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
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 completed her residency at Southern California College of Optometry specializing in pediatric optometry and vision therapy. Dr. Hopkins joined 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. She received the AOSA Clinical Science Teaching Award in 2000 and 2003 and also received the UAB President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2008. 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
Diplomate in Pediatrics and Binocular Vision in the American Academy of Optometry and serves on the Academy's Scientific Program Committee. Dr.
Hopkins also serves as an author for the National Board of Examiners in
Optometry
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
has been 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).
Recent Publications:
Scheiman M, Kulp MT, Cotter S,
Mitchell GL, Galloway M, Boas M, Coulter R, Hopkins K, Tamkins S, The
Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Study Group. Vision Therapy/Orthoptics
for Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency in Children: Treatment Kinetics. Opt
Vis Sci. August 2010: 87(8): 593-603.
Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Study Group. Long-Term Effectiveness of Treatments for Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency in Children. Opt Vis Sci. 2009 Sept; 86 (9)
Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Study Group. Randomized Clinical Trial of Treatments for Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency in Children. Arch Ophthalmol. 2008 Oct; 126 (10): 1336-1349.
Scheiman M, Cotter S, Rouse M, et al., Randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of base-in prism reading glasses versus placebo reading glasses for symptomatic convergence insufficiency in children, Br J Ophthalmol, 2005, 89, 1318-1323.
Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Study Group. The Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial: Design, Methods, and Baseline Data.
Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2008 Jan-Feb; 15(1):24-36.
Corliss DA, Rutstein RP, Than TP, Hopkins KB, Edwards C. Aniseikonia testing in an adult population using a new computerized test, "The Aniseikonia Inspector" Binocul Vis Strabismus Q. 2005; 20(4): 205-15.
Becker, K. Semes, L. The reliability of frequency doubling perimetry in a pediatric population. Optometry. March 2003:74(3):174-80.