Pediatric residents’ perceptions of eye care curriculum and training

Abstract

To understand the perspectives of pediatric residents regarding their ophthalmic training, an anonymous 17-question survey was administered to pediatric residents at five large, geographically diverse US programs. Participants’ levels of agreement with statements addressing their confidence in providing eye care, knowledge about managing common eye problems, and satisfaction with ophthalmic curricula were collated and assessed. Of 173 respondents, 91% were not confident performing instrument-based vision screening, and less than half felt confident using a wall chart to test visual acuity. Seventy percent of respondents felt confident performing an eye examination, including red reflex test or pupil examination. Regarding common eye problems, 22.5% chose an inappropriate management of viral conjunctivitis and 20.2% would not urgently refer an infant with asymmetric red reflexes to ophthalmology. Dissatisfaction with their eye care training was noted by 68%.