Ergonomics training improves ophthalmology residents’ posture during slit lamp exams
Key Takeaways
- Ergonomics training significantly reduced musculoskeletal risk scores among residents performing slit lamp examinations.
- No significant posture improvement was observed in residents who did not receive the training.
- The pilot study suggests structured, low-cost ergonomics education can be incorporated into ophthalmology residency programs.
A structured ergonomics training program significantly improved ophthalmology residents’ posture during slit lamp examinations, according to a study.
Resident posture (N = 7) was assessed using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) scale, in which higher scores indicate greater musculoskeletal risk. Participants were assessed at baseline and randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 4), which completed an ergonomics training program derived from materials from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, or a control group (n = 3), which received no additional training.
A total of 143 slit lamp examinations were included in the analysis. Mean REBA scores significantly decreased in the intervention group across 85 examinations (P < 0.0001), while no significant change was observed in the control group across 58 examinations (P = 0.4).
Reference
Urban MB, Bessen BM, Kleiman B, et al. Evaluating Ergonomics Training in Ophthalmology Residency: A Pilot Study. Cureus. 2026;18(2):e103081. doi: 10.7759/cureus.103081. PMID: 41804442; PMCID: PMC12967708.
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