Evaluating the Efficacy of Dry Lab Cataract Simulation for Medical Students

Background: Cataract surgery is a major component of ophthalmologic surgical training. However, medical students often lack early exposure to intraocular surgery, limiting their ability to assess their interest in the field. Purpose: To evaluate the educational impact of a cataract surgery dry lab workshop for medical students using the Kitaro Anterior Segment Dry Lab Kit. Methods: The workshop included a faculty-led presentation on eye anatomy, cataract formation, and cataract surgery, followed by hands-on practice. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires were conducted to evaluate students’ knowledge in cataract surgery, interest in ophthalmology, interest in microsurgery, and evaluation of the course. Wilcoxon matched pairs signed-rank tests and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results: A total of 42 students completed pre- and post-questionnaires. Across the entire cohort, knowledge of cataract surgery significantly increased (p < 0.001), and interest in microsurgery strengthened (p = 0.013), while interest in ophthalmology did not change (p = 0.098). In contrast, among preclinical students (n = 16), knowledge significantly increased (p = 0.0002), as did both interest in microsurgery (0.0112) and ophthalmology (p = 0.0078). Participants also rated the workshop highly, with a median score of 9/10 in teaching the steps of cataract surgery and providing insight on performing surgery. Conclusion: In our study cohort, surgical simulation through a cataract surgery dry-lab improved knowledge of cataract surgery and provided early exposure to microsurgery.