BLOG: The Sesyn project

Sesyn.no is a nonprofit Norwegian ophthalmology website made by Dr. Atle Einar Østern and myself. It is used by more than a hundred ophthalmologists in Norway and has an average of 1,400 visits per month. Today, it is one of the most widely used online resources for ophthalmologists in the country. However, it has not always been this way, and in this blog, I would like to tell our story of launching it and maybe even inspire you if you have a similar project in mind.

The residents in my department have the option of receiving a printed copy of a manual by Dr. Østern, covering diagnosis and treatment of the most common eye diseases. The manual is being constantly updated and therefore regularly reprinted. This inspired me to create a website, combining the benefits of such a manual and the convenience of an online platform. Having some experience with web design from my student years, I envisioned a site that was smooth to use, comfortable to read and easy to navigate.

The first version was ready after a couple of months of late nights in front of the screen, and my colleagues were excited. However, I admit, the visiting numbers were quite underwhelming in months after the initial enthusiasm had vanished. Nevertheless, we did not give up, and whenever we had the opportunity, we gradually worked on it and improved its content.

Today, 4 years after the launch of Sesyn.no, I can say that the project is successful. There is definitely room for expansion and improvement, but in my view, Sesyn has fulfilled its purpose — to make the lives of residents and ophthalmologists easier and improve access of up-to-date medical information in Norwegian.

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Helgi David Björnsson , MD, runs a website with a collection of his favorite finds on Ophtholinks.com. He can be reached at helgidavid@gmail.com.