Dr Michelle Ching Yim FAN
Queen Mary Hospital
Grantham Hospital
The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
The grant gave me precious opportunities to have my clinical observership in Japan for 1 month.
It is my great honour to be awarded the Santen Asia Educational Observership Grant supported by Asia Cornea Society. The grant gave me precious opportunities to have my clinical observership in Japan for 1 month.
I had clinical observership at Osaka University Medical School for 2 weeks, from 26th February 2018 to 9th March 2018 and another 2 weeks clinical observership at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine from 12th March 2018 to 23rd March 2018.
Osaka university Medical School is well-equipped with state-of-art investigative machines and instruments. It is a team with energetic ophthalmologists who excel in researches and surgeries. One of my learning objectives was ocular surface reconstruction and rehabilitation. I was fortunate to follow Assistant Prof. Yoshinori Oie who is an expert in this area. I had abundant opportunities to see corneal cases especially patients with ocular surface diseases requiring limbal transplantation and cultivated oral mucosal epithelial transplantation (COMET). I was also able to go to operation theater to observe various corneal surgeries, including anterior lamellar keratoplasty, penetrating keratoplasty, DSAEK and phototherapeutic keratectomy. Apart from clinics and OT sessions, I also attended their weekly corneal ward round and general grand round which enabled me to understand the inpatient condition and post-operative status of patients. Their Grand Round and Resident Teaching Sessions further enriched my knowledge in management of corneal diseases. Doctors there are nice and helpful. I would like to specially thank Assistant Prof. Yoshinori Oie, Assistant Prof. Takeshi Soma and Associate Prof. Shizuka Koh who shared their research idea and surgical pearls with me.
My second 2-week observership was at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (KPUM). KPUM is a hospital famous for its advanced technology in corneal regenerative medicine. I am honoured to follow Prof. Chie Sotozono who is a pioneer in corneal endothelial cells injection and ocular surface reconstruction. I also had sessions following Prof. Norihiko Yokoi which is the expert in dry eye diseases. They both are respectful scholars who not only excel in research but also are caring ophthalmologists and kind teachers. I have learnt a lot on management on ocular cicatricial pemphigoid and Steven Johnson diseases. Prof. Yokoi enlightened me a new perspective on dry eye diseases assessment and management.
My schedule at KPUM included various cornea subspecialty clinics e.g. cornea clinics, dry eye clinics, keratoconus and contact lens clinics and monthly Steven Johnson Disease clinic. For operation sessions, I observed numerous corneal transplant surgeries including penetrating keratoplasties, limbal transplantation and DSAEK. I also attended their weekly ward round and grand round. Apart from these, I had chances to go to their corneal emergency operations which were keratoplasty for corneal perforation and imminent corneal perforation. It was a very fruitful experience. I have to thank Prof. Sotozono, Prof.Yokoi, Prof. Shigeru Kinoshita, Dr. Tsutomu Inatomi and Dr. Hideki Fukuoka for their kind and unreserved teaching.
I have to thank Asia Cornea Society and Santen Asia Educational Observership Grant which make this observership possible. I am sure my patients at Hong Kong would benefit from teachings from the staff at Osaka University and Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.