Purpose: To compare the skills and
knowledge of clinical
ophthalmology among medical interns in Enugu;
Nigeria ; to the recommendations of the International Council of
Ophthalmology (ICO). Materials and
Methods: A
questionnaire -based
cross-sectional survey was conducted of Medical Interns attending the
University of
Nigeria Teaching Hospital and Enugu
State University Teaching Hospital ; from April 2010 to June 2010. Data on cohort demographics; undergraduate
ophthalmology exposure;
clinical skills and diagnostic competencies were collected and analyzed. Statistical significance was indicated by P 0.05.
Results: The cohort comprised 81
males and 48
females (
sex ratio . The duration of undergraduate
ophthalmology exposure ranged from 1 to 4 weeks. Exposure was often adequate in
cornea /external
eye (95.3); lens/
cataract (95.3) and
glaucoma (92.2); but not in vitreo-
retinal disease (47.3); neuro-
ophthalmology (45.7) and
refractive surgery (0.0). The majority were competent at
visual acuity testing (97.7) and
visual field examination (93.0). There was lower competency at
anterior chamber assessment (49.6) and slit-lamp examination (39.5). The majority could confidently
diagnose conjunctivitis (96.1) and
cataract (90.7); but not
strabismus (42.6) or
macular degeneration (20.2).
Conclusions: Medical interns in Enugu displayed gaps in their undergraduate
ophthalmology exposure; clinical
knowledge and skills. This has implications for stakeholders in
medical education and
eye care delivery.
Review of the
curriculum ;
provision of
training resources and
compliance with ICO guidelines could
address the deficiencies