Background Ophthalmology is a highly competitive specialty to match into, yet many medical students have limited exposure to the field. Early exposure and mentorship are essential to introduce students to ophthalmology, better preparing them for residency applications. Research on mentorship in ophthalmology for preclinical and clerkship students remains scarce, with no systematic review. Our objective is to conduct a comprehensive review of the critical role of mentorship in medical students' path in ophthalmology. We seek to offer actionable recommendations for medical schools to bridge the divide between preclinical education and clinical exposure to ophthalmology. Methods Using PRISMA methodology, a literature review was conducted via databases PubMed and Embase. The objective was to identify all published literature on ophthalmology mentorship programs for first through third-year medical students in the United States. Inclusion Criteria: Intervention: providing mentorship (clinical opportunity, personal mentorship, research exposure, etc.) Setting: specific to ophthalmology Population: First, second, and third-year U.S. medical students English language Information from chosen articles was summarized into an evidence table. Areas of interest included number of students in the study, year in medical school, intervention type and length, and pre-and post-intervention measurement methods. Results 93 articles were retrieved with 19 duplicates. 74 articles were screened by two independent reviewers. Titles and abstracts were screened, excluding 17 articles. The remaining 57 underwent full-text screening. Seven articles meeting all inclusion criteria were included in this review. Three additional articles were discovered in the references of reviewed articles and were added. 304 subjects were studied, comprising of first, second, and third-year medical students. One study also included four undergraduate students. Seven of ten articles reported significantly increased ophthalmology knowledge. Six of ten articles evaluated the change in student interest in ophthalmology. Five articles reported an interest increase post-intervention, with four articles indicating a statistically significant increase post-intervention. Conclusion The studies in this review highlight how early exposure to ophthalmology is crucial for enhancing students' skills and knowledge in preparation for elective rotations and residency applications in their fourth year. While only four studies showed a significant increase in interest in ophthalmology, this outcome may be influenced by students already interested in ophthalmology being more likely to participate in the offered mentorship and exposure programs. Structured programs aimed at providing exposure and mentorship to ophthalmology are invaluable resources for aspiring ophthalmologists. Medical schools can consider adopting similar initiatives to bridge the gap in pre-clinical ophthalmology exposure and knowledge.