Student Experiences: An EYE-Opening Experience at TAMU Ophthalmology Workshop

An EYE-opening Experience: TAMU Ophthalmology Workshop

By Ashley Cubb

My name is Ashley Cubb and I am a third-year veterinary student at Texas A&M University. This year I am serving as the Ophthalmology Club President and am a shameless eyeball enthusiast. While I hope to pursue a career in veterinary ophthalmology, I realize that there are many people who are uncomfortable with eyes or are even scared of them. My goal as the Ophthalmology Club President was to provide an interactive way for veterinary students to overcome their fear of eyes and become more comfortable with examining them (since all our patients do have eyes!) What better way to do this than to allow students to bring their own pets to the veterinary school to practice their examination skills! In the past Ophthalmology Club has not been able to offer any hands-on experiences for students, so I thought creating an ophthalmology workshop would be perfect a way to get students involved. When starting to plan the event, I assumed there would only be a few students interested, since Ophtho Club was such a small organization. However, once I sent out an interest form to the student body, I was shocked by the number of students that wanted to attend the event. There were so many students that wanted to practice their eye exam skills and had questions about how to do a thorough ocular exam. I actually had to call the facilities to book a bigger room to accommodate all the students that wanted to attend!

As part of the event planning, I reached out to An-Vision Inc to see if they would be able to supply any ophthalmic material for use during the workshop. An-Vision graciously donated supplies for diagnostic ophthalmic testing AND arranged for a representative to attend the workshop in person to demonstrate an ERG exam (electroretinogram). An ERG exam is used to examine the function of the retina (the light-detecting portion of the eye). This test is typically not routinely done in general practice but is often used in ophthalmology services. Many students had no idea this technology even existed and were interested to learn more! At the event, a demonstration of how the machine works was given by the representative. Then students had the opportunity to practice placing the probes on their pets and practice interpreting the results! With the support of An-Vision and TAMU faculty, students were also able to practice fundic examinations via direct and indirect fundoscopy, tonometry, Schirmer tear testing, and fluorescein eye staining. 

Overall, this experience was a huge hit! Students were so excited to practice the skills we learn in our clinical courses on live animals and include their pets in their learning experience (Who doesn’t want to bring their dog to school!) After this event Ophthalmology Club membership has continued to grow which will allow the organization to continue working on future hands-on events! By creating this experience, I hope more veterinary students take an interest in ophthalmology and learn skills that can be applied to their future career.