Cataract Surgical Curriculum

Cataract Surgical Curriculum Pterygium Surgical Curriculum Corneal Topography

The intraocular surgical curriculum is led by Dr. Kenneth Cohen, a renowned cataract surgeon. He teaches at the Harvard cataract course and hosts the joint UNC/Wake Forest/Duke cataract course at the UNC wet lab where faculty from across the country (including Bascom Palmer, University of Iowa, Duke, Wake Forest, University of Colorado), join together to both teach and practice fundamental skills for cataract surgery.

Under his guidance, residents perform their first 50 cataract surgeries. UNC Ophthalmology’s unique Cataract Clinic allows residents to follow their own surgical patients from the first surgical evaluation all the way through the postoperative period. Dr. Cohen has created an extensive online curriculum to help residents delve deeper in topics ranging from IOL calculations, the mechanics of horizontal chopping, and the physical properties of various viscoelastics. By the end of his course residents are able to perform entire surgeries independently, including more complex cases, and understand how to manage surgical complications. The Cataract Rotation is completed immediately prior to the first VA rotation, allowing residents to build on the initial surgical experience, finishing the PGY3 year with more than 100 primary cataract cases.