgame and,
• AMD/DME Special Report: Fluid for Thought

Access the programs here: http://www.cos2020symposia.com/

To meet the criteria for accreditation, you will be asked to complete a pre-test and a post-test. In addition, you will be asked to complete an evaluation survey following the activity. Certificates of Participation will be available for download. Under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, you may claim a maximum of 1.5 hours each for the completion of the two learning activities (a total of 3 hours).

Access details

Participate in these two self-assessment programs through the following link http://www.cos2020symposia.com/

The 2020 COS Annual Meeting & Exhibition took place online as a virtual meeting from June 26 – 28, 2020. Through the links below you can access legacy materials from the conference, content that remains relevant to your practice. Review session recordings, ePosters, Surgical Videos, and browse recorded paper presentations. Earn Section 3 Credits through the two accredited Self-Assessment Programs developed from the two recorded co-developed symposia: Retina Infinity War: Is Bone-Dry Our Endgame and AMD/DME Special Report: Fluid for Thought.

Section 3 Accredited Self-Assessment Programs – Visit the website

Earn section 3 credits by participating in these two self-assessment programs based on the recorded co-developed symposia:

• Retina Infinity War: Is Bone-dry Our Endgame
• AMD/DME Special Report: Fluid for Thought

ePosters and Surgical Videos – Visit the website

Claim Section 2 credits. Review ePosters and document your key learnings through the bulk online reading/scanning with transcript, which you can submit to claim credits in MAINPORT.

Paper Presentations – Visit the website

Browse paper abstracts, review voice narrated video paper presentations highlighting innovative research in ophthalmology. Claim Section 2 credits for viewing under Scanning in MAINPORT.

Session Recordings – Visit the COS YouTube Channel

Gain cutting-edge knowledge with on-demand viewing of the recorded subspecialty sessions from the 2020 COS Annual Meeting including: Global and Public Health Ophthalmology, Cataract Surgery, Retina, Glaucoma, Neuro-ophthalmology, Cornea and Refractive Surgery, Resident’s and Young Ophthalmologists and Paediatric Ophthalmology. Claim Section 2 credits for viewing under Scanning in MAINPORT.

August 11, 2020

COVID-19 and the Ophthalmology Match
David A. Quillen, MD – Hershey, Pennsylvania
R. Michael Siatkowski, MD – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Steven Feldon, MD, MBA – Rochester, New York, on behalf of the Association of University Professors of
Ophthalmology

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted ophthalmology and medical education profoundly. In an effort to reduce the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the American Academy of Ophthalmology issued a statement on March 18, 2020,urging all ophthalmologists immediately to cease providing any treatment other than urgent or emergent care.1 This recommendations endorsed by every major ophthalmology organization in the United States resulted in a 79% reduction in care, the highest decline of any medical or surgical discipline.2 Concurrently, the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended that medical schools pause all medical student clinical rotations and suggested that medical students not be involved in any direct patient care.3 The disruption was unprecedented. Medical students were unable to complete core clerkship and specialty electives at a critical time in their training. Imposed travel restrictions limited their ability to pursue rotations away from their home institutions (“away rotations”), global health experiences, and academic meetings. Social distancing requirements interrupted research activities and prevented some medical students from completing the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLEs).

Read the Full Editorial, COVID-19 and the Ophthalmology Match Editorial here.

About Podcast : EyeTalks Radio delivers strategies and techniques for success in the field of ophthalmic practice management through rich content and periodic interviews with subject matter experts on topics of interest to those who run the business side of ophthalmology

Frequency: 2 episodes / quarter

Join the conversation to the ASOA EyeTalks radio podcast here.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is the US counterpart to the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, and is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. As one of the leading global eye health organizations, they have published a number of excellent resources related to global ophthalmology, including:

Global Ophthalmology Guide – The AAO’s Global Ophthalmology Guide is an interactive database of articles, training opportunities, and other interesting resources that span a large range of global ophthalmic topics.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics for the Global Ophthalmologist – Epidemiology and Biostatistics for the Global Ophthalmologist is an easy-to-browse adaptation from the book of the same name by Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS. The resource is targeted towards ophthalmologists in practice or training who desire a fundamental understanding of epidemiology, statistics, and interpretation of ophthalmic research literature.

Readers can expect to:

• Review key concepts in epidemiology along with their applications to international ophthalmology.
• Describe common types of statistics found in ophthalmic literature.
• Review examples of outstanding clinical research.

Ethics in Global Ophthalmology – In global clinical care and research, ophthalmologists must always act in the best interests of patients and the local community by maintaining high ethical standards. This collection of content reviews the ethical role of trainees and risk management in a global setting, and the numerable ethical challenges in global practice: appropriate supervision, competence, informed consent, perioperative care, patient vulnerability and privacy, and potential conflicts of interest. Please note that you must be logged in to the AAO website to access this content.

Volunteer Work in Global Ophthalmology – Volunteering abroad is undergoing a sea change. Gone are the days of simply flying overseas to an under-resourced community, performing hundreds of cataract surgeries, and returning home to your practice. Most communities now have their own health systems in place with local physicians who can perform procedures at a lower cost than in the past. This resource is designed to help ophthalmologists increase their knowledgebase and efficacy as volunteers in eye health on the global stage.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is an overarching alliance for the global eye care sector. Their 150+ members are drawn from NGOs and civil society, corporate organisations, professional bodies and research and eye care institutions.

They were founded in 1975 to lead international efforts in blindness prevention activities.

Their priorities are:

• Advocacy: Advocating for eye health globally so it receives the attention and resources needed to achieve universal access to eye care;
• Partnerships: Building coalitions and partnerships to mobilise action and generate change at a global and local level; and
• Knowledge: Providing authoritative data and information on eye health enabling the sharing of knowledge and experience to promote the development of good policy and practice.

The IAPB publishes a number of resources, some of which are highlighted below. The IAPB maintains a comprehensive website, which can be accessed by clicking here.

IAPB Resource Highlights

Word report on vision: This report is the cornerstone of IAPB’s global advocacy strategy. It provides a critical moment to inform and persuade global leaders about the magnitude and unacceptability of unavoidable vision loss globally.

The World Report on Vision seeks to generate greater awareness and increased political will and investment to strengthen eye care globally. The report offers clear proposals to address significant challenges in delivering eye care through existing health systems. It builds on the concerted efforts of the past thirty years to propose an integrated, people-centred eye care that strengthens health systems and meets population needs.

IAPB Webinar Repository. IAPB Webinars are a great way for to learn, connect and grow with help from the IAPB community. Here you will find links to videos from webinars past, and also list information on the webinars lined up for the future. This page also includes links to Seeing is Believing webinars.

Talks Eye-Inspire: The Eye-Inspire series will bring you the inspiration and scientific stimuli that has propelled forward some of the brightest minds in eye health. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) brings you a series of interviews – written, audio and video –speaking to individuals from the eye care sector, whose work continues to inspire us all. Using video and other media, IAPB will present one individual per episode. The individual will list 4-5 scientific papers that have most influenced them and their work, and explain how these key scientific milestones have pushed their careers – and as a consequence, the sector’s knowledge – ahead in innovative, new directions. 

Read the full article through the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology website: Full Article

Authors

Rumaisa Aljied, BSc; Marie-Josée Aubin, MD, MSc, MPH; Ralf Buhrmann, MD, PhD; Saama Sabeti, MD; Ellen E. Freeman, PhD

Abstract

Objective

To determine the prevalence and determinants of visual impairment in Canada.

Methods

Inclusion criteria included being between the ages of 45 and 85 years old, community-dwelling, and living near one of the 11 data collection sites across 7 Canadian provinces. People were excluded if they were in an institution, living on a First Nations reserve, were a full-time member of the Canadian Armed Forces, did not speak French or English, or had cognitive impairment. Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart while participants wore their usual prescription for distance, if any. Visual impairment was defined as presenting binocular acuity worse than 20/40.

Results

Of Canadian adults, 5.7% (95% CI 5.4–6.0) had visual impairment. A wide variation in the provincial prevalence of visual impairment was observed ranging from a low of 2.4% (95% CI 2.0–3.0) in Manitoba to a high of 10.9% (95% CI 9.6–12.2) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Factors associated with a higher odds of visual impairment included older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07, 95% CI 1.06–1.08), lower income (OR = 2.07 for those earning less than $20 000 per year, 95% CI 1.65–2.59), current smoking (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.25–1.85), type 2 diabetes (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.41), and memory problems (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.04–2.01).

Conclusions

Refractive error was the leading cause of visual impairment. Older age, lower income, province, smoking, diabetes, and memory problems were associated with visual impairment.

Read the full article through the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology website: Full Article

This resource from the World Health Organization takes a brief view of global blindness and visual impairment. The document examines definitions, prevalence, causes, strategies, as well as WHO’s response. Last updated in October 2019, this resource is an excellent snapshot of global eye health conditions.

This resource can be accessed here.

Read the full article through the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology website: Full Article

Authors

Rumaisa Aljied, BSc; Marie-Josée Aubin, MD, MSc, MPH; Ralf Buhrmann, MD, PhD; Ellen E. Freeman, PhD

Abstract

Objective

To determine the use of home care services in those with and without visual impairment in Canada.

Methods

Presenting visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart at 2 meters. Visual impairment was defined as binocular acuity worse than 20/60. The use of formal, informal, and both types of home care was determined by questionnaire.

Results

For 29 666 participants, the use of any home care was greater in those with visual impairment than in those without (28% vs 12%, respectively, p < 0.01). After adjusting for demographics and health, people with visual impairment were more likely to use informal home care (odds ratio [OR] = 1.89, 95% CI 1.35–2.63) and formal home care/both types of home care (OR = 2.70, 95% CI 1.79–4.07) than those without visual impairment. Marital status was a modifier.

Conclusions

Visual impairment is associated with use of home care services. These findings warrant further exploration and, if confirmed, have major health service implications, given the rising prevalence of visual impairment due to age-related eye diseases.

Read the full article through the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology website: Full Article