Glaucoma Fellowship--what procedures to focus on?

[theGlaucomas]

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Hey all,

Current applicant for glaucoma fellowships this cycle. While there are obviously a lot of great programs out there, it seems like a lot of programs are skewed toward one particular type of procedure (e.g., MIGs-heavy vs. tube-heavy vs. trab heavy). Many programs seem to have excellence in one or two of these categories, but it seems quite rare for a program to have great experience in all three.

My question is--when forming a rank list, are there any particular practice settings/career goals where it'd be most advantageous to value the experience of one of these over the others? Or is it generally better to try to aim for a balanced experience? I feel like the MIGs market in particular is becoming dominated by Comprehensives and may not be the most translatable to everyday Glaucoma practice, but this may also depend on where you're practicing (e.g., urban vs. rural). Likewise, what is the value of trab experience in our current era of practice?

Any input or discussion would be appreciated!

 

[mjohnsonets]

Not a surgeon but I'd tell you that MIGS experience can generally be picked up at any time, tubes and trabs not so much. If you want to be a glaucoma surgeon, prioritize the most advanced procedures in your formal fellowship and learn the easier ones later.

I have once had a practice ask me to find someone with a specific kind of MIGS experience. I have quite a few practices looking for a glaucoma surgeon who does tubes and trabs and some will even elaborate on that by saying "and wants to continue doing them for their career".