PAAO-YO Research:
Dr. Camila Ventura

Dr. Camila Ventura, a Retina Specialist and Director of Research at Altino Ventura Foundation (FAV) and HOPE Eye Hospital in Recife, Brazil, has recently published two articles. Below are the salient points and links to the articles.

Transforming ophthalmic education into virtual learning during COVID-19 pandemic: a global perspective

• Due to the COVID pandemic, medical education had to adjust/adapt to a new global scenario to continue to provide high-standard education for residents and fellows in ophthalmology. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the implementation of tele-education (e-learning) in Ophthalmology during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online and worldwide survey was applied to physicians involved in Ophthalmology education. A total of 321 participants from different parts of the globe responded to the survey.
• The study showed that when comparing traditional training versus e-learning, a statistical increase was noted in the use of all e-learning alternatives during the pandemic. Nevertheless, the surgical training of residents/fellows was dramatically reduced during COVID, which affected the participants’ perception of quality of teaching. The study concludes that the pandemic imposed great challenges in the educational field of Ophthalmology that may change the traditional teaching practices in the world for the future.

Chatziralli I, Ventura CV, Touhami S, et al. Transforming ophthalmic education into virtual learning during COVID-19 pandemic: a global perspective [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 10]. Eye (Lond). 2020;1-8.

Congenital Zika Syndrome: Surgical and Visual Outcomes After Surgery for Infantile Strabismus

• This is a prospective case series of 5 children with congenital Zika syndrome that were submitted to strabismus surgery to correct the horizontal infantile strabismus. The 6-months follow-up showed that they benefited from surgery as it improved ocular alignment, expanded the visual fields, and improved their social, functional, and behavioral skills

Ventura LO, Travassos S, Ventura Filho MC, Marinho P, Lawrence L, Wilson ME, Carreiro N, Xavier V, Gois AL, Ventura CV. Congenital Zika Syndrome: Surgical and Visual Outcomes After Surgery for Infantile Strabismus. J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2020;57(3):169-175.