Cataract Chronicles-25 years
As I celebrate my 25th year volunteering as an eye surgeon in Southeast Asia. I am delighted to share photos and stories about the vision challenges and the people and cultures of India, Nepal, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. - Dr. Gary Barth
Chronicle 19 - Thank God for the British Respect for the Profession of Teachers
Despite what I assumed, surgical training heavily depends on one’s country's past heritage.
Countries with lauded respect for the teaching profession, as handed down by the British in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, continue to have excellent cataract surgical training.
Other Asian countries don’t appear to share the value of the teaching profession, leading to less successful surgical training.
For example, in Hanoi, I encountered two recent graduates of excellent three-year eye surgery residencies in Vietnam. When I asked why they worked in a charity hospital, they said they had never performed a complete cataract surgery during their three-year residency.
They were working at a charity hospital, hoping to learn the craft of cataract surgery. However, they were frustrated with their surgery training.
American third-year residents perform 100-250 cataract surgeries during training with professors who are paid to teach.
I know other surgical residents who have spent three years in China and Thailand firsthand. After their training, they are not equipped to treat cataract blindness.
