(671) THEORETICAL-PRACTICAL SEMINAR ON CORNEAL TRANSPLANTATION FOR OPTOMETRY STUDENTS

摘要

The Master in Advanced Optometry and Vision Sciences in the University of Valencia includes the subject of corneal transplantation from a theoretical viewpoint, covering the whole process from the donor’s decease to the replacement of the patient’s cornea and post-surgery recovery. The students learn about the available tools to improve visual quality in transplanted patients after surgery, both in lectures and in clinical practice with real patients. However, the complicated quality controls of the corneal donor tissue, where optometrists might collaborate, are addressed only from a theoretical viewpoint. We have designed a laboratory activity to illustrate the difficulties involved in the process of corneal transplantation and the possible role of the optometrist. An optometrist, three ophthalmologists, a biologist and two laboratory technicians specialized in corneal transplantation collaborate in this activity, which is not carried out in the University premises, but in the labs of a clinic with wide experience in corneal surgery, FISABIO Oftalmologia Medica. The activity comprises two parts, the first more theoretical and the second more practically oriented, in which the students may replicate the corneal extraction process with pig eyes, under the guidance of specialized technicians. The quality of the tissue to be transplanted is subsequently analyzed. In this last stage, the students can apply their knowledge of image processing and optical quality assessment. The first edition of this seminar was offered to students and professional, but not as part of a university degree. All participants expressed a great interest in the seminar and a high degree of satisfaction in the knowledge acquired. Although this activity is designed for Optometrists, students from other disciplines may also benefit from it. Thus, it can also be extended to laboratory technicians, ophthalmologists and veterinarians interested in animal eye health, among other disciplines. This seminar is a multidisciplinary course that requires teachers from various disciplines. This fact means that there is a great exchange of knowledge between different areas, as well as an assessment by each of the parts involved, of the work carried out by the other disciplines within the corneal transplant process. The most theoretical part of corneal transplantation and the Eye Bank proceedings could even be of interest to the general public, and can be used both as a means of dissemination and to raise awareness of the importance of being a donor at university and secondary education centers, as well as neighborhood associations. In summary, this seminar is presented within the framework of the studies of the Master of Optics and Optometry, but the same experience can be applied as an informative mode in other disciplines and even to the general public as a way of raising awareness about the importance of transplants.