“The Joys of sight restoration is incomparable with anything in the world. It is like giving life back to the living. It is for this joy that TIO (Tilganga institute of Ophthalomology) and its staff are compassionate and dedicated for... to give first class eye care.”
Lisa Ling, National geographic/MSNBC Ultimate explorer correspondent
“It was fascinating to see the (IOL manufacturing) facility. The process of making sure the IOLs are of high quality...well polished…it was amazing that the standards are so high. I don’t think there’s a lens factory in the world that is of a higher standard.”
Dr. Edward Wilson, Chairman, Storm Eye Institute, South Carolina, USA
Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology is dedicated to providing the highest quality of eye care to our patients regardless of their economic resources.
Founded in 1994, Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology has taken great care to serve as a model for teaching, research and patient care throughout the region.
We regard the education of our ophthalmic residents and assistants, medical students and ophthalmologists from around the world as one of our highest priorities. At Tilganga we believe that only through successful skills transfer education will we be able to ensure that the vision needs of this and future generations are met.
The Skills Transfer Education Model used at Tilganga is taught by each of the Institute’s full-time internationally respected physicians and faculty members. Utilizing hands-on training in the outpatient clinics, operating theatre, and outreach microsurgical eye camps, this education model ensures that those who train at Tilganga receive the highest level of training available. Our physicians not only depart proficient in their area of study, but also with the unique experience of witnessing the successful delivery of high-quality, high-volume, affordable eye care.
Beyond the long-term training available at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology several short-term training courses also available.
Please accept my open invitation to join us at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology for any of your training needs.
The MD Residency program in ophthalmology is an effort of the TIO in affiliation with the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAAMS). Four Residents will be accepted each year. The residents are rotationally posted at various eye hospitals throughout Nepal.
(Photo: First batch of residents-2004)
Feature of the program
The ophthalmology Residency program is a fully accredited 3-years program designed to provide intensive clinical training in an academic environment, which encourages close interaction between Residents and Faculty.
The objectives of this program is to produce comprehensive and community oriented ophthalmologists with the ability to exercise sound clinical judgment in dealing with ophthalmic medical, surgical and optical problems laying more emphasis on ocular emergencies including trauma.
Certificate in Health Science (Ophthalmology): Three year study
The TIO in association with Dhulikhel Medical Institute affiliated to Kathmandu University has formulated the Ophthalmic Assistant (OA) curriculum, which is community-oriented, has integrated teaching/learning in various subjects, and encourages problem-based learning. In the fight against blindness, the importance of team structure plays an important role. Ophthalmic Assistants (OA) meets the very important paramedical role.
The first year includes a basic science course conducted at Dhulikhel Medical Institute (Kathmandu University Campus); the second year is devoted to theory classes in ophthalmology, clinical practicum and ocular surgical training at the TIO; and in the third year, the students are posted to peripheral eye hospitals and Community Eye Centers for clinical and community based practicum. After successfully completing the three-year course, students will be eligible for registration as Grade-II health professionals with the Nepal Health Professional Council.
This program has produced 23 OA graduates who are working in different eye hospitals/community eye centers within Nepal. There are 10 students enrolling final examination for 2005. Other 28 students are currently enrolled in different levels of this program.
Qualified eye surgeons, from Nepal and abroad, are trained in different fields of ophthalmology such as modern cataract extraction (through micro surgery) with IOL implantation, diagnosis and management of glaucoma, cornea and keratoplasty, orbit and plastics (OPAL), Uvea etc. Together with the technical aspects of training, they attend classes in conducting community based eye care delivery programs, cost recovery and sustainability. The training package ranges from 4 weeks to 3 months depending on the surgeon’s previous experience in related fields. To date, 150 Nepali and foreign ophthalmologists have been trained at TIO.
These courses are effective and efficient for developing countries, where low cost and high volume cataract surgical techniques are most important.
The goal of continuous medical education at TIO is to maintain an improvement in patient health care by supporting medical education programs that inform the ophthalmologist of the most current and advanced levels of medical knowledge. This enhances an ophthalmologist’s expertise and competence to deliver the highest possible level of medical expertise to his/her patients. Periodically, expert international professionals are invited for workshops in different specialties. In addition to ophthalmologists of TIO, other ophthalmologists from eye hospitals in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal are invited to attend. The focus of continuing medical education activities is to allow the ophthalmologists to achieve the following objectives:
1.Be able to interpret new diagnostic techniques, implement new therapies and perform new surgical techniques. 2.To learn about the most current insights on mechanisms of disease and healing. 3.To have a keener awareness of the broader implications of advances in scientific knowledge. 4.Using new research and practice concepts in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Short Term Training Course for Allied Health Personnel:
Training sessions have been organized at TIO for nurses, medical practitioners, public eye health personnel, health instructors and social workers and other health workers. We have provided training in different fields such as theatre assisting, ocular regional anesthesia, refraction, ocular investigations and ophthalmic photography to name a few. Training follows a hand-on approach. Certificates are awarded to successful participants.
Exposure Training program
TIO offers clinical exposure as an elective for paramedical students from different national and international colleges and universities.
Elective Medical students (Local/International)
The TIO is involved in taking medical students as part of their regular curriculum. Nepali students are taken from Kathmandu Medical College and Dhulikhel Medical Institute for a period of 2 to 3 weeks for general studies in Ophthalmology. Medical students from overseas, mainly from Australia, Europe and the USA, come for an elective period of 1 to 3 months. They all participate in general work around the Surgicentre and also participate in screening and surgical eye camps. Till date, 66 overseas medical students and 145 students from Kathmandu Medical College have taken this exposure course at the TIO.
Mid - level Medical Students
Health assistant and nursing faculty students from Nursing colleges, and the Health Sciences Institute have been given clinical exposure practices. Students have been participating in theoretical classes and clinical exposure courses. In 2008, 981 students learned about common eye health problems and services at a hospital level.
Short Term Modular Courses
The Education and Training Department has been conducting short term modular training courses for all levels of healthcare personnel and other key members of the community from the beginning. Such training includes primary eye care training for community health workers, short term courses for ophthalmic assistants, school teachers, drug retailers, female community health volunteers (FCHVs) as well as traditional healers as per their needs. The duration of courses is flexible – from one day, a week to a year.
Education through ORBIS Telemedicine Program Cyber-Sight®
TIO has provided the necessary infrastructure for doctors and students to take advantage of the Cyber-Sight® e-resources and e-consultation program. In addition to e-learning, a variety of educational materials dealing with the eye and vision related topics can be accessed.
Tilganga-Zeiss Education Centre
This education centre was established in June 2004 in cooperation with Karl Zeiss. This Centre is offering various courses and educational program in the field of eye care.
SHORT TERM TRAINING COURSE
Health Workers Training in Primary Eye care
Health workers are the major human resource of the whole health care delivery system of Nepal. Updating their knowledge and competency in different subjects of health care is imperative to provide the correct and quality health care in the hospital and community. Health posts and sub-health posts are providing such services throughout the country. TEC has been providing short-term training courses, in common ocular problems and their management at the community level, for personnel in-charge of these health posts. The main aim of this training is to prevent and control common curable and preventable blinding eye diseases in Nepal.
Through participation in a short-term training course, the health workers will achieve the following objectives:
Early detection and treatment of common ocular conditions presenting at their health posts and sub health posts.
Referral of the complicated ocular cases to the nearest ophthalmologist or eye hospital.
Identification of blindness in visual impaired persons using the WHO classifications.
Health Education to help prevent blindness.
To provide better academic education to health workers to make them more aware of the common preventable and curable ocular conditions.
To date 170 personnel in-charge of health posts and sub health posts, from different districts of Nepal, have been trained in primary eye care.
Tilganga - zeiss Education Centre
This education centre was established in June 2004 in cooperation with Karl Zeiss. This Centre is offering various courses and educational programs in the field of eye care.
To strengthen the medical and surgical knowledge and skill of trainees in the diagnosis and management of diseases of the Orbit, Eyelids, and Lacrima system.
Duration of Course:6 Weeks
Course Fee: $1,000.00 USD
The course would include training in following diagnostic and management skills.
Diagnostic and Management Learning Objectives:
·Identify general and specific pathophysiologic processes that affect the structure and function of these tissues
·Choose the proper examination techniques and protocols for diagnosing conditions that affect these structures
·To develop appropriate differential diagnoses for disorders of the orbit and periocular tissues.
·To outline the principles of medical and surgical management of diseases affecting the orbit, eyelids, and lacrimal system
·To recognize and manage the major postoperative complications associated with orbit, eyelid, and lacrimal system surgery
·To utilize Tilganga Eye Centre as resource institute
Objective:
To train the candidate in the management of common ocular motility disorders amblyopia management and other common pediatric ophthalmic disorder.
Duration of Course: 6 Weeks
Course Fee: $750.00 USD
The course would include training in following diagnostic and management skills.
Diagnostic skills
Vision assessment in children
Refraction in children
Vision screening
Diagnostic approach to common pediatric ophthalmic disorders
Evaluation of patients with diplopia
Evaluation of binocularity, stereopsis, fusional amplitudes and accomodative amplitudes
Practical approach to the diagnosis of strabismus
Paddle tests (Cover Test, Uncover TEST, simultaneous prism cover test etc). Use of prisms to quantitate the devation, Hess charting, Forceps tests, Evaluation of versions, vergencesduction, saccades and ocular torsion
Working up the cases of nystagmus and other ocular motility disorder
Evaluation of congenital epiphora
Management Skills
Non surgical :
Therapeutic approach to common pediatric disorders
Principles of spectacle correction in strabismic and non-strabismic children
Ophthalmic prism dispensing
Surgical :
Conventional and fornix incision strabismus surgery
Objective:
To train the candidate in the diagnosis and management of different conditions causing uveitis.
Duration of Course: 4 Weeks
Course Fee: $750.00 USD
The course would include training in following diagnostic and management skills.
Diagnostic and Management Skills:
·To identify general and specific pathophysiologic processes that affect the structure and function of the uvea, retina, and other ocular tissues in acute and chronic intraocular inflammation
·To differentiate infectious from non-infectious causes of uveitis
·To choose appropriate examination techniques and relevant ancillary studies based on the presentation and suspected etiology of inflammation
·To develop appropriate differential diagnosis for patients presenting with ocular inflammatory disorders
·To understand the principles of medical and surgical management of infectious and non-infectious uveitis and related intraocular inflammation
·To understand the indications for and complications of immunosuppressive agents
