Abstract
Background: Cataract surgery is a major component of ophthalmologic surgical training. However, medical students often lack early exposure to intraocular surgery, limiting their ability to assess their interest in the field.
Purpose: To evaluate the educational impact of a cataract surgery dry lab workshop for medical students using the Kitaro Anterior Segment Dry Lab Kit.
Methods: The workshop included a faculty-led presentation on eye anatomy, cataract formation, and cataract surgery, followed by hands-on practice. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires were conducted to evaluate students’ knowledge in cataract surgery, interest in ophthalmology, interest in microsurgery, and evaluation of the course. Wilcoxon matched pairs signed-rank tests and descriptive statistics were used for analysis.
Results: A total of 42 students completed pre- and post-questionnaires. Across the entire cohort, knowledge of cataract surgery significantly increased (p < 0.001), and interest in microsurgery strengthened (p = 0.013), while interest in ophthalmology did not change (p = 0.098). In contrast, among preclinical students (n = 16), knowledge significantly increased (p = 0.0002), as did both interest in microsurgery (0.0112) and ophthalmology (p = 0.0078). Participants also rated the workshop highly, with a median score of 9/10 in teaching the steps of cataract surgery and providing insight on performing surgery.
Conclusion: In our study cohort, surgical simulation through a cataract surgery dry-lab improved knowledge of cataract surgery and provided early exposure to microsurgery.
Received Date
31/07/2025
Revised Date
14/09/2025
Accepted Date
17/09/2025
Recommended Citation
Choi, Ashley; Chen, Andrew; Sundararajan, Miel; Bojikian, Karine D.; Chung, Anthony; and Feng, Shu
()
"Evaluating the Efficacy of Dry Lab Cataract Simulation for Medical Students,"
Journal of Academic Ophthalmology: Vol. 18:
Iss.
1, Article 14.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62199/2475-4757.1342
Available at:
https://www.aupojournal.org/jao/vol18/iss1/14
