I'm the current Advanced Anterior Segment fellow at Vold Vision in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
I wanted to share my experience during this 1 year fellowship covering the entire anterior segment
(**NOTE: Scroll down to see my surgical numbers, over 1670 PRIMARY surgeries and procedures this year)
I am in the OR a TON, with minimal call, including no trauma...period.
Leaving residency, I was torn between an academic and a private practice fellowship. I enjoyed the opportunities research provided, but wanted to learn how to run a private practice and operate in the world outside of academia. I also wanted a fellowship that would provide top-notch surgical training in as broad of an area as I could find in one year.
After interviewing at the top programs across the country in cornea, cataract, and refractive last year, I realized there was a huge range in the type of surgical experience you get as a fellow. Some places offered good volume for cornea, while others offered merely cataract and/or refractive. Few offered both, and none offered that plus glaucoma.
I stumbled upon the fellowship at Vold Vision, and realized I had found a goldmine. This being the inaugural year of the fellowship, there was not any talk about it. When I interviewed, I realized this could be a career-changing opportunity. Not only Does Dr. Steven Vold perform possibly the most MIGS in the country, but his associate, Dr. George Tanaka, is a well known glaucoma specialist recently relocated from San Francisco, who does a lot of complex glaucoma as well as MIGS
To top it off, Dr. Vold does over 100 eyes a month of refractive surgery. Most of my surgeries are in a 4k, 3-D Heads up display using the INGENUITY system (formerly TruVision)
In addition to an incredible surgical experience, the practice is involved in over 10 clinical trials currently, including new IOLs and MIGS devices, and has its own research department. This gives amazing opportunities to collaborate with industry. Every day there are people coming to observe surgery.
This fellowship is one of maybe two in the country that has the entire spectrum of anterior segment training. I mean EVERYTHING. Cornea, Glaucoma (including a TON of MIGS), Cataract, Refractive, and Dry Eye / Ocular Surface.
My PRIMARY surgical numbers thus far :
Refractive Cataract
Phaco - 506
LenSX - 242
ORA - 104
Refractive Surgery (all flaps made on VISUMAX)
LASIK/PRK - 180
SMILE - 1 (certification in process)
Cornea
DMEK - 15
PKP - 20
DSAEK - 15
Pterygium - 30
MIGS+:
Xen - 30
IStent (G1 and Inject) - 11
Hydrus - 3 (certification in process)
KDB - 25
GATT/OMNI - 32
Micropulse - 4
Cypass - 8
TRADITIONAL GLAUCOMA:
Valves - 20
Trabs - 8
Trab revisions - 4
CPC - 10
Procedures
YAG Cap - 250
YAG LPI - 8
SLT - 62
Dry Eye
IPL - 66
Lipiflow - 5
Punctal Cautery - 15
Grand Total: 1670 PRIMARY surgeries and procedures!
Cataract/Femto/ORA 852
Cornea 80
Glaucoma 152
Refractive 181
Procedures 320
Dry Eye 86
PM me with any questions
I wanted to share my experience during this 1 year fellowship covering the entire anterior segment
(**NOTE: Scroll down to see my surgical numbers, over 1670 PRIMARY surgeries and procedures this year)
I am in the OR a TON, with minimal call, including no trauma...period.
Leaving residency, I was torn between an academic and a private practice fellowship. I enjoyed the opportunities research provided, but wanted to learn how to run a private practice and operate in the world outside of academia. I also wanted a fellowship that would provide top-notch surgical training in as broad of an area as I could find in one year.
After interviewing at the top programs across the country in cornea, cataract, and refractive last year, I realized there was a huge range in the type of surgical experience you get as a fellow. Some places offered good volume for cornea, while others offered merely cataract and/or refractive. Few offered both, and none offered that plus glaucoma.
I stumbled upon the fellowship at Vold Vision, and realized I had found a goldmine. This being the inaugural year of the fellowship, there was not any talk about it. When I interviewed, I realized this could be a career-changing opportunity. Not only Does Dr. Steven Vold perform possibly the most MIGS in the country, but his associate, Dr. George Tanaka, is a well known glaucoma specialist recently relocated from San Francisco, who does a lot of complex glaucoma as well as MIGS
To top it off, Dr. Vold does over 100 eyes a month of refractive surgery. Most of my surgeries are in a 4k, 3-D Heads up display using the INGENUITY system (formerly TruVision)
In addition to an incredible surgical experience, the practice is involved in over 10 clinical trials currently, including new IOLs and MIGS devices, and has its own research department. This gives amazing opportunities to collaborate with industry. Every day there are people coming to observe surgery.
This fellowship is one of maybe two in the country that has the entire spectrum of anterior segment training. I mean EVERYTHING. Cornea, Glaucoma (including a TON of MIGS), Cataract, Refractive, and Dry Eye / Ocular Surface.
My PRIMARY surgical numbers thus far :
Refractive Cataract
Phaco - 506
LenSX - 242
ORA - 104
Refractive Surgery (all flaps made on VISUMAX)
LASIK/PRK - 180
SMILE - 1 (certification in process)
Cornea
DMEK - 15
PKP - 20
DSAEK - 15
Pterygium - 30
MIGS+:
Xen - 30
IStent (G1 and Inject) - 11
Hydrus - 3 (certification in process)
KDB - 25
GATT/OMNI - 32
Micropulse - 4
Cypass - 8
TRADITIONAL GLAUCOMA:
Valves - 20
Trabs - 8
Trab revisions - 4
CPC - 10
Procedures
YAG Cap - 250
YAG LPI - 8
SLT - 62
Dry Eye
IPL - 66
Lipiflow - 5
Punctal Cautery - 15
Grand Total: 1670 PRIMARY surgeries and procedures!
Cataract/Femto/ORA 852
Cornea 80
Glaucoma 152
Refractive 181
Procedures 320
Dry Eye 86
PM me with any questions