Residency Program

Each year, 27 residents gain outstanding and rigorous clinical experience in the Department of Ophthalmology as a result of high surgery volume and clinical pathology. We accept nine residents each year; an internship is required prior to residency.

We strive to provide the best ophthalmic education possible. Didactic lectures presented by our full-time and clinical faculty cover all the basic science and clinical topics, as well as lectures that help fulfill ACGME competencies in medical knowledge, professionalism, system-based practice, practice-based learning and improvement, and interpersonal and communication skills.

Sections

  • Clinical optics
  • Ophthalmic pathology and intraocular tumors
  • Neuro-Ophthalmology
  • Pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus
  • Orbit, eyelids, and lacrimal system
  • External disease and cornea
  • Intraocular inflammation and uveitis
  • Glaucoma
  • Lens and cataract
  • Retina and vitreous
  • Professionalism, ethics, and advocacy
  • Interpersonal and communication skills
  • Socioeconomics and systems-based practice
  • Practice-based learning and improvement
  • Biostatistics

Residency Characteristics

  • ACGME accreditation: Ongoing, with the longest possible five-year review cycle. The Ophthalmology residency program exceeds the minimum ACGME requirements in all surgical categories.
  • A large heterogeneous patient population
  • An appropriate balance of supervision and autonomy in clinics
  • Supervision in surgery
  • Significant intraocular surgery before entering third year of residency
  • Full-time subspecialty faculty (minimum eight)
  • In-house intense didactics, including practice management and coding
  • Fellows who complement and do not detract from residency
  • Exposure to wet labs (close geographical proximity to Alcon, with hands-on phaco wet lab led by UT Southwestern Medical Center faculty at least twice a year)
  • Up-to-date equipment and adequate number of examination and ORs
  • Good ancillary services and support personnel
  • Cutting edge approach to surgery, including advanced phaco techniques and refractive surgery
  • Good esprit de corps among residents and faculty
  • Scholarly environment with strong clinical and basic research by faculty (who publish)
  • Associated with nationally renowned medical school
  • Serves a growing patient population

Surgery

Graduating residents average the following number of surgical cases for which they are the primary surgeon (Source: 2012 graduating class data).

Cataracts and intraocular lenses: 224
YAG laser procedures: 18
Strabismus surgery: 40
Corneal surgery: 21
Keratorefractive surgery: 3 (and another 7 as assistant)
Glaucoma surgery: 7
Glaucoma laser procedures: 52
Retina surgery: 27 as either primary or first assistant
Retina laser procedures: 222
Other retina (including vitreous tap/inject): 58
Oculoplastics/Orbital surgery: 49
Trauma surgery (open globe repair, removal of intraocular foreign body): 9
Total all primary surgery procedures: 709

We far exceed minimum surgical requirements for training as established by the ACGME.