The IU School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology offers a one-year clinical fellowship in glaucoma. This program is unique in providing fellows with both an academic medical center as well as a private practice environment for their education.
Clinical Experience
Throughout the fellowship year, trainees are exposed to a wide variety of glaucoma patients. Fellows become competent in their diagnosis and management of patients with early- to advanced-stage glaucoma, ranging from pediatric patients to older adults. Fellows use diagnostic technology to assist in glaucoma diagnosis and management, including computer visual fields, optic nerve and retinal nerve fiber layer analysis using optical coherence tomography (OCT), and other technologies.
Glaucoma fellows divide their time between various clinics within the Indiana University Medical Center. They work alongside Lou Cantor, MD, Elizabeth A. Martin, MD, John T. Lind, MD, and Richard M. Schroeder, MD, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute downtown and Yara Catoria-Boyle, MD, at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. Fellows also spend time at the adult outpatient center at Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Health, the county hospital, where they assist with staffing the glaucoma clinic with residents. In this environment, fellows have the opportunity to exercise clinical judgement and help direct the care of a large glaucoma population. At the VA Medical Center, fellows provide surgical care to patients with complex cataract procedures using the latest surgical and laser techniques, as well as treat glaucoma. In addition, the Department of Ophthalmology has a satellite office at Indiana University Health Springmill Medical Clinic, which provides an environment similar to that of a multi-specialty private practice. The majority of glaucoma surgical procedures in which fellows in this program participate are performed at the Ambulatory Surgery Center within this facility.
Glaucoma fellows are subjected to the entire spectrum of glaucoma surgery, including newer micro-invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) and other investigative procedures. They have opportunity to develop surgical skills in trabeculectomy, tube shunt implants, anterior segment laser procedures, cataract surgery, combined glaucoma and cataract surgery, and the surgical management of complications related to glaucoma surgery.
Research
The Department of Ophthalmology is actively involved in a wide variety of clinical research studies involving glaucoma diagnosis, medical therapy, laser therapy and surgeries. In addition to obtaining a broad and comprehensive clinical experience, glaucoma fellows participate in ongoing clinical and laboratory research.