EDUCATION & TRAINING | Ophthalmology Residency

The first year residents are responsible for managing the General Eye Clinic at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport. This is an extremely busy clinic that handles over 15,000 patient visits every year. The clinic provides eye care for the entire Northern half of Louisiana and provides the residents with a wealth of varied, wide-ranging pathology. Monday is general Clinic in the morning and oculoplastics in the afternoon. Numerous minor plastics procedures are performed on Monday afternoon by PGY-2 residents as part of this clinic. Tuesday is general clinic in the morning and pediatric clinic in the afternoon. Wednesday is retina clinic where a large portion of retinal laser procedures and retinal injections are performed.  Thursday is glaucoma clinic all day and a large number of glaucoma laser procedures and minor surgical procedures are performed on Thursdays.  Friday is consult/general ophthalmology and neuro-ophthalmology clinic day. Residents follow their own patients with great value placed on continuity of care.

Every month, a PGY2 resident will spend two Fridays in the operating room one-on-one with an oculoplastic attending performing plastics cases as primary surgeon.

Beginning in the fall of the PGY-2 year, residents begin performing pan-retinal photocoagulation as primary surgeon. During the spring of the PGY-2 year residents begin performing intravitreal injections as primary surgeon.

Each resident spends three months during the year in each of four specific rotations. The first is the glaucoma/oculoplastics/consult rotation. During this three month block, the resident spends time with our glaucoma and oculoplastics attendings in their private clinics. They operate 1-2 times per week as primary surgeon in a variety of ocuplastics procedures. They will also perform a large number of glaucoma laser procedures and minor surgical procedures. Additionally, during this block the resident is responsible for managing all weekday consults from the other services at the institution.

The second block is the retina block. During this block, the resident works with our retina attending in their private clinic. The resident will perform numerous intravitreal and subtenon injections as well as PRP's and focal macular lasers. The third block is the cornea block, which is spent honing anterior segment examinations and operating with our corneal surgeon in his private clinic.

The final block is spent at Overton Brooks VAMC in Shreveport. The resident works with an upper level resident to conduct the VA clinic as well as perform numerous plastic surgery cases and cataract surgeries as primary surgeon. All PGY-3 residents begin a step-wise approach to cataract surgery in July of their PGY-3 year. The aim is to provide a gradual and guided introduction to cataract surgery. All residents get approximately one cataract per week as primary surgeon and the opportunity to watch 10-20 surgeries performed by upper level residents and attendings. After completing their PGY-3 year our residents have performed about 40 cataract surgeries as primary surgeon!
 

This year is also made up of a series of 3 month rotations. During this year, there is a tremendous focus on refining the residents' surgical skills and great effort is made to ensure that each resident becomes proficient with even the most difficult cataract cases. The residents perform vitreo-retinal cases, glaucoma cases, oculuoplastics, and cornea cases. The residents rotate at Overton Brooks VAMC, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, and Monroe Medical Center at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport in Monroe, LA. Each resident holds the responsibility of chief resident during the rotation at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport.

During this year, the residents focus on improving their surgical skills, as well as, mentoring and teaching junior residents.

View the Surgical Case-Log at Graduation >>

Our clinics are equipped with Heidelberg spectralis ocular coherence tomography machines, fundus cameras with fluorescein angiography capability, argon lasers, YAG lasers, SLT lasers, diode lasers, and Humphery visual field machines. Both clinics also have a dedicated minor procedure room. In addition, the Specialty clinic has a Pascal laser while the General clinic has a Diopsys electroretinogram. Both clinics have several registered ophthalmic technicians as well as registered nurses who assist in working up patients and performing ancillary testing.

Computerized surgical simulations allow residents to become familiar with the principles behind the procedures they will perform and help develop the skills required to perform them. The EYESI® surgical simulator provides both cataract and vitreoretinal surgery simulations in a 3D virtual environment. The simulator allows trainees to encounter and deal with various types of pathologies and surgical complications. All of this is done with no risk to patients.