ACE: Enhanced Experience in Opthalmology

School of Medicine

Ophthalmology is a wonderful specialty, combining both medical and surgical care of the eye and the peri-ocular structures. The ACE will allow medical students to participate in care delivered at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, the Nashville Veterans' Affairs Hospital and the Vanderbilt University Hospital's inpatient and emergency room. Through shadowing attendings and performing ophthalmic exams, it is expected at the conclusion of the ACE a medical student will be able to (1) perform a basic ocular history (2) perform a basic slit-lamp examination and a dilated fundus examination with a direct ophthalmoscope, (3) have a working understanding of the major etiologies of vision loss in the United States, including cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and amblyopia, and (4) accurately diagnose common ophthalmic issues, including corneal abrasions, tearing, conjunctivitis, superficial foreign body, ptosis and (5) accurately diagnose ophthalmic emergencies such as chemical burns, acute-angle closure glaucoma, central retinal artery occlusions, and various ocular traumas. Students will also be able to identify those ophthalmologic conditions that require consultation and referral. Additionally, the societal impact of loss of vision on a person's activities of daily living, the reestablishment of independence following restoration of sight and the evolving role of the ophthalmologist providing this care should be appreciated by the medical student.