Graduate medical education (GME) in ophthalmology has faced and overcome many challenges over the past years, and 2020 has been a game-changer. Although the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus pandemic disrupted medical education globally, ophthalmic educators rapidly transformed their curricula to novel and effective virtual learning formats.

How to introduce medical students to the skills and attitudes necessary to deal with happenstance is the central theme of this article. Planned Happenstance Learning Theory is an important principle in professional development in medical education.

The article highlights the associations with residents training at the residency program affiliated with their medical school and/or within the same geographic region as their medical school. This can be helpful in advising our medical students on where to apply.

The authors recognize the impact that AI will have on the practice of ophthalmology. Yet they acknowledge that many physicians are not knowledgeable about AI, especially the opportunities, potential pitfalls and the influence that it will have on daily practice. The authors review the current status of ophthalmology AI and give recommendations for designing an effective AI curriculum.

This paper reassesses the role of traditional lecture during dynamic times in medical education and in the context of the need for efficient education of medical students. The authors highlight the fact that students have access to many sources of information. They recommend incorporating extra institutional resources, micro lectures and lecturer training to optimize preclinical instruction in ophthalmology.

This paper offers twelve recommendations for novel approaches to integrating ophthalmology content into the undergraduate medical school curriculum. Includes strategies that employ social media and online resources.

Enhancing medical student education in ophthalmology can lead to improved eye health care delivery and patient outcomes across all primary care and specialty disciplines. There has been a resurgence of interest in delivering high-quality ophthalmic medical student education. This educational revival is both timely and topical. A general consensus has emerged that, rather than focusing solely on increasing teaching time, strategies are needed to focus on how to optimize the limited time allotted to ophthalmology.

The Coalition for Physician Accountability is comprised of national organizations responsible for oversight, education and assessment of medical students and physicians throughout their medical career. The coalition's mission is to improve the quality of healthcare for the public. A new coalition committee was created in 2020 to focus on the UME to GME transition, shifting attention from residency matching to learner competency and readiness for residency training.

This review was authored by many members of the AUPO Medical Student Educators to provide a continued assessment of ophthalmic medical student education. The report detailed findings of a 2018 survey of medical student educators. Findings included: 

An editorial detailing the worldwide impact on ophthalmic education at all levels. The discussion reviews changes in clinical experiences, the use of virtual conferencing and education and future challenges.