Posted on January 05, 2022
Aramis B. Torrefranca Jr., Marissa N. Valbuena
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a gamut of challenges to the practice of ophthalmology worldwide. Government-mandated quarantine restrictions and the declaration of the Philippine General Hospital in March 2020 as one of the COVID referral centers in Metro Manila added to the complexity of fulfilling our mandate of serving our countrymen in need of ophthalmologic care.
Despite all the challenges, the DOVS did not stop from serving the patients their deserved ophthalmic care. Safety and health protocols were fortified to strengthen the protection of the health workers against COVID-19. It has continued to provide ophthalmic care to the public, while at the same time , protecting ourselves from the disease. The Department’s plans have been geared towards delivering quality care to patients and providing full protection to the trainees and consultants. Safety and health protocol manuals were regularly revisited and revised. Telemedicine was improved and expanded catering to hundreds of patients who were unable to access a face-to-face care. Personal protection equipment and barriers were put in place.
Against all odds during this pandemic, the department did not stop to perform well during the pandemic. The Department was able to publish two new books: (1) the Valenton’s External Eye Diseases of the Philippines and (2) Prescribing eyeglasses in children. The third edition of the Self-instructional Materials in Ophthalmology continued to be of good use to the medical students and trainees.
The Department has been blessed with an opportunity to successfully build the SOJR Library of Cataract Surgery (LOCS), a project Dr. Richard C. Kho started for his Dr. Jose Chan and Librada Marin Chan Professorial Chair. The LOCS houses thousands of curated phacoemulsification and other cataract surgical videos. The goal of this library is to enhance the surgical skills by banking videos worthy for training of not only the residents of the Department, but the whole country as well.
Figure. The library was successfully inaugurated and blessed last December 3, 2021 at the Romeo V. Fajardo Library of the Sentro Oftalmologico Jose Rizal
Figure (left) Dr. Richard C. Kho, chair committee of the SOJR LOCS project; figure (right) Dr. Richard Kho and Dr. Marissa Valbuena, chair of the Department in the ribbon cutting ceremony
The Department offered the first Uveitis fellowship program in the Philippines. After months of planning and coordination with the College and the Philippine General Hospital, the Division of Uveitis appointed first fellow in 2022, Dr. Faye Levina.
The department created a new division, the Ocular Oncology and Retinoblastoma Division, headed by Dr. Gary Mercado. The division was very active during the pandemic specially because elective surgeries were limited, more operating room slots were available for surgery and ocular examination under anesthesia for our retinoblastoma patients. Dr. Jonas Del Rosario sponsored the fitting and distribution of ocular prosthesis of enucleated retinoblastoma survivors in June 2021.
During the latter part of the pandemic, the Department took advantage of the low cases both nationwide and within the hospital. Several wetlabs (i.e., phacoemulsification and extracapsular cataract extraction wetlab, pars plana anterior vitrectomy wetlab, evisceration wetlab) and missions (i.e., toric intraocular lens missions and multifocal intraocular lens mission) were facilitated. These missions and wetlabs aimed not only to expand the knowledge and skills of the trainees, but also to serve our most indigent patients.
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.