Ophthalmoscopy simulation: advances in training and practice for medical students and young ophthalmologists

OBJECTIVE To describe and appraise the latest simulation models for direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy as a learning tool in the medical field. METHODS The present review was conducted using four national and international databases - PubMed, Scielo, Medline and Cochrane. Initial set of articles was screened based on title and abstracts, followed by full text analysis. It comprises of articles that were published in the past fifteen years (2002-2017). RESULTS Eighty-three articles concerning simulation models for medical education were found in national and international databases, with only a few describing important aspects of ophthalmoscopy training and current application of simulation in medical education. After secondary analysis, 38 articles were included. CONCLUSION Different ophthalmoscopy simulation models have been described, but only very few studies appraise the effectiveness of each individual model. Comparison studies are still required to determine best approaches for medical education and skill enhancement through simulation models, applied to both medical students as well as young ophthalmologists in training.