Research practices among undergraduate and postgraduate students in Pakistan

In the dynamic field of ophthalmology, research is the lifeline that propels innovation, as seen in the case of cataract surgery. It was Sir Harold Ridley, who in 1949 in London first put an intraocular 1implant with a large corneal incision. Advanced research refined the techniques from pioneering minimally invasive surgeries like phacoemulsification with foldable intraocular implants to developing sight-saving therapies. In third-world countries, like Pakistan, despite the increasing complexity of ophthalmic care, research engagement among undergraduate and post graduate medical students remain sunder-focused. Among undergraduates, exposure to ophthalmic research is often superficial, restricted to data collection and writing case reports to fulfill the university criteria for examination. For postgraduate ophthalmology trainees, though mandated to undertake a dissertation, frequently approach research as a bureaucratic requirement rather than a true scholarly pursuit. Recently, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, in a circular, had allowed the PG trainees to write an original research paper inascientific journal dually recognized by CPSP and PMDC. This trend has opened new opportunities for the future pipeline of clinician-scientists in our specialty.