Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Since its establishment as a separate unit in 1961, the PGH Department of Ophthalmology, later renamed the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, continues to be the Premier Eye Referral Center in the country. It offers the greatest number of subspecialty clinics and the most comprehensive subspecialty training of any institution locally. The subspecialty services available in the Department are: External Disease and Cornea, Uveitis, Glaucoma, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Retina, Plastic-Lacrimal, Orbit, Contact Lens and Refraction, and Low Vision and Rehabilitation.
The Sentro Oftalmologico Jose Rizal was built in 2003 to house the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. This was made possible with a grant awarded by the Spanish government through the Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional (AECI), in collaboration with the University of the Philippines, the Philippine General Hospital, the Department of Health, the Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology and other stakeholders in ophthalmic health. The SOJR became operational in 2006. It was envisioned to be a self-sustaining, world-class Eye Center, and has its own Operating Room Complex, Eye Instrument Center, Charity Ward, Pay Unit, and Audiovisual Auditorium. It also currently houses the Sta. Lucia Eyebank of the Philippines, a PGH Pharmacy branch and the Philippine Eye Research Institute. The year 2020 was the fourteenth year that the Sentro Oftalmologico Jose Rizal (SOJR) has been fully functional; and the fifth year under the tutelage of Dr. Valbuena.
The Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences continues to strive to maintain its current status as the Premier Eye Referral Center in the country with our MISSION of being “committed to training residents and medical students in quality eye care, encouraging our graduates to seek for themselves unceasing self-mastery and improvement through teaching, service and research; inspiring them to serve our countrymen as eye care professionals with dedication and honor.” It is also the VISION of the department to be “developing leadership and integrity among eye care physicians in the UP tradition of academic excellence and social responsiveness through advancing knowledge and skills, sustaining enduring quality eye care services and promoting relevant research”
History
The Department of Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat (EENT) of the University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) was established in May 1911, with Dr. Reinhart Rembe at the helm. In 1914, leadership of the Department of EENT was passed to the first Filipino chairperson, Dr. Aristeo Rizal Ubaldo who served for 37 years. The Department halted its operations during the occupation of the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. After World War II, equipment and instruments donated by the US Armed Forces aided the rebirth of the Department. The PGH Eye Bank was established in 1945.
To expand its scope of service, the EENT Department was divided into two: the Section of Ophthalmology and the Section of Otorhinolaryngology (ORL). On November 9, 1961, the UP Board of Regents approved the creation of the Department of Ophthalmology with Dr. Geminiano de Ocampo as its first head. During this period, a formal residency training program in ophthalmology was introduced, and multiple subspecialty services – Plastic-Lacrimal, Cornea, Glaucoma, Uveitis, Motility, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Retina and Orbit – were established.
Dr. Emmanuel Almeda was designated officer-in-charge of the Department from February to October 1996, upon the recommendation of Dean Benjamin Barrera. In such a short period, Dr. Almeda ably maintained the high standards of service and training of the Department, paving the way for his successors to implement more improvements.
From July 1968 to Jun 1976, under the leadership of Dr. Liborio L. Mangubat, emphasis was placed on teaching, particularly at the post-graduate level. The Basic Course in Ophthalmology was introduced into the residency program. Residents were given more opportunities for eye surgery. Additional residency positions were created, and for the first time, graduates of medical schools other than UP were admitted into the residency program. Post-graduate courses for general ophthalmologists were started. This period saw the renovation of more facilities, a significant increase in equipment, and the much-awaited promotion of many deserving faculty members.
The term of Dr. Romeo B. Espiritu from 1976 to 1979 was a period of reorganization in terms of the schedules of residents and fellows. Residents were made to rotate in all subspecialties during each year of their residency training. Research requirements were modified to allow the residents to work on their topic of interest during the three years of their training. Dr. Espiritu opened the doors of the Department to all the first-year ophthalmology residents and students in the country by inviting them to attend the three-month long Basic Course in Ophthalmology.
In 1979, Dr. Salvador R. Salceda assumed chairmanship of the Department. Post-residency training in the various subspecialties was introduced as a joint program of the Department and the Institute of Ophthalmology. Dr. Salceda strengthened training, patient care, and research activities of the Department, conducting case consultations and scientific conferences. Dr. Salceda subsequently assumed the post of PGH Director in 1984, becoming the first ophthalmologist to hold such distinction.
Dr. Gloria D. Lim became the first female chairman of the Department in 1982. During her term, several surgical instruments were acquired, including various donations from the USAID Excess Property Division. The Department also procured ophthalmic equipment, including a visual field analyzer.
When Dr. Mario V Aquino assumed office in July 1985, many deserving faculty members received long overdue promotions. Dr. Aquino’s term saw the introduction of extracapsular cataract extraction and implantation of posterior chamber intraocular lenses. During his term, the Department was relocated from Ward 4 to Ward 12.
The year 1988 saw the appointment of Dr. Romeo V. Fajardo as chair. During his term, the acquisition of an argon laser machine led to the establishment of the Eye Instrument Center (EIC) in 1989 at the 4th Floor, Right Central Block. Residency slots were increased from 18 to 30, and the chief resident was made to serve an additional year. During this time, the Ophthalmological Foundation of the Philippines (OFPHIL), headed by Drs. Felipe Tolentino and Jose Peczon, through the generous donation of the Miyake family of Japan, established the Miyake Eye Operating Room. This OR housed equipment for phacoemulsification and vitreo-retinal surgery.
In July 1991, under the leadership of Dr. Prospero Ma. C. Tuaño, the Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic at the EIC, and the Low Vision Clinic at the OPD were created. The need for the enhancement of the Optics/Contact Lens Clinic at the OPD led to the hiring of optometric educators and the establishment of a linkage with the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE). The Retina, Glaucoma, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Plastic Lacrimal services were expanded. Income generated from courses and seminars conducted by the department were deposited into the UP Manila Trust Fund. Residents started to perform phacoemulsification surgery. The Modified Residency Training Program (MRTP) was also established during this time by the Institute of Ophthalmology. In 1995, the fellowship programs were formally established. The first programs officially approved by the Medical Education Committee of PGH were Retina, Glaucoma and External Disease.
In February 1998, during the term of Dr. Robert Tan, the Department came to be known as the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences by virtue of the action of the Board of Regents.
Dr. Manuel B. Agulto took charge of the Department in May 2000. Newly acquired equipment, including phacoemulsification machines, allowed the department to provide quality service to more patients. The Master’s program in Preventive Ophthalmology was approved by the University Council for implementation in 2004.
In 2000, the department received a grant from the Spanish government through the Agencia Expañola de Cooperacion Internacional (AECI). This paved the way for the construction of a new eye center beside the central block. On February 14, 2005, this building was inaugurated as the Sentro Oftalmologico Jose Rizal. The Sentro became a contemporary eye center equipped with cutting-edge technology, envisioned to provide optimum care for charity and private patients with all types of eye diseases and to facilitate training of both professional and allied eye care practitioners. This was the product of the collaboration of the University of the Philippines, the Department of Health, the Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology (PAO), the Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines, and other stakeholders in ophthalmic health.
In 2006, the Department released the first edition of the Self-Instructional Materials in Ophthalmology – a learning resource for medical students of the University of the Philippines – College of Medicine. Alumni of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences authored the chapters of the book, which later on became available to medical students all over the country.
Dr. Ildefonso M. Chan served as the Chair of the Department from 2007 to 2009. Notable events which transpired during the term of Dr. Chan include: the inauguration of the “Dr. Romeo B. Espiritu Auditorium,” a conference hall with a seating capacity of 149, during the Centennial year of the PGH in 2008, the modification of clinical pathways to separate “Service New Patients” from “Follow-up Patients” to address the chronic problem of long patient waiting times, the opening of the optical shop inside the SOJR, and the establishment of the Clinical Fellowship in Oculoplastics and Orbit in 2007.
The ISO committee with Dra. Pearl Villalon as the head steered the DOVS-SOJR to win the award of the “The Most Compliant Clinical Department” in February and October of 2008; as well as the “The Most Outstanding Clinical Department: in the following campaigns of the PGH: “Mga Pangunahing Pinahahalagahan ng PGH”, “Iwas Waldas”, “Magaling na Magalang Pa”.
Dr. Pearl Tamesis-Villalon led the DOVS from 2010-2012. During her term, the department worked towards financial independence from the Philippine General Hospital. Operating Room services were expanded. Dedicated waiting areas for private patients were created at the Eye Instrument Center and at the Operating Room. In 2010, the Cataract Clinic was established with a goal to improve the residents’ surgical skills in handling cataract cases and to ensure supervision of trainees during clinical evaluation and surgery of their patients.
The DOVS celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2011 during the 5th year of operations of the SOJR. As part of the celebration, multiple service projects were initiated - a “Barangay Health Worker Training and Visual Screening Program”, “The First Pediatric Ophthalmological Symposium”, and “50 at 50” (free ophthalmological surgeries for 50 indigent patients). Exhibits and special lectures were also held. In February 8, 2011, the Dr. Romeo V. Fajardo Library was inaugurated as a tribute to the department’s former leader. In the same year, the FMAB: Faculty Medical Arts Building and the UP Eye Center: University Physicians Eye Center both opened.
Dr. Raul D. Cruz became Chair of DOVS from 2013 to 2015. Dr. Cruz steered the DOVS to maintain steady income by streamlining the reimbursements from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) and by acquiring new equipment. The pay service ward was inaugurated in September 2013 with the initial 5 rooms. In 2014, the DOVS organized and held the first Basic Course in Phacoemulsification, a project of the ORAA: Ophthalmology Residents’ Alumni Association. In 2015, The DOVS Fellows’ and Residents’ Manual was updated to stress the department’s objective of producing graduates capable of achieving excellence and proficiency in the following: 1) academic knowledge of ophthalmology, 2) patient care, teaching and administrative skills and 3) scientific investigation and research.
Dr. Marissa N. Valbuena was appointed as chair of DOVS in 2016. Under her leadership, the department strived to improve the quality and efficiency of its health service delivery. The department saw an increase in consultant involvement and supervision at the out-patient department and the operating rooms. In 2018, the department became the first to offer fellowship training in Neuro-Ophthalmology. During Dr. Valbuena’s term, the department hired full-time medical specialists to ensure timely delivery of services at the General Clinic, which led to a decrease in patient backlogs and waiting times at the General Clinic. A new division was formed, the Uveitis Division, being the first institution in the Philippines to offer this program. Dr. Valbuena was reappointed in 2019 and will continue to serve the department until the end of her term in 2021.
Dr. Teresita R. Castillo served as the new Chair of the Department starting year 2022 and still currently holds the position. Upon appointment, she continued to help the Department in recovering from its losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. After seeing light in the decline of cases starting in February 2022, Dr. Castillo boosted the training of the residents and fellows through several missions, wet and dry labs and conferences, service through continuous provision of pharmacy supplies and equipment to accommodate the increasing numbers of patient consults, and research through the participation of the trainees in several international and local conventions. With all her efforts, the department was also granted its three year accreditation for 2025-2027 by the Philippine Board of Ophthalmology.
Through the years, no matter what challenges the Department continues to face, it will continue to be a pillar in the field of Ophthalmology in the Philippines. It continues to envision becoming a globally competitive, socially responsible, community-oriented and sustainable world-class center committed to excellence in eye care, the prevention of blindness, as well as leadership in ophthalmology. Its graduates, spread around the country and in the world, are testaments of the excellence embodied by this institution.
