Aug. 28, 2012 – Beginning in September, ophthalmology residents at the John A. Moran Eye Center will have the unique opportunity to acquire specific surgical skills prior to caring for patients in a clinic setting. With generous donations, Moran Eye Center was able to purchase a state-of-the-art eye surgery simulator to help enhance education and training programs.

The hands-on virtual reality simulator will provide realistic ophthalmic surgical experience in a controlled educational setting. Moran physician educators will now be able to assign and critique well-defined virtual procedures, allowing residents to receive immediate feedback and repeat procedures until fully mastered.

“The utility of surgical simulators for doctors in the early stages of their training parallels the well established benefit of flight simulators for pilot training. The logarithmic growth in virtual reality technology in recent years has allowed very realistic and practical skill transfer in a completely safe and reproducible learning environment. Our internationally renowned residency surgical training curriculum will be further enhanced with the addition of this sophisticated surgical simulator,” said Mark D. Mifflin, M.D., professor and residency and education director at the Moran Eye Center.

The EYESi surgery simulator will benefit not only residents and their future patients, but also international observers, who come to the Moran Eye Center from the most economically-challenged and remote areas of Africa, Asia and South America. The simulator will give them useful hands-on experience demonstrating the latest eye surgery techniques.

The purchase of the simulator would not have been possible without a generous donation from the family of the late Paul Zimmerman, M.D., former ophthalmologist and educator at the Moran Eye Center. An extraordinary teacher, Dr. Zimmermann was dedicated to expanding the knowledge and training of all his residents. With this gift, future generations of doctors and patients will continue to benefit from his legacy.

In honor of Dr. Zimmerman, dozens of donors have contributed additional funds for the EYESi including the Utah Lions Eye Bank who provided a significant donation to support the initiative.

There will be an event held on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 6:00 pm at Moran Eye Center to honor Dr. Zimmerman, the Utah Lions Eye Bank and other donors who helped purchase the simulator.

About the John A. Moran Eye Center

The John A. Moran Eye Center is committed to the goal that no person with a blinding condition, eye disease or visual impairment should be without hope, understanding, and treatment. The Moran Eye Center is home to more than 50 faculty members, including one of the top retinal research teams in the world. Moran researchers are largely funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and are involved in more than 50 active clinical trials. Each year, Moran hosts more than 120,000 clinic visits, including more than 6,400 surgeries. Ophthalmologists at the Moran Eye Center are highly involved in international outreach and perform multiple medical missions throughout the world every year.