Study Ophthalmology Flashcards

What is Ophthalmology?

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the eye. Ophthalmologists are primarily focused on treating conditions and correcting physiological abnormalities of the eye that adversely affect the vision.

As part of an eye exam, an ophthalmologist will first assess the eye, diagnose any conditions or deformities and evaluate any changes in vision from previous exams. Following this, the ophthalmologist will then prescribe the grade of glasses needed.

Ophthalmologists have patients of all ages and their duties range from carrying out eye exams to performing intricate surgery. They might help children improve strength in the eye muscle to correct strabismus (crossed eyes), may treat adults with ocular cancers or care for elderly patients with glaucoma or cataracts.

Ophthalmologists also study systemic diseases of the body that affect the eye and as such may diagnose a variety of conditions during regular eye exams including cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Ophthalmology is an exciting and intellectually challenging career path for doctors. It requires physicians to master a range of important skills and keep up-to-date with cutting-edge surgical and laser techniques in this advancing field of medicine. With an aging population particularly susceptible to failing eyesight those trained in ophthalmology continue to be in high demand.

Careers in Ophthalmology

To become an ophthalmologist you’ll first take a three-year premed or science course or an undergraduate course that has modules in biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus. On completion, you’ll need to pass the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) to get into med school which is highly competitive so maintaining an undergraduate GPA score average of 3.7 or higher is advisable. In med school, you’ll take general medical courses and rotations including ophthalmology.

You’ll then need to take a one-year internship and follow with a three-year residency in ophthalmology before taking the board exam to become certified. Once certified you can specialize in areas such as Pediatric Ophthalmology, Glaucoma, Ophthalmic Pathology, Cornea and External Disease, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Vitreoretinal Diseases, and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery.

An ophthalmic nurse is also an exciting career, you’ll conduct tests, work closely with diabetic and glaucoma patients, educate patients and assist in operations as a full scrub nurse. If you want to become an ophthalmic nurse you’ll need to complete a four-year nursing degree to become an RGN. You can then advance your knowledge of ophthalmology nursing through a combination of on-the-job training, self-study, and educational courses. To gain certification nurses can take the National Certifying Board for Ophthalmic Registered Nurses exam.

Pay for those in ophthalmology is highly competitive. Medscape records ophthalmologists as some of the higher earning physicians with a salary above general surgeons, critical care, and ER physicians. Since after prescribing the grade of lenses, ophthalmologists often sell their own lenses and maybe even their own glasses this branch of medicine, in particular, lends itself particularly well to enterprise.

If you think ophthalmic medicine might be for you then take a little time to visit the American Academy of Ophthalmology or the American Ophthalmological Society. You can also take a moment to watch this short video which features resident Andrea Tooley explaining why she chose ophthalmology.

Learning Ophthalmology

Learning to be an ophthalmologist means you’ll learn to develop excellent hand-eye coordination during your training in order to perform delicate surgeries later in practice. Brainscape can’t teach you that but we can help with all the medical and scientific knowledge you have to take on board!

If you are studying ophthalmology you’re likely working crazy shifts or rotations and you’ll need to make the best use of your limited time and study effectively.

Brainscape really is an unrivaled resource for medical students. In short: Brainscape can help medical students cement key scientific principles while making the process of memorizing so much medical terminology as efficient as possible. You’ll never fear questions during ward round again!

Ophthalmology in Brainscape

You’ll find thousands of flashcards written by top ophthalmology students and professors, all free to use and keep on using. You’ll cover a range of subjects studying ophthalmology and there are thousands of flashcards on other pages that you’ll  find helpful too such as Hematology, Genetics, Surgery, Anatomy, Immunology, Pathology, Endocrinology, Pediatrics, Psychology, and Microbiology.  

Did you know that only 20,000 of the medical school applications will succeed of over 80,000? If you’re trying to ace your MCAT scores to get into med school then take a look at the best MCAT study guide available on the market today. The collaboration with Next Step Text Preparation and top tutors has resulted in an outstanding learning tool,  consisting of 2600 flashcards many based on previous exam questions.

You can also use the Brainscape software and make your interactive learning catalog from your coursework notes. It’s free and easy to write the flashcards or import data. Afterward, choose to share with the Brainscape community or keep for your personal use.

Learn faster with Brainscape

Brainscapes’s learning tool known as Confidence-Based Repetition or CBR is exciting news for students. The smart technology is giving learners the edge, in fact, students learn twice as fast and remember longer, with Brainscape.

The CBR system is a fascinating hybrid of three learning methods: Active Recall, Metacognition, and Spaced Repetition. No other computer-aided learning tool uses this unique composition of learning methods making it the most powerful educational tool on the market, today.

The first method incorporated in the CBR system is active recall. In Brainscape you’ll have to work hard to recall answers and this process strengthens the memory trace and neural pathways. The next time you need the same information, retrieval will be easier and more successful because the neurons and memory trace are strengthened.  

The second learning technique used in the CBR system is spaced repetition, yet another proven learning method. The CBR system shows learners bite-sized pieces of information at spaced intervals in the flashcard format which thousands of studies have proven to be a highly effective learning technique.

Whilst other computer-aided learning tools also incorporate these methods Brainscape is different due to its use of metacognition to power the algorithm. With other computer-aided learning tools you'll see notecards randomly but with Brainscape you’ll see flashcards shown in an exact sequence uniquely in tune with the learner. In practice, after you have reviewed each note card you’ll quickly leave a response from 1-5 reflecting your understanding of the content. You might have just reviewed Glaucoma and you consider your understanding to be weak. Therefore, you would leave a score may be of “2” from the 1-5 options. Consequently, the algorithm will show you that flashcard shortly, whilst the flashcard you reviewed on Cataracts that you recorded as a “5” will be shown very infrequently. It’s this system that frees up the time you need to focus on your weaker areas that delivers such exceptional results.

Brainscape is the tool that smart medical students use to succeed.

How to get started

Getting started learning Ophthalmology with Brainscape is easy.

Simply browse the decks below and you’ll see subjects from Glaucoma, Anatomy of the Orbit, Corneal Disease, Phakomatoses to Cataracts. Dig in and see just how effective Brainscape is for yourself.

Making your own flashcards is also super easy. Just click on “make flashcards” at the top of the page and start today. You can write your own flashcards or you can import data. Once complete, choose your settings, share with the Brainscape community and become a valued contributor or keep for your own personal use.  

Brainscape is passionate about giving students the best educational tools available on the market to achieve their professional goals. The Brainscape team wishes you all the best in your Ophthalmology studies and career.