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14.05. Thu
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Could the latest ophthalmic training innovations benefit your patients?

Can I ask you take a moment to consider how you are integrating training into your hospital setting? Do you think it is having a real impact on the standard of patient care? Whether you are just starting out on your ophthalmology journey or are a seasoned Consultant, how important do you consider time invested into training to be?

As deaneries around the UK prepare to welcome the newest intake of ophthalmology speciality training resident doctors, we look at how the latest innovations in training flatten the learning curve to becoming an ophthalmologist. This is what ophthalmology training looks like in 2026, with Haag-Streit’s latest ophthalmic technologies.

The Eyesi Surgical Simulator has supported cataract and vitreoretinal surgery training throughout the UK since its launch over 20 years ago. The UK leads the way as one of the first to make simulation training mandatory, prior to starting live cataract surgery, to ensure practice in a risk-free environment before operating on patients. The simulator’s inbuilt curriculum is continuously growing to include more complex cases such as: 

  • Rescuing a capsulorhexis that has run out
  • Performing a capsulorhexis with a capsular plaque present
  • Completing lens removal under challenging conditions such as weak or partial loss of zonules, hard cataract, or myopia.


Where are the Eyesi surgical simulators located? 

We often get asked by trainees where they can access a simulator in the UK so here is a useful map which shows their locations.

How are slit lamp simulators being used?

Many eye care professionals find the slit lamp simulator useful at the outset of their career, and the Eyesi Slit Lamp is increasingly being integrated into the curriculum of medical and optometry schools throughout the UK, allowing access to simulated pathology that may take years to stumble across in routine clinics. It also lets more experienced Optometrists benefit from gonioscopy and pathology training for IP certification.

 

Learn SLT through virtual reality

For trainees and educators, the new Eyesi Slit Lamp SLT Module provides a structured, low-risk environment to master selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) to support the increasing number of clinicians who will be delivering this first line open angle glaucoma treatment. 

The module includes:

  • Practising gonioscopy techniques
  • Assessing the draining angle structures to identify contraindications for performing SLT
  • Titrating to adequate laser power.

The invasive nature of the SLT treatment for open-angle glaucoma requires direct lens-to-eye contact – a source of patient discomfort that makes the procedure even more difficult to learn on real patients.

The Eyesi Slit Lamp SLT module teaches systematically and in bite-sized tasks. Breaking down complex concepts into small, easy-to-learn units reduces pressure, allowing trainees to engage fully and demonstrate their understanding gradually.

 

How can the METIS HU inspire teaching in surgery?

Haag-Streit’s most recent launches solidify our commitment to innovation across the full spectrum of eye care, from education to the operating theatre. 

The new METIS Heads Up Module replaces traditional eyepieces with a 3D digital viewing experience. It offers a more ergonomic way to work that can help reduce neck and back strain during long procedures and also high-quality stereoscopic visualisation to allow observing trainees to experience surgical procedures with life-like depth. As trainees experience surgical procedures in 3D, they better appreciate:

  • Depth of instrument placement
  • How to maintain adequate AC depth during surgery
  • Manipulation of tissue during intraocular surgery.

 

 

Haag-Streit UK is continuing to shape the future of ophthalmology with innovation that supports both surgical excellence and clinical training. From the launch of the METIS 3D Digital Heads-Up Module to the Eyesi Slit Lamp SLT Module, the company is helping eye care professionals work more effectively, learn more confidently, and deliver better patient outcomes.