DEPARTMENT OF OPTOMETRY
Kristine Becker Hopkins, O.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.A.O.
Associate Professor, Optometry
Chief of Vision Therapy Services
Contact Information:
Academic Office - (205) 975-5233
Patient Services/Appointments:
UAB Eye Care - (205) 975-2020
UOG Faculty Practice - (205) 934-5161
Physical Address:
524 Henry Peters Building
1716 University Boulevard
Mailing Address:
HPB 524
1530 Third Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0010
Biographical Sketch:
Education:
AA Mathematics-Clayton State College (Morrow, GA)
BS Physiological Optics-UAB School of Optometry
OD Optometry-UAB School of Optometry
MSPH Public Health-UAB School of Public Health
Administrative Responsibilities:
Chief of Vision Therapy Services
Personal:
Dr. Hopkins grew up in south, metro Atlanta and attended Clayton State College and Georgia Tech before attending UAB School of Optometry. She did a residency in 1997 at Southern California College of Optometry specializing in pediatric optometry and vision therapy. Dr. Hopkins accepted an appointment to the UAB faculty in 1998 and started the Vision Therapy Services clinic within the pediatric clinical service at UAB Eye Care. Dr. Hopkins served as the Boy Scouts Optometry Explorer's Post Chair for UABSO from 2000-2006. The Explorer's Post is a year long program for high school students interested in an optometric career. Dr. Hopkins lectures nationally and locally to other optometrists as well as teachers and occupational therapists in the areas of binocular vision and children's vision. Dr. Hopkins is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and serves on the Academy's Scientific Program Committee.
Scholarly Activity:
Teaching:
OPT 313 Anomalies of Binocular Vision I-Course Master
OPT 323 Anomalies of Binocular Vision II-Course Instructor
ECY 665 Anatomy and Educational Implications of the Eye-Course Instructor (School of Education)
Research:
Dr. Hopkins primary areas of interest in research are binocular vision, vision therapy, amblyopia (lazy eye), and children's vision. She is actively involved in several federally funded studies including the following:
Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial: National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute Multi-Center Clinical Trial to study the efficacy of three commonly used treatment approaches for patients with convergence insufficiency (poor eye teaming at near). Dr. Hopkins is the principal investigator at UAB which was one of nine clinical sites around the country. This study began recruitment in 2005 and patients continued follow-up through 2007. This was the first federally funded study evaluating the efficacy of treatments for convergence insufficiency including vision therapy. Manuscripts (publications) related to this work are authored by the CITT Investigator Group.
Amblyopia Treatment Studies: National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute Multi-Center Clinical Trials to evaluate treatments for amblyopia (lazy eye) in children. Dr. Hopkins has served as an investigator, principal investigator, and a member of the executive committee for many different amblyopia studies beginning in 2000. Manuscripts (publications) related to this work are authored by PEDIG (Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group).