Curriculum
In addition to managing amblyopia, strabismus, developmental ocular syndromes and other common visual concerns, Children’s National faculty provide comprehensive medical and surgical care for a broad spectrum of complex conditions. These include congenital cataracts and other intraocular disorders, pediatric glaucoma, lacrimal abnormalities, congenital and acquired orbital and eyelid conditions, ocular and orbital tumors, optic nerve disorders, and pediatric retinal disease.
Surgical training is a cornerstone of the fellowship experience. On average, fellows complete more than 200 surgical cases as the primary surgeon over the course of the year, spanning pediatric strabismus, oculoplastic procedures, intraocular surgery, glaucoma surgery, lacrimal procedures, and trauma. This breaks down to approximately 150 strabismus cases and 50 intraocular cases per trainee.
Our Retinopathy of Prematurity Program is closely integrated with the Division of Neonatology, consistently ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, providing fellows with valuable experience in screening, diagnosis and management. Fellows work alongside retina specialists to deliver treatments such as laser therapy and anti-VEGF (Avastin) when indicated. Unlike other academic ophthalmology centers, there are no other subspecialty fellows at Children’s National. Therefore, there are no glaucoma, retina or plastics fellows present to decrease the pediatric ophthalmology fellow’s surgical experience in each of these subspecialty surgeries within pediatric ophthalmology. This unusual characteristic strengthens the comprehensive training accomplishments of our fellowship.
The program demonstrates a strong commitment to academic development. Fellows participate in monthly departmental pediatric ophthalmology grand rounds, as well as combined NIH/Children’s National/George Washington/Walter Reed ophthalmology grand rounds held monthly. Dedicated didactic sessions, six journal clubs throughout the year, and two to three visiting professorships further enrich the educational experience. Fellows are supported in attending the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) annual meeting and any additional conferences where they present research. They also attend the Costenbader Society Meeting, an invitation-only annual gathering, that provides a unique and intimate forum for discussing emerging research and advances in pediatric ophthalmology.
Teaching is a central pillar of the fellowship. Fellows play an active role in educating medical students, residents and junior trainees in both clinical and surgical settings. With strong faculty mentorship, fellows develop their own teaching skills through bedside instruction, case discussions and participation in formal didactics. This culture of shared learning fosters both confidence and leadership, preparing fellows to become effective educators in their future academic or clinical careers.