First Year

During the first year of residency, five months are spent at Parkland Memorial Hospital; three months at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center; one month at Children’s Medical Center; and three months at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.

First-year residents assist on cataract and other intraocular surgery, as well as perform plastic surgery, enucleations, strabismus surgery, trauma, and other minor surgery as primary surgeon.

Second Year

Second-year residents spend time at Parkland Memorial Hospital, the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and John Peter Smith Hospital. The residents’ surgical experiences broaden considerably and they perform an increasing amount of cataract surgery (approximately 30 cataract extractions and implants as primary surgeon), and retinal surgery. Residents learn to perform phacoemulsification on their cataract cases at the VA Medical Center and John Peter Smith Hospital as primary surgeon. The second year emphasizes subspecialty experiences with rotations in neuro-ophthalmology and orbital disease; cornea and external disease; retina; and plastics with the full-time faculty.

Third Year

Senior residents spend their final resident year on glaucoma, retina, and surgical rotations at Parkland Memorial Hospital, the VA Medical Center, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, and John Peter Smith Hospital. The surgery is more advanced, including difficult ocular trauma, refractive surgery, trabeculectomies, retinal procedures, phacoemulsifications, and extracapsular cataract and intraocular lens implant surgery. Each resident rotates through Parkland as the Chief Surgical Resident.

• 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

• ACGME accreditation: Ongoing, with the longest possible 10-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
• Biostatistics

In this presentation, learn what you should look for in a residency program and what we look for in a residency applicant.

See how UT Southwestern has grown to become a leading academic medical center.

Learn how research has played an important part in UT Southwestern's rapid ascension and how our research impacts the Ophthalmology residency program.

Explore the facilities at which our residents and faculty provide patient care

Learn about the surgical curriculum and the faculty.

Find out more about our Ophthalmology educational program, including information on didactics and the integrated internship year.

Find out about salary, leave, insurance coverage, and call.

Explore why Dallas is a great place to live! And more information about Dallas life.

Dr. Blomquist wraps up the residency program. Also, see what our residents pursue after graduation.

• Children’s Health Children’s Medical Center
• John Peter Smith Hospital
• Parkland Hospital
• Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center