December 8, 2021
Episode 15: Dr. William Myers, MD
A discussion on
“Global Ophthalmology in Haiti”
Dr. William Myers, MD
In this episode we are traveling to Haiti with Dr. William Myers who is an incredible global ophthalmologist as we will come to hear of his exemplary service work. He obtained his MD from Dartmouth Medical School and did his ophthalmology residency at Northwestern University where he is also faculty. Dr. Myers then did an orbit and oculoplastics fellowship at Medical College Wisconsin and since then he has performed over 30,000 cataract surgeries. Among his many contributions to the field of ophthalmology which include co-developing dropless cataract surgery in 2006, he is the co- instructor of the annual ASCRS and AAO courses on intracameral (inside the eye) agents for anterior segment surgery, featuring leading international ophthalmic researchers from 4 continents. Dr. Myers also serves on the ASCRS Foundation’s International Division committee and is on the board of FOCUS (1focus.org).
Key discussion points:
Interest in Ophthalmology and the journey to global ophthalmology
Appeal of cataract surgery
Working with a pioneer in the field
Evolution
intracapsular cataract surgery (no implant) to extracapsular cataract surgery (nonphaco/phaco)
Advantage in global ophthalmology: MSICS
Transition from private practice to hospital system
Work with Northwestern
VA experience
Pursuing global ophthalmology post-retirement
Finding networks that could enable access to global initiatives
Haiti
Working at ‘Double Harvest’
Medical clinic
Help ~100 people over 5-day period
Dr. Matt Thompson from FOCUS
Self-Sustainable solution to address ophthalmic disparities in the country
Matt Thompson and Dr. Daniel Alter on their trip to HUEH (Hôpital d l'Universite d'Etat d'Haiti)
Method of residency selection
Process of attracting the brightest minds for Ophthalmology residency
Process of building an Ophthalmology residency program: better equipment
Real-time monitoring of surgery
Development of a wet lab
Silicone model eyes from Orbis and SEE International in places where refrigeration of animal eyes is not practical
Ophthalmology residency in Haiti
Length of training: designed after the US system
Working around obstacles
Dr. Ana Bastos de Carvalho to help with communication/learning in didactic setting
Close captioning for lecture series
ICO exams for certifications (like the OKAPs)
Wet lab
Development of ophthalmology fellowships
1 USAID grant: ROP
screening program
Active work with Dr. RV Paul Chan, Dr. David Chan & many more
Plan to get graduates set up practice outside of Port-au-Prince
Partners in Health
Building a surgery center
Connecting with Aravind Eye Center
Description of Haiti
Geopolitical
Safety
What is the general eye health in Haiti like?
Continuation of medical education training programs currently
Telemedicine
Monitoring surgical cases
On the topic of global ophthalmology: “If you have these periods of respite where you are using your skills to the maximum…that can make you a much better person and a much happier person!”
Episode-based Resources: