With CataractCoach, I am sharing everything that I have learned or figured out during the past 25 years in ophthalmology. … More
Category: Teaching
1088: Recent residency graduate critique
This video was submitted by an ophthalmologist who recently graduated from residency training. He has about 350 phaco cases of … More
1086: Do you get nervous or anxious?
I will be the first person to tell you that performing ocular surgery is stressful and not easy. We are … More
1064: lessons from 1 year of COVID-10
Just more than a year ago, we had a nationwide shutdown to attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19. This … More
1042: you must practice suturing!
If more than 99% of my cataract surgery cases do not require a suture, then why is it so important … More
1000 posts/videos on CataractCoach
Back in May of 2018, I had the idea to start CataractCoach.com where I would routinely post about cataract surgery, … More
I wish I had this book in residency!
“What your medical school and ophthalmology textbooks can’t teach you, but what your mentors, colleagues, and patients will!” That really … More
Playlist: Critical Life Lessons
Let’s start the new year right and make 2021 the time where you advance your surgical skills. Certainly dexterity and … More
clean your optics & focus the microscope
This is actually a very important lesson. Your microscope optics will determine your view for the surgery and that could … More
Learning Phaco Chop: you can do it!
Young surgeons need to learn to perform phaco chop — it makes cataract surgery efficient and increases safety. Less ultrasonic … More
Review: Career Paths for Surgical Learning
The path to learning surgery is a long and challenging one. True success requires years of dedication and the passion … More
Angle Alpha and Angle Kappa with IOLs
If an IOL has zero power, such as in an extremely myopic patient, where we place it in the eye … More
Surgeon returns after a 3 month hiatus
Performing surgery at a high level is a skill that must be continually honed and practiced. What happens when we … More
great learning resident cataract case
If you are in an ophthalmology residency program in the northern hemisphere, particularly in the USA, then you know that … More
Is ophthalmology residency too difficult?
There is no doubt that ophthalmology residency training is more difficult now than it was 10 or 20 years ago. … More
climbing up the surgical skill bell curve
Learning surgery, particularly micro-surgery, is very difficult. No one is born knowing how to work within the 0.25 cubic centimeter … More
Critiquing my old cataract surgery video
I was digging through some old computer files and I came across an old video that I made in 2006. … More
Review: Soft-Shell OVD technique
The Soft-Shell Technique for viscoelastic use in cataract surgery was developed by Dr. Steve Arshinoff as a method of getting the best … More
Learn as I coach this resident
Many ophthalmologists from around the world have asked if we offer a fellowship, externship, or clinical rotation so that they … More
Mastering Divide-and-Conquer
Most young ophthalmologists start learning phacoemulsification cataract surgery with the divide-and-conquer technique. This is an easier technique to learn than … More
Simplified pterygium technique
There is so much to learn about truly artistic pterygium surgery that we could likely make a PterygiumCoach.com website and … More
Review: fixing beginner mistakes
Learning intra-ocular surgery is not easy and it can take years just to be comfortable with just the basics. Look … More
The Subtleties of Cataract Surgery
The difference between good cataract surgery and great cataract surgery comes down to subtleties. There are very slight nuances to … More
Resident Cataract Surgery Final Exam
Today is June 30 and that is the final day of residency training in the USA since our academic year … More
Resident Case Double Camera Angles
For experienced surgeons (which I define as those who have done at least a few thousand cataract surgeries), the microscope … More
Should you do surgery for this patient?
This is a complex patient who has many systemic medical issues and because her lab tests from this morning showed … More
Does cataract surgery pose a viral risk?
Our colleagues from the University of Toronto recently did an experiment to determine if cataract surgery poses a risk of … More
Lessons from COVID-19
We are now back in our clinics seeing routine patients after almost 2 months of hiatus due to COVID-19. The … More
Techniques to Open DMEK Grafts
Today was supposed to be the World Cornea Congress in Boston (May 14, 2020) and even though it is cancelled, … More
Mentally Recovering from Complications
There are only two types of ophthalmologists who never, ever get surgical complications: (1) those who don’t operate, and (2) … More
Review: External View of Cataract Surgery Steps
Two of the most critical steps in cataract surgery are the main phaco incision and the capsulorhexis. Properly completing these … More
List of Key Videos for Residents
A young doctor in training asked me to put together a list of key videos prior to her first day … More
Cataract Surgery Lessons from Kyoto
I recently went to Kyoto, Japan for ophthalmology business development projects and I also had a chance to visit a … More
Do you really want to learn surgery?
This is one of the most important videos that I have ever made. If you only watch one of my … More
I am thankful for…
Today is Thanksgiving in the USA, which is a holiday in the USA when we give thanks to the people … More
Cataract Surgery Draping is Critical
Watching amazing intra-ocular acrobatics during a challenging cataract case is exciting and makes for a great video, but those cases … More
Surgeon Ergonomics for Ocular Surgery
As an ophthalmic surgeon, you will spend a large part of your future in the operating room performing delicate ocular … More
When should we leave “good enough” alone?
When should we leave “good enough” alone? Ophthalmologists tend to be perfectionists in nature and I certainly fit that description. … More
Advice for young ophthalmologists for future success
Today we celebrate our 500th post with keen advice for young doctors. We did it. We have published a cataract … More
Top 5 Cataract Surgery Tips for Millennial Surgeons
For the Millennial Eye Live 2019 meeting, I am presenting this talk about my top 5 tips for young surgeons … More
Understanding Force Directions in Phaco Chop
Many resident surgeons find it challenging to learn the technique of phaco chop because of the force vectors which are … More
Adjust the Phaco Probe Angle during Chop
The phaco probe angle changes during the procedure. When we embed the phaco tip into the nucleus, the probe is … More
Sub-Tenon’s Anesthetic Injection Technique
Placing anesthetic agents in the retro-bulbar space provides excellent anesthesia and akinesia during ocular surgery. We have previously shown the … More
Different Career Paths for Surgical Learning
The path to learning surgery is a long and challenging one. True success requires years of dedication and the passion … More
Foot Pedal Position during Phaco Chop
Learning phaco chop will make your cataract surgeries safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable to perform. And of course, phaco … More
Review: Divide and Conquer Phaco Technique
Every July, we mark the beginning of the academic year in the USA and this is when our residents progress … More
Foot Pedal Positions for Learning Phaco Chop
Cataract surgery requires both hands and both feet of the surgeon in order to perform the modern techniques. It seems … More
External View of Critical Cataract Surgery Steps
Two of the most critical steps in cataract surgery are the main phaco incision and the capsulorhexis. Properly completing these … More
Review: Basic Principles of Suturing with 10-0 Nylon
I tell my residents that no one is born knowing how to place 10-0 nylon sutures, but rather it is … More
Superior Incision: Hand Position & Microscope Views
While I prefer the temporal approach for routine cataract surgeries, some surgeons prefer a superior incision. Many beginning surgeons who … More
Simultaneous Hand Position and Microscope View
For young ophthalmologists, learning how to hold the instruments and position the hands during cataract surgery can be difficult to … More
Technique for Retrobulbar Anesthetic Injection
To perform a safe cataract surgery and to keep the patient comfortable and pain-free, we need to give a sufficient … More
Review: Learning Grid for Cataract Surgery
July 1 is the beginning of the academic year for our ophthalmology residents and it is an important time to … More
Analysis of a Resident’s 50th Cataract Surgery (Part 2)
Continuing from the previous post, this is part 2 of 2 of the analysis of a resident’s 50th cataract surgery. … More
Analysis of a Resident’s 50th Cataract Surgery (Part 1)
This is Part 1 of 2 where we are analyzing an anonymous resident’s 50th cataract surgery, which is very early … More
Capsulorhexis in 12 consecutive cataract surgeries
Seeing the same step of surgery performed over and over again can help beginning surgeons learn the subtleties of the … More
Review: Give the First Surgeon the Benefit of the Doubt
Sometimes you will examine a patient who had surgery elsewhere and you can tell that there were challenges and complications. … More
What is your ideal Cataract Surgery case? Why?
What is your ideal cataract surgery case? Not your fastest case. Speed does not matter. Efficiency does, but that’s a … More
Achieving the State of Flow in Cataract Surgery
The psychological state of Flow is described as “energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment” of the action being performed. Some … More
Critical Lesson: Giving the Benefit of the Doubt
Sometimes you will examine a patient who had surgery elsewhere and you can tell that there were challenges and complications. … More
Surgical Exposure is Critical in Cataract Surgery
Head positioning and exposure of the surgical field is important for success in phacoemulsification. The patient should be supine with … More
Beginning Surgeon Stop-and-Chop Case
We did a survey recently and about 20% of our viewers indicated that they wanted more videos of novice surgeons … More
Hands or Machines: What is more important?
There is an old saying, “a good workman never blames his tools,” and that holds true for ophthalmic surgery as … More
Draping is an Important Step of Surgery
Though we don’t often show the process of draping for cataract surgery, it is an important step of the procedure. … More
What does the patient actually see?
When we examine patients, we are looking at their eyes and their pathologies from the outside seeing in. We can … More
Cataract Surgery Learning Grid
During ophthalmology residency, residents are exposed to cataract surgery in steps, starting from the most basic and ending with advanced … More
What I learned about Ophthalmology at age 5
I only remember a few things about kindergarten: playing handball during recess, watching Matilda eat paste, and learning the golden … More
Beginning Surgeon Cataract Case Analysis
Becoming proficient at cataract surgery is not easy and the learning curve is quite steep, particularly at the beginning. We … More
CataractCoach.com celebrates 100 articles/videos!
Thank you to all of our readers for their support over the past three months! We have kept up with … More
Nucleus Chop with a 27g Cannula
It is the beginning of the academic year, which in the USA runs from July 1 (start) until June 30 … More
Self-Critical Analysis of Cataract Surgery
For surgeons it is important to be self-critical in oder to continually advance our surgical skills and judgment. The goal … More
Slow Motion Analysis of Phaco Chop
When we are watching a cataract surgery video to learn techniques from others, it is often difficult to understand the … More
3 Golden Rules for Patient Discussions
Physicians need to understand importance of patient discussions regarding surgery Letting patients speak, making a specific recommendation, and explaining what … More
Slow Motion Analysis of Cataract Surgery
There is a lot to be learned from slow-motion analysis and this applies to cataract surgery as well. Think of … More
I teach all young surgeons these 3 Tenets for Success
It’s hard to boil down decades of a career into three easy tenets, but the key principles needed for surgical … More
The Informed Consent Process for Cataract Surgery
As ophthalmologists, we know the most about cataracts and the potential benefit to our patients of any planned cataract … More
50 Articles / Videos on CataractCoach.com
CataractCoach.com was launched in May and we have kept up with the goal of posting a new teaching article / … More
3 Rules for Maneuvering Instruments in the Eye
Intra-ocular procedures pose the surgical challenge of working within a very small space with limited room in which to maneuver … More
4 times when you should NOT do surgery
Any surgeon can operate, but it takes a surgeon with good judgment to know when not to operate. During my … More
The Biggest Mistake in Ophthalmology that I’ve made in the past 20 years!
From CataractCoach.com: Like you, I love cataract surgery, but there’s more to life than just ophthalmology. Finding Balance in Ophthalmology … More
6 Mistakes that Beginning Cataract Surgeons Make
Learning cataract surgery during ophthalmology residency is critically important for many reasons. It is the most widely performed ophthalmic surgery, … More
Older Surgical Techniques Still Matter
Yes, I love phaco too, but we should all learn to do SICS as well. (Classic ECCE teaching video below) This … More