Competency-based Ophthalmology Training: Are We Truly Assessing Skills?

Abstract

Competency-based medical education (CBME) has gradually replaced traditional time-based training models across many specialties, including ophthalmology. At its core lies a simple yet powerful principle: advancement in training should be determined not by the duration of exposure or the number of procedures performed, but by the learner’s demonstrated competence. However, as residency programs adopt competency-based frameworks, an important question arises; are we truly assessing skills, or are we still counting numbers?