The Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry was established in 2017 at Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy following the decision of the Government of the Republic of Moldova to form a new speciality based on the Ophthalmology Department of Sf. Treime Municipal Clinical Hospital and the Hospital of the Ministry Health, Labor and Social Protection.
University professor, PhD in medical sciences Cușnir Valeriu was elected head of the department by competition. Several valuable ophthalmologists were educated under his leadership. The department and the Ophthalmology Clinic comprise a remarkable group of scientists, ophthalmic surgeons, who have dedicated their activity to increasing the level of ophthalmological care provided to the population of the Republic of Moldova.
The successful development of the department is based on the collaboration of over 10 years with the non-governmental organization Help Moldova,with optometrists and ophthalmologists from Norway, the University of Kongsberg, Norway, Government of Norway, specialists from Romania, the USA.
Currently, the Ophthalmology department consists of 9 teachers and a laboratory assistant. The courses are provided in 3 languages: Romanian, Russian, English. The presentation methods are modern, based on information technologies, personal experience, specialized literature by local and foreign authors. The clinical internships with students and residents focus on the practical aspects of case studies, students being trained in examining patients, discussing etiopathogenetic, clinical and therapeutic aspects of the related cases.
As regards the postgraduate education, the department ensures the specialization of resident doctors and the continuous education of ophthalmologists from the entire republic. The latter takes place during the ophthalmology course, its predecessors being: Associate Professor, doctor of medicine D. Lupan, Associate Professor, doctor of medicine V. Boișteanu, Associate Professor, doctor of medicine L. Fastoveț. The continuous education familiarizes specialists with the most modern methods of diagnosis and drug treatment, eye microsurgery, emergencies in ophthalmology, Pediatric ophthalmology, etc.
All these activities are possible due to the endowment of the clinic with state of the-art equipment, the training of specialists of international rank, publishing articles in international and national journals, National and International Clinical Guides and Protocols.
The activity of the department, including the clinical one, is carried out within the public medical-sanitary institutions of republican and municipal level. The collaborators of the department cover the diagnostic-curative and consultative needs of the university clinics, offering innovative specialized medical assistance in ocular diseases.