Emeritus Faculty; Director of the Retina and Macula Service
Clinical Vitreoretinal Fellowship Program
Overview of Fellowship
The Vitreoretinal Fellowship at Yale is a two year AUPO FCC compliant program devoted to clinical training in the evaluation, diagnosis, and medical and surgical management of vitreoretinal diseases in state-of-the-art facilities at the Yale Eye Center and the West Haven Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC).
Training in clinical evaluation of vitreoretinal disease includes proficiency in indirect ophthalmoscopy, slit lamp fundus biomicroscopy, and interpretation of diagnostic tests including high-speed digital fluorescein angiography, indocynanine green (ICG) angiography, retinal autofluorescence, optical coherence tomography (Stratus OCT and Cirrus OCT), B-scan and UBM ultrasonography, and electrophysiology (electroretinogram (ERG) and electrooculogram (EOG), at the Yale Eye Center.
The diagnostic tests for the Retina Section are performed by one of three full-time ophthalmic photographers in two separate photography suites; there is a separate room for electrophysiology. At the VAMC, there is a full time ophthalmic photographer with all the above diagnostic tests except electrophysiology.
The Retina Fellows work closely with the Retina Faculty and retina resident as part of the “Retina Team” in the medical and surgical management of our patients who have a wide range of vitreoretinal diseases from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) to diabetic and other vascular retinopathies and hamartomas, to inflammatory and infectious vitreoretinal disorders, age-related macular degeneration, retinal dystrophies, retinal tears and detachments, proliferative vitreoretinopathies, ocular trauma, intraocular foreign bodies and others. There is opportunity to evaluate ocular tumors with the ocular oncology section.
How to Apply
If you would like an application or have questions about the Yale Vitreoretinal Fellowship, please contact Coleen Campbell at (203)785-7647 or email co.campbell@yale.edu.
Faculty
Robert R. Young Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science; Chair, Ophthalmology; Chief of Ophthalmology, Yale New Haven Hospital
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and of Pathology
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Science; Associate Director of Yale-New Haven Hospital Ophthalmology Program, Ophthalmology; Associate Director of Vitreoretinal Fellowship Program; Director, Eye Care Services, VA CT; Vice Chair of Veteran Affairs, Ophthalmology & Visual Science
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science; Director, Retina Fellowship Program
- Clinical Training
- Clinical Research
Clinical Training in Medical and Surgical Vitreoretinal Treatments
Training is done with the individual retina faculty on a schedule that allows the first year fellow to begin all aspects of medical/surgical procedures, and gives a more intense surgical experience in the second fellowship year. Retinal procedures include panretinal laser photocoagulation via slit lamp and laser indirect ophthalmoscope, focal laser photocoagulation, laser retinopexy of retinal breaks, photodynamic therapy, trans-scleral cryopexy, subtenon and intravitreal injections of therapeutic drugs, retinal detachment surgery with scleral buckling, pars plana vitrectomy, membrane peeling, gas-fluid exchange, intra-ocular gas or silicone, and removal of intraocular foreign bodies.
The retinal surgeries are performed at either the Yale-New Haven Hospital (Y-NHH) in one of two dedicated retina rooms with ceiling-mounted operating microscopes, or at the West Haven VAMC with a state-of-the-art retina suite. An indirect diode laser is used for treatment of Type 1 ROP in the Newborn Intensive Care unit at Y-NHH.
The Retina Fellows also have other responsibilities in the Retina Section and Yale Eye Center.
- The fellows are considered as attending physicians and as such take part in the retina on-call attending schedule with the other Yale faculty to support the on-call resident and sometimes perform emergency surgery.
- The Retina Fellows act as consult attending for inpatient Y-NHH ophthalmology consults for one week, about every 4 weeks. Consults are seen with the consult resident at the Y-NHH, after the Retina Office concludes.
- The first year Retina Fellow conducts the Fluorescein Conference for all the ophthalmology residents and with retina faculty and 2nd year fellow once a month.
- The Retina Fellows regularly teach the ophthalmology residents and medical students.
- The second year Fellow sees retina patients in the Retina Fellows Clinic on Friday afternoons and performs laser treatments and intravitreal injections.
- The first and second year retina fellows do a formal PowerPoint case presentation with discussion of retinal disorders at a Vitreoretinal Conference with retinal faculty once a month.
Conferences
The first year Fellow attends the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Vitreoretinal Course, the Annual Atlantic Coast Fluorescein Conference, and Advanced Vitreous Surgery Course, Duke University.
The second year Fellow attends a Fellows forum, the Advanced Vitreoretinal Techniques and Technology Course, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting, and ARVO dependent on research presentation.
Other Retina meetings and conferences are attended if presenting a clinical research paper.