Background Microsurgery is a growing field which requires significant precision and skill. Eyesi Surgical, which is usually introduced during residency or fellowship, is an ophthalmologic microsurgery simulator which allows users to practice abstract microsurgical skills and more specialized skills. The purpose of this study was to assess the inclusion of microsurgical simulation training during medical school. Methods Seventy-nine German medical students in their 10th semester of education completed up to two days of training on the simulator during their ophthalmology clerkship. They received an objective numeric score based on simulator performance and completed pre and post training subjective questionnaires. Results There was no relationship found between students’ Eyesi Surgical performance scores and their specialty interests (p = .8). The majority of students (73.4%) rated their microsurgical skills to be higher after simulator training than before training (p < 0.001). 92.4% of students found the Eyesi Surgical to be a useful component of the ophthalmology clerkship. Objective scores from Navigation Training Level 1 showed that students achieved better results in the criteria categories of Completing Objects and Tissue Treatment than in the categories of Instrument and Microscope Handling. The mean Total Score was 25.7 (± 17.5) out of a possible 100 points. Conclusion The inclusion of surgical simulation in the ophthalmology clerkship led to increased confidence in the microsurgical skills of medical students. Offering surgical simulation training prior to residency can help to expose students to surgical fields, identify those that have particular talent and aptitude for surgery, and assist them in deciding which specialty to pursue.

Introduction To investigate the safety and efficacy of the Vitesse hypersonic vitrectomy device for retinal reattachment surgery in proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) or proliferative diabetic vitreoretinopathy (PDVR) cases. The Vitesse device utilizes hypersonic technology to liquefy instead of cutting the vitreous, providing an alternative to the traditional pneumatic guillotine cutter. Material and Methods A prospective, one-armed, non-comparative, open-label study was performed. Sixteen patients with a diagnosis of PVR or PDVR that required retinal reattachment surgery were included. Severity of disease was classified using the Retina Society 1983 classification and Kroll Classification from 2007. Patient data was collected preoperatively, 2 days postoperatively, 1 month postoperatively, and 3 months postoperatively. Efficacy of hypersonic vitrectomy was evaluated, both subjectively using a questionnaire and objectively by means of Supplementary Video documentation, device settings, and data collection of the patients’ medical history. Results In all 16 cases, retinal reattachment surgery could be performed with Vitesse without conversion to a guillotine cutter. The vitreous could be separated from the detached retina completely with no iatrogenic tissue damage. Vitreous traction was documented in one case. In 6 cases, shaving of the vitreous base was performed after early fluid–air exchange with hypersonic vitrectomy without any complications. No adverse events suspected to be related to hypersonic vitrectomy were documented in the follow-up visits. Conclusion The Vitesse has potential advantages including reduced vacuum volumes with limited amount of turbulence and avoidance vitreoretinal traction. Liquefaction directly in front of the probe entrance allows for continuous unrestricted fluid flow. These factors of hypersonic technology allow to carry out retinal reattachment surgery in PVR or PDVR cases successfully.

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