Hands-on, Peer-To-Peer & Deliberate: The Vision of GenEye

Now in its fifth year, GenEye – a three-day educational event for eye care professionals held at the state-of-the-art Education Precinct within The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear) – is renowned for encouraging participants to be curious, explore, test familiar techniques, and try new approaches.

As Dr Jacqueline Beltz, founder of GenEye, shared during the opening address at this year’s event, “there are no PowerPoint presentations at GenEye”, no passive learning sitting in lecture theatres. This conference is all about active, deliberate, and reflective practice. And while it requires more effort and engagement from both participants and the organising team, we believe that GenEye yields the greatest learning for high-performance practice in ophthalmology.

Taking place in late May, GenEye was attended by medical students, junior doctors, orthoptists, and optometrists on day one, while trainee ophthalmology registrars and consultant ophthalmologists attended on days two and three. Participants were divided into groups with diverse skillsets and experience, increasing the value of peer-to-peer learning.

I was honoured to return as faculty this year, along with doctors Jacqueline Beltz, Noha Ali, Jamie Chew, Ben Cumming, Jason Ha, Rebecca Haward, Michael Lai, Amreen Qureshi, Lukas Sahhar, Stephenie Tiew, and Nathan Wong.

Mixing it Up

Each morning consisted of structured sessions at three stations; a Communication Station, a Mind Lab, and a Skills Lab. Then, in the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to explore 12 stations at their own pace: ‘Anterior vitrectomy, phacodynamics and visualisation with Ngenuity’ with Alcon; ‘Complex cataract surgery and anterior vitrectomy and more’ on the EyeSi simulator; ‘Ethically building your brand and referrer network’ with Surgical Growth Partners; ‘Ergonomics and healthy body mechanics’ with physiotherapists Lisa Harman and David Hall; ‘Myotherapy’ with myotherapist Lily Pascoe; i-scribe with Dr Jamie Chew; ‘Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) and pre shot routine’ with The Mind Room; ‘Virtual reality gaming’ with CorpComm and Guide Dogs Australia.

Angie Trinh, a senior optometrist and clinical manager, said that as well as clinical learning, GenEye provided valuable opportunities for professional networking.

“What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to connect with people in the medical field, especially ophthalmology,” she said. “Despite working closely with ophthalmologists through referrals, optometrists have few opportunities to do continuing professional development with ophthalmology. However, increased interaction improves the working relationship between the two professions.”

Reflective Practice: Communication Station

Communication skills workshops are increasingly recognised as an effective education tool for learning strategies and building confidence when managing difficult conversations. Ultimately, they improve patient-centred care. Participants at GenEye had increased opportunity to experience the ‘hot seat’ where they were charged with counselling a post-operative patient with unexpected complications during cataract surgery.

With the invaluable expertise of Lliam Amor, a simulated patient actor, and Tanya Edlington, a conversation specialist and trained facilitator, reflection ensued in a safe group environment. Conversations were reviewed and strategies discussed to de-escalate or steer communication towards a positive outcome, including verbal and non-verbal communication.

Many participants shared that while they were pushed out of their comfort zone in the ‘hot seat’, the experience was overall the most memorable and valuable. GenEye faculty member and Director of Training, Victorian Network Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, Dr Rebecca Haward said this station was a particularly “valuable opportunity for trainees to learn skills outside of their regular hospital work and practise communication skills prior to managing difficult conversations”.

Discussion continued throughout the morning and afternoon, with participants sharing how their different experiences and clinical backgrounds influenced the conversation and overall communication approach. In line with improving patient outcomes, at the conclusion of the simulated patient review, participants were provided with examples of medical documentation and patient letters generated by i-scribe, an AI-powered medical scribe developed in Australia. As Dr Jamie Chew, co-founder of i-scribe and GenEye faculty shared, “it is incredibly powerful to have the ability to provide a tailored patient letter at the end of a challenging consult”.

Hands-on Learning: Skills Lab

‘Learning by doing’ is one of the core philosophies of GenEye, and according to consultant ophthalmologist Dr Mark Whiting, the skills lab delivered exactly what was needed.

“This is my fourth time attending GenEye. Each year, there are new and different stations, for example the hands-on wet lab skills station. Even if I have experienced some stations previously, there is always more to explore and discover as clinical practice changes and evolves,” he said.

Participants were given access to the Eye and Ear’s world-class dedicated microsurgical wet lab and latest technology for hands-on learning. There, they were encouraged to be creative, try new ideas and techniques, and learn from mistakes in a positive environment. On day one, there were exclamations of excitement as many participants navigated the EyeSi surgical simulator and surgical microscope in the wet lab for the first time, experiencing a realistic 3D simulation of ophthalmic surgery. The manual dexterity required to manipulate surgical instruments within the eye, in a coordinated manner, and avoid damage to surrounding structures was appreciated by all. On days two and three, the focus was iris suturing. Participants discussed various techniques for pupilloplasty, prior to practising a number of techniques on SimulEye models. They also had the opportunity to practise the sewing machine iridodialysis repair, appreciating the delicate nature of the 10-0 prolene suture to make suture loops along the dialysis.

Self-Improvement and Wellbeing For High Performance

As well as presenting the latest clinical education and technology in an interactive environment, GenEye has become known for fostering positive mental health and wellbeing: we care for ourselves so we can strive for excellence in our work.

In elite sports and areas of high performance, mindset is vital. Ophthalmic surgery is the same, and in 2019, the Eye and Ear introduced mind training into the surgical training program. The GenEye experience was enhanced greatly by Dr Jo Mitchell, Coaching and Clinical Psychologist and her team from The Mind Room, who invited participants to experience guided non sleep deep rest in the cosiest room of the conference. With 11 other stations to explore, and our minds still swirling with thoughts and reflections from the morning stations, this 10-minute session was much needed, and participants reported feeling refreshed and ready to continue discovering all that GenEye has to offer.

Acknowledging this “uniquely holistic” approach, Dr Cherry Hong, an ophthalmology registrar at the Eye and Ear Hospital said, “GenEye serves as an important reminder to look after your body and discuss wellbeing and mindset amongst peers”.

The Vision

Whether attending for the first time, or returning for the fourth, convening at the Education Precinct at GenEye is a deliberate choice and a reminder to practise and learn with intent and care for our body and minds.

For first time attendee Dr Anil Sharma, a consultant ophthalmologist from Brisbane, this innovative approach to learning made an indelible impression. “I heard about GenEye through an email and was intrigued by the concept and hands-on workshops,” he said. “I had flown into Melbourne from Brisbane not knowing what to expect and was welcomed at this meeting at the Eye and Ear right from the very start. I have not previously participated in an event like GenEye and was fully immersed in the GenEye environment. I would recommend GenEye to all trainees and ophthalmologists.”

Thank you to the CorpComm team and Alcon Surgical for supporting the event, and our deepest gratitude for all participants who generously shared their experiences at GenEye with me.

In 2027, GenEye will take place from 19–21 May. Visit: geneye.com.au.

Dr Grace Nguyen is a junior doctor currently working at Monash Health, Victoria.