Kigali Health Institute

Our Mission, Our Goal

Welcome to the Department of Ophthalmology at Kigali Health Institute. Our mission is to train allied health professionals in ophthalmology to provide first line patient care and support ophthalmologists in all aspects of ophthalmic services. 
The KHI Department of Ophthalmology is dedicated to providing a current and comprehensive educational program to its students thus providing allied health professionals who are clinically and culturally competent to support eye care services in Rwanda and beyond.

Faculty and Staff

KHI Department of Ophthalmology will strive to recruit and retain the highest quality faculty while supporting the professional development and continuing education of all employees.

Our Students

KHI Department of Ophthalmology eligibility criteria for admission ensures that students are of high quality and they adhere to national training and education standards and their professional scope of practice.

Community Services

The KHI Department is actively involved in providing services to the community visiting schools, training colleges and remote districts to provide screening and care for those in hard to reach areas

The training program

The Ophthalmology Department offers a three-year advanced diploma program designed to provide progressively intensive clinical training and transfer of knowledge. The total credits allocated for the training are 120 corresponding to 1200 hours of teaching. The current revised curriculum is customized for Rwanda and is based on experience from the previous KHI curriculum, curriculum from the Eastern African region and the guidelines and core curriculum laid down by the Allied Health Curriculum Task Force of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO®) and the International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (IJCAHPO®). Therefore, the revised curriculum is aimed at producing clinical ophthalmic technicians who will provide the necessary ophthalmic services in the preventive, curative and promotive aspects in accordance with the Rwanda Ministry of Health policies.

Clinical Training

The students are expected to competently examine eye patients and carry out diagnostic procedures including refractions. Our students are expected to independently perform minor surgical procedures, such as chalazion and pterygium excision as well as assist the ophthalmologist in cataract surgery and provide pre- and post- operative care for cataract surgery patients. Clinical training is provided in the Skills lab as well as through 7 clinical placements in Referral and regional eye units

Didactic Training

Our students receive a series of structured didactic lectures through the course of their training, providing instruction in the basic and clinical sciences pertaining to basic ophthalmology. The didactic lectures are structured in 10 core ophthalmic modules and 9 common modules taught to all students of KHI irrespective of area of study, Didactic teaching is augmented by tutorials and student conferences.