[Simulation training in ophthalmology].

BACKGROUND Simulation in medicine is an indispensable tool to improve doctors' responses to different situations, enhancing their performance. However, simulation in ophthalmology is a very recent trend, mainly because of the high complexity of developing newer teaching tools, with the need for highly realistic models, mostly in surgical ophthalmic simulation. DISCUSSION The whole development of simulation in ophthalmology, from the very first attempts that used basic models, to the newer virtual reality models, allows for a comprehensive, faster, and more efficient development of skills necessary in basic and advance procedures in ophthalmology, creating a better learning environment, improving costs, and developing a very promising panorama, in which simulation can be incorporated in teaching programs all around the globe. CONCLUSIONS Simulation in ophthalmology allows for better results in the formation of ophthalmologists, and it is becoming a new tool to achieve better results in medical and surgical procedures, thus improving outcomes and quality of care.