Residency Programs

Consistent with its educational mission, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry (UABSO) places significant emphasis on residency education. UABSO strives to develop, maintain, advance, and promote post-doctoral clinical training programs of excellence in all of the major areas of optometric care. In so doing, the School serves as a leader in residency education.

The School began its first residency program in 1978, and 211 optometrists have completed UABSO residencies to date. Currently, seven residency programs offer a total of ten residency positions. All residency programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association and all utilize the Optometric Residency Matching Service (ORMS) for application. The application deadline is February 1, and instructions for application can be found on the ORMS webpage.

This residency program offers an opportunity to gain broad exposure in the diagnosis and management of a variety of optometric problems. It provides the optometrist with a broad base of experience in all areas of general practice. The resident is engaged in independent, direct patient care four and a half days a week. That time is divided between clinics in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry (UABSO), VisionAmerica of Birmingham, and a variety of optometry, ophthalmological and multidisciplinary settings.

This residency program presents a unique opportunity for the optometrist interested in the vision care of children and special populations. The resident develops knowledge and skills in the diagnosis and management of many pediatric vision problems in a variety of clinical settings. These include pediatric primary care (encompassing pediatric contact lenses), binocular vision and vision therapy, vision perception, infectious diseases and low birth weight clinics at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, and other interdisciplinary environments that monitor multihandicapped or developmentally delayed individuals. The resident is engaged in independent, direct patient care four and a half days a week.

This residency program offers a diverse and comprehensive experience in the diagnosis and management of challenging cornea and contact lens cases using a wide variety of lens designs and materials. The resident averages several hundred new fits and refits a year in addition to hundreds of follow-up examinations. The resident is engaged in independent, direct patient care four and a half days a week. Clinical care is provided in the Contact Lens Service of UABSO as well as in the Department of Ophthalmology.