Fort Worth Medical Students See Future at Alcon Experience Center
First-year medical students at the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine were introduced to the future of eye care at the Alcon Experience Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
FORT WORTH – First-year medical students at the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine gazed into a potential future in ophthalmology.
The students who toured the Alcon Experience Center in Fort Worth were introduced to innovative technology and experienced first-hand what it would be like to perform cataract surgery.
“Today, we had a wet lab experience using synthetic eyes to introduce the next generation of ophthalmologists to microsurgery,” said School of Medicine faculty member Sai Chavala, a groundbreaking researcher and ophthalmologist. “We taught them the principles of cataract surgery to see if this was something that would be of interest to them.”
The center’s primary purpose is to host Alcon’s clients for training and research as well as train Alcon employees on the company’s products and equipment. The medical students were divided into small groups to be able to experience each of the interactive stations at the center.
“One of my favorite moments of the tour was the heads-up technology,” said first-year medical student Lindsay Zumwalt. “I think it’s incredible that such a new technology like this can impact the daily work of an ophthalmologist.”
Fort Worth-based Alcon is the largest eye care device company in the world – with complimentary businesses in Surgical and Vision Care – and serves patients in more than 140 countries.
“We need more young, bright minds, particularly with diverse representation, in ophthalmology,” said Melissa Thompson, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Alcon. “I’m hoping that some of those students who become ophthalmologists will then go on to support charitable efforts to help marginalized, vulnerable populations who need eye help.”