Clinical Pearls for Ophthalmology Residents

Last updated: October 2026

Clinical Pearls are short, focused answers to the specific questions residents search for before exams, clinics and surgery. Each page opens with a direct answer, followed by tables, worked examples and FAQs. Every clinical pearl now ends with a 5-question self-test drawn from that page, and the gradings page has 71 flip cards for quick revision.

Cataract & IOL

• Angle Kappa vs Angle Alpha: Why They Matter for Multifocal IOLs
• Toric IOL Pearls: Rotation, Posterior Corneal Astigmatism and Marking
• Positive vs Negative Dysphotopsia After Cataract Surgery
• Sulcus IOL Power Adjustment: How Much to Reduce and When Not To
• Monovision in Cataract Surgery: Targets and Patient Selection
• Biometry Rules of Thumb: Axial Length, Keratometry and Red Flags
• Refractive Surprise After Cataract Surgery: Causes and Management
• Cataract Surgery in Pseudoexfoliation: Pearls and Pitfalls

Glaucoma

• How to Set a Target IOP in Glaucoma
• Gonioscopy Grading: Shaffer, Scheie and Spaeth Systems
• Optic Disc Haemorrhage in Glaucoma: Significance and Management
• Central Corneal Thickness and IOP: Why There Is No Correction Formula
• Bleb Grading and Hypotony After Trabeculectomy

Retina

• Macular Hole Staging: Gass vs IVTS Classification
• Treat-and-Extend Anti-VEGF Regimen Explained
• OCT Biomarkers in Diabetic Macular Oedema
• Valsalva vs Terson vs Purtscher Retinopathy

Neuro-ophthalmology

• Optic Neuritis vs NAION vs Arteritic AION: How to Tell Them Apart
• Optic Disc Drusen vs Papilloedema: How to Tell Them Apart

Optics & Refraction

• Retinoscopy Tips: With vs Against Movement and Working Distance
• Jackson Cross-Cylinder: How to Refine Axis and Power
• Prentice's Rule: Induced Prism With Worked Examples
• Vertex Distance: Formula, Examples and When It Matters
• Duochrome (Red-Green) Test: How It Works and RAM GAP

Residency Skills

• MS/DNB Ophthalmology Thesis: Choosing a Topic and Example Ideas
• How to Write an Ophthalmology Case Report

Looking for broader topics? See the new reader's guide, landmark trials and AIOS-OKAT exam guide.