Postgraduate residency training is a popular means for O.D. students to further their optometric education. Designed to advance your preparation as a provider of patient care services beyond entry-level practice, our residencies include a well-designed mix of self-directed learning, seminar participation, instructional experiences, and scholarship.
A residency:
Must be a minimum of 12 months
Must be composed of appropriately supervised clinical eye and vision care provided by the resident
Should also include a well-designed mix of self-directed learning, seminar participation, instructional experiences, and scholarship
IUSO affiliated residency programs
Residency programs affiliated with the Indiana University School of Optometry are listed below
Cornea and Contact Lens Residency
The Cornea and Contact Lens Residency is a 53-week program designed to provide intensive clinical, teaching, and research experience in anterior segment disease, contact lenses, and primary care optometry. Clinical teaching is expected to be a part of the residency program, in order to prepare the clinician for the role of clinical educator. Academic leadership and communication skills will be emphasized through case conference instruction, and scholarly writing and speaking through research. Although structured experiences are necessary to ensure consistent quality of the program, specific educational opportunities can be tailored to meet the individual interests of the Resident.
The ocular disease residency program at Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers (BBEC) is an intensive, office based program that provides a comprehensive experience with both anterior and posterior segment ocular disease, including laser procedures of the anterior segment and minor surgical procedures. BBEC is a secondary and tertiary referral center providing solely medical and surgical eye care services. BBEC has multiple vitreo-retinal surgeons, anterior segment surgeons and residency trained consultative optometrists as teaching faculty. The resident will spend time with each of these services and will be caring for patients with all aspects of eye disease including: retinal disease, glaucoma, uveitis, external and anterior segment diseases as well pre- and post-surgical cataract and refractive surgical care. BBEC has state-of-the-art equipment including OCT, A- and B-Scan ultrasonography, slit lamp photography, fundus photography and fluorescein angiography, Optos Optomap California FA, Orbscan, Pentacam, ELLEX Laser, Ellman unit, IOL Master 700, Nidek specular Microscope, Peschke PXL cornea cross-linking, Humphrey Field Analyzers, CATALYS Precision Laser System, Bausch & Lomb Technolas 217-z excimer laser, VISX S4 excimer laser, Iridex CYCLO G6 Glaucoma Laser System, Iridex OcuLight GL 532nm laser, Lumenis Selecta II SLT and YAG laser. The resident can expect to learn proper indications, the techniques and/or the interpretation of each of these diagnostic and therapeutic tools in both routine and complicated cases, and will become certified for anterior segment laser and minor surgical procedures. A case presentation and/or a publishable article is expected by the optometric resident.
The program consists of a 12-month period beginning July 1stand ending the following June 30th. Residents will spend the majority of their time providing direct patient care. This schedule may vary according to patient care and training needs. A minimum of 40 hours per week is required. The resident will participate in monthly optometry conferences. Each resident’s tour of duty is 730AM to 400PM, meaning they are required to be present in the clinic during this time frame at a minimum. The resident does not have after hour “on call” responsibility however, they will be responsible for all acute care/walk-in patients during normal clinic hours.
Most of the VA patient population is comprised of males 60-80 years of age. There is a high prevalence of ocular disease in this demographic. This includes chronic conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, dry eye disease, and cataracts. In addition, there are many instances of acute issues including uveitis, keratoconjunctivitis, trauma, and diplopia.
The optometric staff of Veteran Health Indiana consists of ten full time staff optometrists and two part-time staff optometrists. There are currently two optometry externs with prospective expansions for the upcoming academic year. Optometrists currently staff locations in Bloomington, Brownsburg, Shelbyville, Terre Haute, Lafayette, Martinsville, and Camp Atterbury in addition to the medical center. The Brownsburg location is a new 80,000 square foot facility that will provide care for 20,000 veterans annually. This serves as the headquarters of the Optometry Service and includes 9 full-service exam lanes as well as 3 auxiliary testing rooms. There will be four full-time staff optometrists providing care in this location. Services provided include dilated fundus exam, refraction, automated perimetry, corneal pachymetry and topography, spectral domain OCT, anterior/posterior segment photography, medically necessary scleral contact lens fitting, pre- and post-operative care, minor anterior segment procedures and diabetic tele-retinal screenings. Scleral contact lens fitting is available on site. Low vision and other specialty contact lens services are currently provided primary through community referral.
Secondary and tertiary eyecare is provided by the ophthalmology department located in the RLR VAMC and includes glaucoma, medical retinal, oculoplastic, cornea, and neuro-ophthalmologic specialties.
Eye Surgeons of Indiana Optometry Residency is a 13-month post-graduate ocular disease and peri-operative care program. Our program will help develop exceptional clinical skills and an extensive ocular disease knowledge base for one optometrist under the guidance of the doctors at Eye Surgeons of Indiana. The new optometry graduate will be secured through the ORMatch process. The resident doctor will train at our practice from July 1st to July 31st of the following year. During the first month of the program there will be an overlap between the incoming resident doctor and outgoing resident doctor. The outgoing resident will assist the Eye Surgeons of Indiana faculty and staff in helping the new resident become acclimated with the practice schedule, clinical flow, and electronic health records. The resident doctor will work closely with all the doctors at Eye Surgeons of Indiana, as well as assist in precepting 4th-year optometry externs. During the program, learning will be promoted through instruction during the clinic day and assigned didactic work. Some administrative time will be allotted for the resident as seen fit, but some study time will be required outside of clinic hours. At the conclusion of the program, the resident doctor will be expected to have mastered clinical skills, a broad ocular disease knowledge base, confidence in evaluating anterior segment surgical cases and assisting in developing surgical plans, performing various ocular procedures, managing ocular emergencies, and being a confident public speaker.
The optometry resident has been an integral part of the Danville VA Illiana Health Care System multidisciplinary health care team since its inception in 1986. The resident is expected to manage his/her own patients, supervise optometry interns, provide continuing education presentations, as well as participate in monthly journal club and grand rounds programs. The resident will also participate in weekly low vision and specialty contact lens clinics and will complete various interdisciplinary rotations throughout the year. The resident will also complete special emphasis curriculum in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma.
The Optometry Clinic at VA Illiana is located in Danville, Illinois and consists of three full-time optometrists, two optometry externs, and three full-time technicians. Greater than 75% of our encounters are for the treatment and management of ocular or systemic disease. The optometry clinic currently has seven complete lanes and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including digital anterior and posterior segment cameras, an autorefractor/keratometer, Humphrey visual field, A/B/UBM ultrasound, Heidelberg Spectralis HRA+ OCT. The medical center also has an in-house lab and on-site CT, MRI, and vascular lab. The VA Illiana also has a full-time general ophthalmologist.
Danville is close to Champaign-Urbana and the University of Illinois. Danville is centrally located just over one hour from Indianapolis, two hours from Chicago, three hours from St. Louis. Danville boasts affordable housing and access to several local recreation areas. The dates of the residency program are approximately July 1–June 30 (dependent on federal pay periods).
The Optometry Resident's education will be the top priority of this program. Residents will have their own schedule and be responsible for the care and management of their patients with the help of attending physicians as soon as they are fully credentialed. Residents will be required to attend lectures on campus, conduct a research project or case study, and attend continuing education conferences in addition to clinical duties in order to instill in them a commitment to lifelong learning and a dedication to the profession of Optometry. Residents will have an opportunity to observe cataract, refractive, glaucoma, oculoplastic, and retinal surgeries and work with our retinal specialists, glaucoma, specialist, corneal specialists, and in our Traumatic Brain Injury/Low Vision Clinic. In addition, Residents will have an opportunity to participate in Interprofessional Education throughout the Residency Year.
The Optometry Resident's education will be the top priority of this program. Residents will have their own schedule and be responsible for the care and management of their patients with the help of attending physicians as soon as they are fully credentialed. Residents will be required to attend lectures on campus, conduct a research project or case study, and attend continuing education conferences in addition to clinical duties in order to instill in them a commitment to lifelong learning and a dedication to the profession of Optometry.
40% of the resident’s clinical assignment will be working in the Traumatic Brain Injury/Low Vision Clinic, along with being assigned to the Neurology, Concussion, Neuropsychology, Vestibular Therapy, OT, PT, and Sports Medicine Clinics to gain exposure to Gundersen’s Multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to treatment of patients who have sustained brain injuries.
60% of the resident’s clinical assignment will be in the Primary Care and Ocular Disease Clinics, and residents will have an opportunity to participate in Interprofessional Education throughout the Residency Year.
The optometric residency program at the Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center offers an intense program focused on the diagnosis and treatment of ocular disease and systemically-related ocular disease. Residents provide direct care to patients on an inpatient and outpatient basis as well as on consultative service within the Medical Center. In addition to clinical training, the residents participate in educational conferences including fluorescein and OCT conference, disease conference and weekly lectures. Residents also gain valuable medical experience by rotation through hospital specialty services--including internal medicine, surgery, neurology, emergency services, cardiology, and radiology. Each resident will also spend time rotating through the Low Vision and Medically Necessary Contact Lens Clinics.
The Optometry Service is comprised of twelve fully equipped examination lanes with new lighted phoropters, new Haag-Streit BQ900 slit lamps with teaching tubes, digital acuity charts and auto-refractors. Ancillary equipment includes slit lamp camera, Cirrus 5000 optical coherence tomography with angiography and anterior segment capabilities, humphrey visual field analyzers with a liquid lens, A- and B-scan ultrasonographer, Pentacam with IOL calculations, fundus cameras with autofluorescence as well as therapeutic lasers. Zeiss Forum software is utilized for OCT, HVF, and photo review on computers within the clinic. Each resident will have their own examination lane and will share a resident office with their own individual workstation.
To provide the highest quality of ocular disease care utilizing currently accepted standards of care, techniques, and technology. 2. To provide advanced clinical training in ocular disease, including the diagnosis and management of ocular conditions, the management of ocular emergencies and trauma, while also gaining exposure to primary care optometry. 3. To expose the resident to didactic and teaching experiences which will serve to prepare the resident for careers in advanced areas of optometric practice and/or academics. 4. To provide the resident with the opportunity to learn about and participate in clinical research in ocular disease. 5. To stimulate a commitment to service in the resident with active participation in activities such as VOSH international. 6. To provide administrative support commensurate with the needs of the program and the resident. 7. To provide adequate record-keeping to help document the performance of the program in meeting the above goals and objectives, as well as any other basic record-keeping requirements of the program.
The Ocular Disease residency with an emphasis in Primary Care optometry is a 53-week program designed to provide intensive clinical experience in ocular disease and primary eye care. Located in downtown Indianapolis, this program offers a bustling clinical atmosphere with a diverse patient population. The resident will primarily be responsible for direct patient care, seeing acute and chronic eye diseases, post-operative cataract care, and comprehensive eye exams. The first two months of residency will be dedicated to direct patient care and ophthalmology sub-specialty observations. For the remainder of the year, the resident will serve as a clinical consultant for fourth-year optometry students at a minimum of two half days per week. The resident will be involved in clinical teaching through grand rounds, journal club discussions, and periodic lecturing to the fourth-year students. As part of the Indiana School of Optometry, this clinic offers a variety of optometric specialties, and there may be opportunity to further tailor this residency program to specific interests.
This is a full time, 13 month residency program, beginning July 1st and ending on July 30th of the following year. The first week will be devoted to orientation. Direct patient care will make up the majority of the residency consisting of 4 to 4.5 days per week. The remainder of the time will be devoted to academic pursuits including student intern case conferences and independent study. The resident will be included in the doctor on call schedule with the rest of the medical staff.
The optometry residency at the Lexington VA Health Care System focuses on advanced competency in the clinical skills and scholarly development of the resident by exposing the resident to direct patient care enhanced by lectures, conferences, presentations, and consultation with other medical services. The resident will become proficient in ocular disease diagnosis and management, in addition to comanaging systemic conditions that have ocular manifestations. The resident will also attend weekly Grand Rounds and Fluorescein conference with the University of Kentucky's Department of Ophthalmology during the academic year, which includes opportunities to participate in the department's sub-specialty clinics as well. The resident will participate in daily morning education with the optometry staff and students.
The ocular disease residency at the University of Kentucky Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is designed to provide the optometric resident with a wide range of clinical experience in the treatment and management of ocular disease. The department provides outpatient and consultative ophthalmology services to the Chandler Medical Center at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Sub-specialty care is provided in the areas of retina, neuro-ophthalmology, glaucoma, cornea, oculoplastics, and pediatrics. The resident provides coverage for the Urgent Care Clinic, which covers walk-in patients, urgent referrals from other services, and established patients with new onset of ocular complaints, among others. The resident provides advanced ocular disease care, including frequent consultation with the sub-specialties listed above. The resident also attends weekly fluorescein conferences, grand rounds presentations, and other didactic lectures presented by the ophthalmology faculty, optometry faculty, and other trainees.
In the spring of 2017, the department moved across South Limestone Street to a brand new 5-story medical office building. The department of ophthalmology is housed in the top two floors and includes 50 state of the art universal exam rooms and equipment; badge-restricted faculty offices with adjacent resident offices, a resident library and universal wetlab/surgical training/pathology room. The 32,528 square foot eye clinic contains 50 examination lanes, 27 procedure/diagnostic rooms, digital fluorescein system, Humphrey automated visual field instruments, pentacam corneal topography, Heidelburg OCT imaging system, B-scan ultrasonography, Optos wide field photography, and Electroretinography testing system. Our hospital uses Epic electronic health records with all testing integrated into Epic vis DICOM imaging systems. Epic allows the resident to communicate with several specialties throughout the hospital and have access to all medical records for patients.
Education is one of the three key missions at the University of Virginia Health System. The strong clinical foundation of the Department of Ophthalmology and the extensive clinical referral population are the principle strengths of the Department’s residency training programs.
The UVA Optometry Residency program is affiliated with the Indiana University School of Optometry and is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE). The program will advance the resident’s knowledge in systemic-based eye care. The resident will primarily work under the Residency Program Coordinator. Daily, the resident will have an opportunity to see patients with a variety of systemic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, lupus, Sjogren’s, HIV, and MS. The resident will be challenged to diagnose patients presenting with ocular disease and will be responsible for making appropriate clinical decisions and referrals. Communication with other specialties within the Department and the Health System is expected.
Strong focus is placed on contact lens care. The resident will be exposed to patients with simple refractive error, presbyopia, malignant myopia, and anisometropia. The resident will also work in our Specialty Contact Lens Clinic and treat keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, post refractive ectasia, and corneal grafts.
The resident will be expected to attend Grand Rounds, Department lectures, and other educational events. The resident will also have the opportunity to observe surgery in the surgical divisions of the Department. The resident will be responsible for one scholarly activity each quarter. Together with the Residency Program Coordinator, the resident will provide guidance and leadership to an optometry extern.
The Optometric Residency at Vance Thompson Vision in West Fargo, ND provides advanced clinical training in anterior segment ocular care. The residency is composed of 53 weeks of participation in direct pre- and post-operative care for the following anterior segment surgeries: laser and implant refractive surgery, cataract surgery, refractive cataract surgery using toric, multi-focal and extended depth of focus IOLs, corneal disease and transplant surgery, glaucoma treatment and surgery, and dry eye. An understanding and knowledge of advanced diagnostic and surgical technology will be developed. In addition to the extensive experience in managing conditions related to the anterior segment, there is opportunity to develop skills with specialty contact lenses, if desired. The resident will work with many specialty designs, including gas-permeable scleral and corneal designs, hybrid, custom soft and orthokeratology lenses. Additionally, emphasis will be placed on participation in anterior segment clinical research. The resident will also participate in academic activities like journal clubs, as well as initiating their own research project.
This residency provides residents with a well-rounded clinical experience in pediatric optometry and binocular vision through direct patient care and precepting. Emphasis is placed on myopia management and vision screening outreach. The residency has an official emphasis in vision therapy. The resident gains competency in vision therapy primarily by precepting optometry students in vision therapy clinic, with less emphasis on direct care vision therapy experiences. Residents will also rotate through adult primary care and urgent care clinics.
The resident will have an opportunity to travel to Jamaica for pediatric clinical care with the residency supervisor in both the fall and spring semesters.
Provide optometric care to a large and diverse group of patients in the Indiana University School of Optometry Clinics, with emphasis in Primary Care Optometry. 2. Gain clinical experience in the management of urgent eye care and ocular disease, including an external rotation at the IU Health Center Eye Clinic, provision of emergency eye care services at the IUSO AECC, and after-hours emergency on-call responsibility. 3. Acquire proficiency in the use and interpretation of state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment. 4. Acquire proficiency in the use of therapeutic agents used to manage and treat ocular disease. 5. Clinical and didactic instruction of optometry students including clinical supervision in the Primary Eye Care Service and the IU Health Center Eye Clinic. 6. Present lectures in the Grand Rounds Course and Case Conference Seminar and co-facilitate weekly Case Conference Seminar for IUSO Fourth Year OD students. 7. Completion of one paper of publishable quality by the end of the program. 8. Attend at least one scholarly meeting devoted to Primary Care Optometry. 9. Participate in optometric community service activities, with the option of participating in a humanitarian mission trip.
The Primary Care Residency is a 53-week program designed to provide intensive clinical, teaching, and research experience in Primary Care Optometry. Academic leadership and communication skills will be emphasized through case presentations, scholarly writing, and lectures.
The Residency begins the week of July 1st. The residency activities will consist of independent patient care, and clinical consulting with fourth year student interns at the Westfield clinic. The Resident will also be required to be on-call for one two week period during the year of their residency.
The resident will spend four full days in clinic with one of the co-coordinators seeing patients independently in a primary care setting. The focus of these encounters will be to build the resident’s primary care skills, including the diagnosis and treatment of refractive conditions and accommodative conditions, the fitting of specialty contact lenses, the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of ocular pathology and the ability to make proper and prompt referrals to external healthcare providers. One half-day per week will be spent in didactic pursuits, such as preparation of lectures and academic papers or research projects. The last half-day per week will be spent in conference with the residency coordinator.
When a fourth year optometry intern is present in the clinic, the resident will be expected to assume the role of clinical educator and will supervise the intern’s clinical encounters, help the intern to develop appropriate assessments and plans, and provide feedback regarding patient care. The resident will also be expected to meet with the intern and Externship coordinator for a case conference once per week.
Vision Rehabilitation with a emphasis in Ocular Disease Residency
The Vision Rehabilitation residency is a 53 week program designed to provide intensive clinical experience in low vision, concussion care, binocular vision, with an emphasis in ocular disease. Primarily, the resident will be responsible for direct patient care of patients within the low vision and concussion care services. As the resident gains knowledge and experience they will be assigned to precept the 4th year interns within these services, no more than 1 full day a week. The resident will have the opportunity to interact with and observe a variety of ophthalmologic sub-specialists throughout the year. On call responsibilities provide the resident with experience in the management of urgent eye care. The resident will have access to state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment. There will be opportunities to participate in optometric community service and the option of participating in a humanitarian mission trip.
Part of the residency curriculum includes education and clinical teaching through grand rounds and journal club discussions. The resident will be required to give at least 2 separate lectures to the fourth year students. There is also opportunity to participate in clinical research, if desired.
