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Optometry—Doctor of Optometry

Degree: Doctor of Optometry

Website: Doctor of Optometry

College/School: Rosenberg School of Optometry

Program Accreditation: American Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education

Apply to UIW: Application for the Doctor of Optometry program

Doctor of Optometry

Doctors of Optometry (ODs) are the primary health care professionals for the eye. Optometrists examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, injuries, and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures, as well as identify related systemic conditions affecting the eye.

ODs prescribe medications, provide low vision rehabilitation, vision therapy, spectacle lenses, contact lenses, and perform certain surgical procedures. Optometrists counsel their patients regarding surgical and non-surgical options that meet their visual needs related to their occupations, avocations, and lifestyle.

Admission Requirements

The UIW Rosenberg School of Optometry  is committed to educating and preparing students who are caring, compassionate and competent optometrists. UIWRSO actively seeks qualified applicants with a passion for lifelong-learning who are prepared for leadership and service to humankind. Our admissions policy is competitive in order to select those applicants who have the potential for academic success and who will be a credit to the optometric profession as well as the global community.

UIWRSO has a policy of competitive admissions and expectation for academic excellence. In order to apply for admission, applicants must meet the following criteria:

— Successful completion of a minimum of 90 semester hours of college coursework from an accredited institution of higher learning; a grade of C or better must be achieved in all prerequisite courses

Please see the list of Prerequisite Requirements below.

— A recommended minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale

— A recommended minimum overall Optometry Admission Test score of 300

Applications are processed as they are received and offers of acceptance are made on a rolling basis, therefore we strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible during the application period. This rolling admissions process allows qualified individuals to be admitted on a continual basis until the class is filled.

For an applicant to receive full consideration, the following items must be submitted:

— Complete online OptmoCASapplication* for admission: www.optomcas.org

— Completed RSO Supplemental Form for Admission

— Official Optometry Admission Test (OAT) scores sent directly to UIWRSO

*Please note that official academic transcripts from each college or university attended and letters of recommendation must be sent directly to OptomCAS as part of the central application process.

Members of the Admissions Committee will review all completed applications and will extend invitations for on-campus interviews to those candidates with competitive applications. Please be aware that all prerequisite courses must be completed before a student can enroll at UIWRSO.

Applicants will be considered for admission on the basis of academic performance as well as non-academic qualifications. The following criteria will be used in the admissions selection process, in no particular order of preference or weight:

 Scholastic Aptitude and Academic Performance

– Overall undergraduate grade point average

– Prerequisite science and math cumulative grade point average

– Optometry Admission Test performance

– Written and oral communication skills

– Ability to handle a diverse and demanding course load

— Extracurricular Activities; Community Service; Volunteer Work; Leadership Positions; Optometry-Related Experience

— Evaluation of Character, Motivation, Initiative, Interpersonal Skills, and Awareness of the Optometric Profession

— Ability to meet the Functional Standards, as defined by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.

Final consideration for admission takes into account the above academic and non-academic qualifications along with comments from personal interviews conducted by members of the Admissions Committee.

Prerequisite Requirements

Required Courses

Biology with lab* 2 semesters
Human Anatomy with lab 1 semester
General Chemistry with lab 2 semesters
General Physics with lab 2 semesters
Calculus 1 semester
Organic Chemistry with lab 1 semester
Microbiology with lab
(Or Bacteriology with lab – 1 semester)
1 semester
Biochemistry or Molecular Biology 1 semester
Psychology 1 semester
Statistics 1 semester
English 2 semesters

*2 semesters of General Biology with lab OR 1 semester of General Biology with lab and 1 semester of any of the following courses with lab: Cell Biology, Physiology, Anatomy, or Genetics.

Additional Required Courses (for students entering without a Bachelor’s degree)

Humanities 2 courses
Behavioral & Social Sciences 2 courses

Recommended Courses

College Mathematics
Recommended
Physiology Recommended
Ethics Recommended

Doctor of Optometry Degree Plan

The curriculum has been developed to provide our students with a stepwise, clinical educational experience throughout the four years of the professional program emphasizing personal & professional development. The didactic & clinical laboratory instruction by our talented faculty begins in the first year and continues through the duration of the program. All courses, including basic science courses, integrate and emphasize clinical applications & scenarios.

Early clinical encounters occur in the second year of study through community-based vision & disease screening activities. To emphasize these clinical activities, students undergo instruction in integrated clinical problem-based learning, gaining experience in the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients.

The professional settings for the third and fourth year rotations include the UIW Eye Institute, the UIW Bowden Eye Care & Health Center, the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind clinic, and various Communicare clinics. The fourth year Externship sites vary in location across the country and internationally. The Externship program is meant to maximize & enhance the student’s clinical training within various practice settings including private practice, referral centers, ophthalmology/co-management centers, Veterans Administration hospitals, Department of Defense hospitals and other hospital-based facilities. During the last two years of the program, practice management is also focused on, emphasizing the skills necessary to maintain a successful business or private practice.

1st Professional Year

Didactic and clinical laboratory instruction begins in the first semester of the first professional year and continues throughout all four years. All courses, including basic science courses, integrate and emphasize clinical applications and scenarios. Patient interactions begin the spring semester of the 1st professional year.

Fall Semester

OPT 5411Clinical Optometry I

4.5

OPT 5412Principles of Optics

4

OPT 5413Human Anatomy and Histology

4

OPT 5315Fundamentals of Vision Science

3

OPT 5313Neuroanatomy

3

OPT 5219Professional Optometric Practice I

2

Total Credit Hours:20.5

 

Spring Semester

OPT 5129Professional Optometric Practice II

1

OPT 5421Clinical Optometry II

4.5

OPT 5423Clinical Ocular Anatomy and Physiology I

4

OPT 5325Clinical Physiology

3

OPT 5522Visual and Applied Optics

5

OPT 5223Ocular Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

2

OPT 5225Clinical Immunology and Histopathology

2

Total Credit Hours:21.5

2nd Professional Year

At the beginning of the second professional year, students participate in supervised vision and disease screening activities. In the spring semester of the second year, students undergo instruction in integrated clinical problem-based learning, where they gain experience in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients.

Fall Semester

OPT 6411Clinical Optometry III

4.5

OPT 6318General Pharmacology

3

OPT 6315Clinical Ocular Anatomy and Physiology II

3

OPT 6312Clinical Opthalmic Optics

3

OPT 6414Binocular Vision/Ocular Motility

4

OPT 6317Organ Pathology

3.5

OPT 6214Clinical Internship I

2

Total Credit Hours:21.0

 

Spring Semester

OPT 6321Clinical Optometry IV

3

OPT 6125Integrated Problem-Based Learning

1

OPT 6526Pathology Anterior Segment

5

OPT 6328Ocular Pharmacology

3

OPT 6326Pathology Posterior Segment

3

OPT 6323Pediatric Optometry

3

OPT 6322Contact Lens

3

OPT 6224Clinical Internship II

2

Total Credit Hours:18

3rd Professional Year

Summer Semester

OPT 7105Clinical Case Analysis

1

OPT 7107Patient Care and Physical Diagnosis

1.5

OPT 7109Research Methodology

1

OPT 7202Advanced Contact Lenses

2

OPT 7307Vision Therapy

3

OPT 7306Glaucoma Diagnosis and Management

3

OPT 7604Clinical Internship III

6

OPT Elective
Spanish for Optometrists I & II

0

Total Credit Hours:17.5

 

Fall Semester

OPT 7215Advanced Vision Science with Clinical Application

2

OPT 7316Strabismus and Amblyopia Diagnosis and Management

3

OPT 7313Neuroophthalmic Disease

3

OPT 7206Pathology Posterior Segment II

2

OPT 7614Clinical Internship IV

6

Total Credit Hours:16

 

Spring Semester

OPT 7217Clinical Medicine and Systemic Disease

2

OPT 7326Ophthalmic Lasers and Surgical Procedures

3

OPT 7322Low Vision Rehabilitation

3

OPT 7125Advanced Topics Seminars

1

OPT 7624Clinical Internship V

6

OPT 7219Professional Optometric Practice III

2

OPT 7329Legal Aspects & Public Health Optometry

3

Total Credit Hours:20

4th Professional Year

The Externship Program, OPT 8201, OPT 8211, OPT 8221, is designed to broaden and enhance the student's diagnostic, treatment and management experience of ocular and visual conditions. Clinical experiences in private practice, referral centers, ophthalmology/co-management centers, Veterans Administration hospitals, Department of Defense hospitals and other hospital-based facilities are available. Participation with Doctors of Optometry and other professionals in comprehensive patient care are emphasized. Case conferences and grand round experiences may be assigned. Case presentations, evidence-based research on clinical conditions, and ongoing enhancement of examination skill proficiency as assigned by externship faculty constitutes an important component of this clinical experience.

Professional Optometric Practice IV, OPT 8209, OPT 8219, OPT 8229, is a continuation of OPT 7219 with an emphasis on the business aspects and day-to-day operations of the business of optometric practice regardless of career path. Course includes understanding profit and loss statements, banking relationships and applying for a loan, defraying student loan, opening a practice cold, valuation and purchase of practice, elements of office business plan, negotiating premises lease, employment vs 1099, credentialing, organization structure, preparing for licensure, working with insurance plans, and more.

 

Summer Semester

OPT 8201Clinical Externship

20

Or

OPT 8204Speciality Clinical Rotations

19

OPT 8106Comprehensive Clinical Management

1

OPT 8209Professional Optometric Practice IV

2

Total Credit Hours:20-22

 

Fall Semester

OPT 8211Clinical Externship

20

Or

OPT 8214Specialty Clinical Rotations

19

OPT 8116Comprehensive Clinical Management

1

OPT 8219Professional Optometric Practice IV

2

Total Credit Hours:20-22

 

Spring Semester

OPT 8221Clinical Externship

20

Or

OPT 8224Specialty Clinical Rotations

19

OPT 8126Comprehensive Clinical Management

1

OPT 8229Professional Optometric Practice IV

2

Total Credit Hours:20-22