Introduction to the Ophthalmologists-in-Training COVID-19 Editorials

In its more than a century-old history, the American Journal of Ophthalmology has always encouraged ophthalmologists in training—residency programs and fellowships—to submit papers for review. It is a position in our own careers that we all began our journeys and will always remain a place we all share. During this year, when a pandemic prevents us from reconnecting with our colleagues, these moments of connectedness are even more important. When reading these mentored publications, we can learn, listen, and remember a time during our own years of training, and yet, a virus has reshaped the period for trainees forever.

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ophthalmic residents and fellows experienced dislocation and disruption in their training. Some became first-line caretakers. Others experienced the stress of providing ophthalmic care to those most ill. They witnessed firsthand the effects of lapses in judgment of safe care and the effects of structural contributors to the relentless effects of disparities in health and care delivery.

The Editorial Board therefore invited ophthalmic residents and fellows to submit short editorials about their experiences during the onset of the pandemic. The invitations were issued through Program Directors, and the AJO is grateful to the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) for transmitting the invitations to trainees.

The Editorial Board is grateful to all those who submitted an editorial for publication. We could not publish every submission. We reviewed and selected papers to represent a cross section of the level of training, geographical locations, and the types of experiences recorded by these witnesses.

After reading the editorials that follow, we hope that you will agree with us that the future of ophthalmology is indeed in excellent hands.