Can someone with 400 Arc second stereovision be a successful ophthalmologist?

[ashb157]

Hello, I apologize in advance if this is a silly question, but I am a medical student and have long been interested in pursuing ophthalmology until I realized that poor stereovision could be a hinderance or liability in terms of practicing. On the randot test I was only able to read the first 2 circles and was given a stereovision score of 400 arc seconds. Is this too poor of a score to be a safe and proficient ophthalmologist?

I know matching into ophthalmology is a long and difficult road, so I would like to know as early on as possible whether I am even capable of succeeding in the field.

Thank you so much!

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[Dusn]

If you are absolutely sure that your stereovision really does suck, I wouldn't do ophtho. It's hard enough already. You will likely have a lot of difficulty with the required surgical cases and unfortunately patients may suffer as a result. I'm guessing you'd want to be great at whatever you do; I'd focus on finding a field you don't have the same handicaps in (even other surgical fields don't need the same stereovision).

 

[4ophtho]

I wouldnt throw in the towel yet.
My stereo isnt normal and I am an excellent surgeon. I was consistently reviewed at the top of my residency class for surgical skills and had less complications than my coresidents. In private practice, I have had excellent outcomes and haven't had any complications that I would attribute directly to poor stereopsis. My complication rate / vitreous loss is probably 1% or less? Tough to give you an exact number off the top of my head.
Microsurgery is as much steady hands, good judgement, and your aptitude for learning the technique as it is having good stereo. With imaging technique like OCT readily available, findings things like macular edema on exam is not as much of an issue either.
Try getting access to an operating scope with a doctor in private practice that will let you experiment at the scope and figure out if you can see depth.
Ophthalmology is the best field in medicine. I love what I do, so glad I didn't turn back after finding out about my own eyesight.

 

[gjpearce]

Louis Girard was I believe monocular. In fact becoming a specialist in a field where you have a "disability" is quite common. You have an eye problem and your life's goal is to treat eyes. BUT KEEP YOUR DISABILITY TO YOURSELF. It will be a challenge, but there are many subspecialties, So if you want to be an ophthalmologist go for it- and do not tell anyone about your problem. I interviewed in 1979- only Baylor and Wills tested stereopsis. I went to Tulane. I have been an ophthalmologist ever since.