As a medical student, one of the things that drew me most to ophthalmology was the variety of hands-on physical examination techniques that are the cornerstone of a clinic visit.

However, faced with the steep learning curve of many of these techniques, I found the brief and sporadic chances to practice on patients were not enough, and it goes without saying, uncomfortable for patients!

Thus, Pocket Retina was born out of the desire to bring an accessible and affordable model eye to students to gain confidence in (and maybe even mastery of) their retinal exams.

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Sinan Akosman

MD Candidate, Class of 2026

GWU School of Medicine