Basic Phaco Skills School
Foundational Surgical Education
Applications are now open - Deadline: 28th May 2026
The ESCRS Basic Phaco Skills School is a new, intensive training programme designed to support ophthalmology residents and early career surgeons at the very start of their cataract surgery journey.
This blended learning course combines a structured 13 week online preparation programme with immersive, simulation rich hands on training, delivered immediately prior to the ESCRS Congress.
The programme is designed to build safe, reproducible surgical habits through structured teaching, simulation, wet lab practice and continuous feedback — before participants progress to live surgery.
Please note there will be 10 spaces available for the 2026 Basic Phaco Skills School. They will be allocated based on quality of application and to provide a good balance of demographics and training impact.
Who is this course for?
This course is aimed at:
- Ophthalmology residents
- Fellows and early career ophthalmologists
- Surgeons approaching their first independent cataract procedures
- ESCRS members only. Trainees are eligible for free ESCRS membership, which provides full access to the online learning components and ESCRS educational resources.
Participants should have limited or no independent phacoemulsification experience and be motivated to develop strong foundational skills in a supportive, high supervision environment.
Course aims
The ESCRS Basic Phaco Skills School aims to:
- Establish a strong theoretical foundation in phacodynamics, surgical planning and complication avoidance
- Develop stepwise technical skills using simulation, model eyes and wet lab surgery
- Provide a psychologically safe environment to practise core steps repeatedly
- Promote reflective practice, self assessment and structured feedback
- Create a transferable skills framework that participants can continue developing within their home institutions
Course Structure
The programme consists of two fully integrated components
Participants complete a structured online curriculum hosted on the ESCRS Learning Hub, including:
- Weekly topic based learning modules
- Curated ESCRS lectures, videos, guidelines and educational resources
- Case based live webinars with faculty
- Short formative quizzes to reinforce key concepts
- A private discussion group for continuous faculty interaction
Access to the ESCRS Learning Hub is included with ESCRS membership and accessed using the member login. Participants are required to complete at least 80% of the online content to progress to the onsite practical component.
Online curriculum highlights include:
- Phacodynamics and IOL selection
- Surgical planning and incisions
- Capsulorhexis and hydrodissection
- Nucleus management and cortex removal
- Managing small pupils and zonular weakness
- Posterior capsule rupture and dropped nucleus
- Postoperative inflammation and complication management
Delivered immediately prior to the ESCRS Congress, the onsite component provides intensive, supervised practical training, including:
- Wet lab surgery using a structured, stepwise curriculum
- Dry lab training with model eyes
- Virtual reality phaco simulation with guaranteed access slots
- Focused feedback from experienced faculty at every stage
Training is designed around repeated practice, allowing participants to consolidate individual steps and address personal learning needs.
Participants will also be able to record selected wet lab sessions for later review and reflection.
Basic Phaco Skills School - Faculty
The faculty will be supported by members of the ESCRS Young Ophthalmologists (YO) Group, ensuring a high trainer to trainee ratio and strong near peer support throughout both the online and onsite components.
