Catalog Home
Catalog Search
Colleges and Schools
Optometry
About the College
Academic Policies
Admission
Requirements
Alumni and Foundation
Associations
Awards
Clinics
College Costs
Courses
Degrees Offered
Program Curricula
Faculty
Non-Academic Policies
Pre-Optometry
Program
Scholarships and
Financial Aid
Student Organizations
Student Services
College Web Site
College of Optometry
Doctor of Optometry Program
Curricula Rationale
Optometrists are health care professionals who competently solve human eye and vision problems. Most optometrists work in primary care practice, serving patients who need eye and vision care, who seek periodic evaluation of their eye and vision status, or who are referred by other professionals. The optometrist cares for most of the public's eye and vision problems.The practice of primary care optometry is concerned with the examination, diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases and disorders of the vision system, eye and associated structures as well as the diagnosis of related systemic conditions. In order to properly function as an optometrist, mastery of several bodies of knowledge is necessary. An understanding of the stimuli that initiate vision, the anatomy and physiology of the structures that mediate vision, and visual information processing represents a portion of the appropriate knowledge base called vision science. Understanding of optical physics for the provision of appropriate visual images is critical for the correction of refractive errors and binocular vision anomalies. Understanding pathophysiological processes, pharmacological processes, and systemic physiology and pathology are necessary for the proper diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases and the recognition, co-management or referral of systemic diseases with ocular and visual manifestations.
Other responsibilities exist beyond the individual patient/practitioner relationship. Often visual health is a societal phenomenon, and optometrists must educate the community concerning what constitutes a good visual environment. For example, optometrists have been involved in the designing of more easily seen traffic signals and signs, highway lighting and marking, classroom design, and much more. They also are involved in community-wide visual screening of both school children and the general population.
The major educational goal is to produce health care practitioners who have appropriate knowledge, skill, and competence to fulfill the role of delivering primary eye and vision care; who counsel patients concerning health promotion; and who manage curative or preventive regimens in consultation with other health care practitioners.
Professional Degree Program
The educational program in optometry requires four academic years and two summer sessions. One-third of the fourth-year class serves external multidisciplinary primary care clinical rotations during each of the three semesters. One-third serves in an external medical setting, and one-third rotates through specialty clinics each term. Didactic courses are taken during the specialty clinic rotation. Students must satisfactorily complete a total of 177 semester hours, at least seven hours of which must be in approved electives. With permission of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, students may also take graduate courses in physiological optics for elective credit in the professional degree program.First Professional Year
| Hours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 5111: | Optics I Lab | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 5133: | Advanced Human Anatomy Laboratory | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 5134: | Neuroanatomy Laboratory | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 5171: | Clinic Practicum I | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 5233: | Advanced Human Anatomy | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 5271: | Optometry I | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 5314: | Optics I | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 5320: | Vision Science I | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 5334: | Human Neuroanatomy and Physiology | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 5344: | Advanced Human Physiology and Molecular Biology | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Totals | 20 | 16 | 12 | |
| Hours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 5112: | Optics II Lab | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 5135: | Ocular Anatomy Lab | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 5172: | Clinic Practicum II | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 5194: | Ophthalmic Optics Laboratory | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 5221: | Vision Science II | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 5272: | Optometry II | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 5282: | Community Health Optometry | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 5315: | Optics II | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 5331: | General Pathology and Medicine | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 5335: | Ocular Anatomy and Physiology | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Totals | 19 | 15 | 12 | |
Second Professional Year
| Hours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 6132: | Medical Laboratory Procedures | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 6163: | Primary Optometry Laboratory | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 6173: | Clinic Practicum III | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 6190: | Ophthalmic Optics Laboratory | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| OPTO 6219: | Vision Science III | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 6234: | Ocular Pathology I | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 6311: | Optics III | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 6363: | Primary Optometry | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 6434: | General Pharmacology | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Totals | 18 | 14 | 13 | |
| Hours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 6151: | Pediatric Optometry I Laboratory | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 6174: | Contact Lens Lab | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 6224: | Perception | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 6291: | General Clinic II | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| OPTO 6312: | Optics IV | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 6333: | Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 6335: | Ocular Pathology II | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 6351: | Pediatric Optometry I | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 6374: | Contact Lens I | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Totals | 21 | 18 | 14 | |
Third Professional Year
| Hours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Semester | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 5197: | Developmental Optometry | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| OPTO 7493: | General Clinic IIIA | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| *Electives | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 7 | 3 | 18 | |
| Hours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 7131: | Clinical Medicine | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| OPTO 7152: | Pediatric Optometry II Laboratory | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OPTO 7230: | Glaucoma | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 7336: | Ocular Pathology III | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 5297: | Pediatric Optometry II | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 7361: | Geriatric Optometry | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 7375: | Contact Lens II | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 7494: | General Clinic IIIB | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| *Electives | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 20 | 14 | 19 | |
| Hours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 7130: | Ophthalmic Lasers, Refractive Surgery, & Surgical Techniques Lab |
1 | 0 | 2 |
| OPTO 7120: | OPT III Rounds/Case Discussion | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| OPTO 7162: | Vision Rehabilitation Lab | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| OPTO 7253: | Pediatric Optometry III | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 7262: | Rehabilitative Optometry | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OPTO 7330: | Ophthalmic Lasers, Refractive Surgery, & Surgical Techniques |
3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 7337: | Ocular Pathology IV | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 7383: | Practice Management I | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 7495: | General Clinic IIIC | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| *Electives | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 21 | 14 | 20 | |
Fourth Professional Year
| Rotation A (Summer, Fall, Spring) | Hours | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Externship I – Primary Care | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 8990: | Community Health Clinics | 9 | 0 | 20 |
| OPTO 8991: | Community Health Clinics | 9 | 0 | 20 |
| Totals | 18 | 0 | 40 | |
| Rotation B (Summer, Fall, Spring) | Hours | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Externship II - Medical Care | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 8992: | Community Health Clinics | 9 | 0 | 20 |
| OPTO 8993: | Community Health Clinics | 9 | 0 | 20 |
| Totals | 18 | 0 | 40 | |
| Rotation C (Summer, Fall, Spring) | Hours | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty Clinic/Didactic Semester | Cr. | Lect. | Lab | |
| OPTO 8338: | Rounds and Recent Developments | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 8384: | Practice Management II | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| OPTO 8696: | General Clinic IV | 6 | 0 | 20 |
| *Electives | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 15 | 6 | 20 | |
| * | Elective requirements may be fulfilled at any time. They are listed in this curriculum only for suggested times. |
Academic Units
The professional curriculum is delivered by two academic departments; optometric sciences and basic sciences.Summary of Elective Courses
Students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of seven semester hours in approved elective courses to qualify for the O.D. degree. Courses in the graduate program or upper division courses in another college may be selected with the approval of the student's academic advisor and the dean.