Medical Services
The Department of Ophthalmology at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital (KSVGH) is the major referral center for ophthalmic care in southern Taiwan. It is organized into seven subspecialty divisions, each offering comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services:
- Retina Division: Management of retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, etc.
- General Ophthalmology and Cornea Division: Treatment of keratitis/conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, corneal transplantation, and dry eye disease.
- Glaucoma Division: Medication, laser, and surgical management of various types of glaucoma.
- Pediatric and Neuro-Ophthalmology Division: Management of optic neuritis, strabismus, amblyopia, and other pediatric eye diseases.
- Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Division: Treatment of eyelid, orbital, lacrimal, and nasolacrimal disorders, along with cosmetic and reconstructive eye surgeries.
- Uveitis Division: Treatment of anterior, intermediate, and posterior uveitis, including Behçet’s disease and sympathetic ophthalmia.
- Refractive and Vision Care Division: Services include refraction, myopia control, and contact lens fitting.
Cataracts remain one of the most common eye conditions managed across all subspecialties in the department.
Education and Training
The department is staffed by 11 full-time and 3 part-time attending physicians, who are responsible for education and research in various ophthalmic fields. We offer a comprehensive and rigorous residency training program that is regularly updated to ensure the highest standards in ophthalmic education. Key features include:
- Daily Morning Meetings and Teaching Activities, with biannual resident exams.
- Overseas Training and Conferences for Attendings: Each year, selected attending physicians are sponsored to receive advanced training and attend international conferences, enabling them to bring back cutting-edge techniques to benefit our patients and enhance care quality.
- Regular Joint Case Discussions with major medical centers in southern Taiwan.
Training Outcome: Our board examination pass rate for ophthalmology residents is 100%.
Medical Research
Our physicians are actively involved in both clinical and basic science research. Findings are regularly presented at national and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks. Residents are required to publish at least one first-author paper before sitting for their board exams. Current research areas include:
- Retinal diseases associated with high myopia
- Anti-angiogenic therapy for ocular neovascularization
- Oxidative damage to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)
- Genetic polymorphisms in age-related retinal diseases
- The relationship between diabetes and cataract formation
Quality of Care
To deliver world-class eye care, our department continually adopts the latest diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, such as:
- Electrophysiologic testing
- Orbscan corneal topography
- Anterior segment optical analysis
- Advanced glaucoma visual field analysis
- Ultrasound biomicroscopy
- Photodynamic therapy for retinal disorders
- Wavefront-guided LASIK
- Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA)
- Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS)
We are also dedicated to public health initiatives, such as providing biannual fundus screenings for all diabetic patients to improve early detection and treatment outcomes.
Specialized Care
Although many ophthalmic institutions exist in Taiwan, most are primary or community-level centers, often lacking the capacity to handle complex retinal diseases – the leading cause of vision loss. Our department works closely with all levels of healthcare institutions through a robust two-way referral system, making us the top choice for complicated retinal cases.
Our retina team is recognized for its excellence, with over 1,000 major retinal surgeries performed annually and a growing caseload. We actively participate in multicenter international clinical trials and have earned acclaim in the global retina field.
In 2016, we received the SNQ National Quality Certification as the "Guardian of Retinal Disease Patients." In 2018, we were awarded the SNQ Bronze Award for our work on treating complications of high myopia-related retinal diseases. The KSVGH retina team is committed to safeguarding the vision of our patients through timely, accurate, and advanced care, especially for those referred from other institutions.