Ready to make a valuable investment in your professional development as an ophthalmologist? Access to the appropriate resources is the first step. Read on and you will find all the best online ophthalmology learning resources with relevant links. They would help you get ready for upcoming exams or simply better yourself and expand your knowledge.
All-around ophthalmology learning resources
The best learning resource is clearly going to the AAO's clinical education portal. I try to use it to learn as much as possible. There is an abundance of top-quality educational resources, including Case-based learning, Courses, Diagnose This, Guidelines, Learning Plans, self-tests, and many more.
I do believe that this portal can take your learning to the next level. And the best part? You can earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ after completing the CME courses, making it a valuable investment in your professional development.
Before my board exam in ophthalmology, I personally went through all topics of the self-assessment tool. They are great when preparing for MCQ-based examinations like the European Board of Ophthalmology exam (EBO), the International Council of Ophthalmology Exams (ICO) and etc.
Self-tests in different subspecialties of ophthalmology: https://www.aao.org/self-assessments
The Wills Eye Educational Portal is a great platform for online education in ophthalmology. It offers online courses, videos, and case presentations. The platform is very engaging, as the cases presented are not only quite rare and with an interesting twist, but you also have the opportunity to hear deep discussions and dive into the clinical thinking of word leader ophthalmologists. Some of the courses offer Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits when completed.
OnDemand and Regularly Scheduled Series: https://willseye.cloud-cme.com/default.aspx TL;DR: Willseye Eye Education Portal provides high-quality, accessible education and various training resources to eye care professionals worldwide.
3. EyeGuru
I found out about Eyeguru.org by chance while preparing for the European Board of Ophthalmology exam and looking for Flashcards and Multiple choice questions as additional learning resources to prepare.
The website has the following sections:
Residency essentials
In this section, you will find articles that cover high-yield topics, conditions, and techniques residents will need to master. The article also offers mastery modules to help residents interpret commonly used ophthalmic imaging. The frameworks are designed to be read quickly and take around 5-10 minutes each.
The aim of the section is to help ophthalmology residents build a solid foundation of knowledge quickly. That makes it a useful resource for those just starting their residency.
Image practice
Here you can practice your diagnostic skills on various fundus images, OCTs, and Topography reports, and try not only to guess the diagnosis but to point out all of the signs and findings. What a great tool! A worthy mention in my list of ophthalmology online learning resources.
Videos
The page offers a variety of short review videos on ophthalmology topics, covering cataract surgery, cornea, glaucoma, retina, oculoplastics, etc.
These "crash courses" are 3-6 minutes each and are a great review tool for ophthalmologists looking to revise a certain eye disease. The webpage is constantly improving, as residents from around the world are adding new videos.
Ophthalmology flashcards
Ophthalmology flashcards are a valuable tool to memorize facts and important information. While I personally do not use flashcards to learn routinely, I sometimes use them as a revision tool.
Eyeguru offers a huge collection with 13 different topics, each containing more than 1000 flashcards. The questions are in .apkg files, so you need an additional App to open them.
What I used is AnkiApp Flashcards, which gives you stats and recommends what you should focus on. If you haven't tried flashcards as an online learning resource already it's worth a shot.
The University of Iowa's Department of Ophthalmology is one of the leading academic institutions in the field of ophthalmology in the world.
Most of you have heard of and used their outstanding educational tools, but in case you don't I am listing them below.
EyeRounds is a great library with cases, Atlases of different findings, including some rare diseases, engaging videos and examinations, as well as diagnostic and treatment tutorials. You cannot spend enough time here!
Gonioscopy.org is all about teaching gonioscopy with videos and visuals. There are some great tips that cover basic angle examination, including some advanced techniques, such as indentation.
I find it extremely educational and always wish I did more gonioscopy in the clinic, whenever I review content from here.
Iowa Glaucoma Curriculum is a visual teaching website for those interested in learning about glaucoma. It offers lectures, images, and movie clips. Highly recommend it as one of the top ophthalmology online learning resources!
5. Eyewiki
EyeWiki is an online Wikipedia-style online open-source encyclopedia for ophthalmologists and eye care professionals by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. It is currently one of the best online learning resources and the largest ophthalmology reference website in the world (and keeps expanding!).
The website EyeWiki provides free-access, peer-reviewed articles on different topics written by ophthalmologists, which cover a wide range of topics including diseases, conditions, treatments, and procedures. There is a renowned editorial board that regularly reviews and updates the content.
You can contribute to the Eyewiki and make it even better. The top 3 winners receive a prize from the AAO Eyewiki:
International Ophthalmologists: https://eyewiki.org/International_Ophthalmologists
US Residents and Fellows: https://eyewiki.aao.org/Residents_and_Fellows
6. EyeFlyMD by Matt Hirabazashi, MD
I am so lucky that I sat down and spent the time to research and write this article about the ophthalmology online learning resources! I didn't know about the EyeFlyMD website and accidentally came across it as I was researching cataract surgery learning resources.
The platform Eye Fly MD is an educational initiative by Matt Hirabayashi, MD who is currently a resident at the University of Missouri Columbia Ophthalmology Program.
There are some things on his website that you MUST check out, as they are so well prepared, thought ought, and well presented:
Educational Slides on various topics - this is pure gold. Every slide contains just the right information, go check it out now, please! You will love it! My favorite ones are "The eye by numbers" and all of the ones about corneal dystrophies!
Educational resources share 3 digital e-books, by Matt Hirabayashi, which I had the chance to review quickly and I loved them (they are on my to-read list already!). Following this are some AMAZING (in my opinion the best available Online) resources for cataract surgery like IOL cheatsheets, information about IOL formulas
Research information
Interesting Cases
Videos
Ophthalmology Videos & Youtube channels
The Youtube channel of Dr. Ahmed is just astounding. You may find different surgical tutorials, presentations, and webinars with deep discussions on anterior eye segment and glaucoma.
In every video I find small tips and tricks to blow my mind. What I love about the way he presents is he manages to simplify everything and give you compact, quality information in a way you could really understand it.
Dr. Devgan is a cataract surgeon, based in Los Angelis, California. He is one of the best ophthalmic educators out there and helps thousands of surgeons progress and perfects their phaco skills with his videos.
The videos are focused on every single aspect of cataract surgery, IOLs, surgical techniques, review of surgery videos, pointing out mistakes, and giving constructive feedback.
In some of his videos, he reviews the surgeries of other ophthalmologists. So you can submit a surgical video to him and he will review it! I can't wait to advance my phaco skills so I send him one myself!
You can find additional content from Dr. Udai Devgan here: https://cataractcoach.com/
Dr. Baskin was my here since I found out about his channel in medical school during my ophthalmology rotation. He has several videos that dive deep into certain topics, referring to key studies. You can tell that he is a great teacher by the way he structures information and by the way he asks questions in his presentations and makes you think hard about what is going on. It's sort of like you are working hard to earn knowledge. I love it!
Dr. Ivo Ferreira (founder of Oftalmo University) is a very inspiring ophthalmologist! He puts education as his sole mission. That is why he organizes high-quality meetings, and webinars and works with ophthalmologists, residents, and fellows every day
to take them to the next level.
His key topics are focused on cataract and refractive surgery, monofocal and multifocal IOLs, surgery ergonomics, surgeon's quality of life, and mental + physical balance outside of the surgical room. Oftalmo University is very active on Instagram as well, posting daily lives and announcing future webinars and meetings.
Dr. Lorenz Kuske is one of the coolest colleagues I know (you should follow him on Instagram!). He is always passionate about education and sharing.
Some of the videos he shared on his Youtube channel are just the right ones that I needed in my residency and as an early specialist. The tips he gives are practical, straight to the point, and come from his own personal experience.
He is finishing his fellowship at GAASS in Toronto and has much to share with us. Can't wait for more videos, Lorenz!
Dr. Tim Root's educational videos were one of the reasons that inspired me to pursue ophthalmology as a specialty.
Dr. Root is such a good educator and he is able to convey complex topics and explain them simply and clearly.
I watched his videos again as a specialist and I am amazed at how much he had to prepare for them. The information in the video is the most important, core information about various eye procedures, examinations, and diseases.
The videos are straightforward, but not excessively simplistic. The message is clear - what to diagnose, what to pay attention to, and how to treat. Overall, he shares amazing online learning resources for young ophthalmologists!
You can also find some additional content from Dr. Tim Root on his website.
The idea behind Eyetube as a platform is to enhance ophthalmology education through video content. You can find some of the finest guides for surgery, surgical techniques, webinars, and discussions here. While most of the content on the website is uploaded on Youtube as well, there are some exclusive videos that are worth checking out.
In addition, there there is a dedicated section called Eyetube CME center where you can get CME credits: https://eyetube.net/cme-center
Ophthalmology Grand Rounds
WillsEye Hospital is one of the top organizations in the world not only when it comes to eye care, but to ophthalmology education and learning resources as well. The traditions of learning, pursuing knowledge, and high-value discussions with experts are well demonstrated during their rounds called "Chief's Rounds".
I enjoy watching them and even re-watching them as they are packed with information. The format is similar to other rounds, but the case discussions showcase clinical thinking, description of findings, and differential diagnosis. I believe regardless of your level of experience, you can learn something from every single Chief's Rounds.
Bascom Palmer offers top-notch clinical discussions and a unique diagnostic perspective on some of the most challenging cases in ophthalmology.
Since 2020, the webinars are being streamed online and start every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. ET.
Past Grand Rounds are worth checking too. You can find them on Bascom Palmer's Youtube Channel.
Mayo Clinic offers a lot of educational videos from top professionals on various topics in our specialty. The portal showcases step-by-step surgical videos with a focus on the most important parts. Definitely check it out if you need quality learning resources in ophthalmology! What I found AMAZING here and I can 100% recommend to everyone is the corneal suture curriculum, thought to Mayo clinic residents.
How fortunate we are to live in this time! Regardless of where you do your ophthalmology residency, you now have access to the same world-class educational resources as those available at top centers like the Mayo Clinic.
Through their online tools and learning resources, you can learn and grow in the ophthalmology field, just like the best of the best.
Ophthalmology Podcasts
Too busy to read or don't have any time available to spend on watching videos and presentations? No problem! Here are some of my personal best Ophthalmology podcasts:
Enjoy listening to some awesome discussions by two awesome colleagues - Ben Young and Andrew Pouw, who met during their training at Yale.
They post new podcast episodes every 2 weeks and explain a complex topic in a friendly, casual, and funny way! I really enjoy listening to them and love their style. You can hear their passion for teaching and sharing their knowledge with others in the ophthalmology field.
There is a great option to filter the podcasts by subject as well: https://eyesforears.net/episodes-by-subject
P.s. I am listening to Episode 64: Differentials - Enlarged Corneal Nerves while writing this article (how cool is that?)
The podcast is very pleasant to listen to, you have various topics and news in ophthalmology with a focus on the posterior segment and surgical retina. You can find discussions from top experts, news about new therapy options, advice from retina fellows, as well as blog posts that give career advice and surgical tips.
I love that the information is always presented in an informal, but serious way. I listen to it with interest every single time. Invaluable idea and execution of Dr. Jayanth Sridhar. I highly recommend it as one of the best online learning resources in ophthalmology!
Get access to more online learning resources and helpful information about ophthalmology conferences, observership grants, preparation for upcoming exams, and more. Check out the Ophthalmology24 blog!
Message from Atanas Bogoev, M.D.:
Leave a comment down below with some of your best learning resources so I can add them here for everyone! Thank you!