Brief History

Dr. Adolph Barkan was appointed as the first professor of Ophthalmology at the University of the Pacific in 1872. When the rest of Stanford moved to Palo Alto in the 1950's, the department of ophthalmology remained in San Francisco. The world-class faculty at California Pacific Medical Center have been training high caliber ophthalmology residents for over 80 years (read more about our rich history).

Residency Characteristics

Our department takes great pride in the following:

Internationally recognized faculty, who care deeply about patient care as well as resident education and well-being

High-volume surgical and excellent quality clinical experience

Nurturing, family-like atmosphere, with strong relationships among residents and attendings

Extensive opportunities for international clinical and surgical experience at Aravind Eye Hospital in India and other countries, including Tibet and Guatemala, where our faculty have built strong connections

The pass rate of the oral and written boards for all residents over the past 5 years has been 100%

The residency program was granted the maximum of 5 years of accreditation in the most recent ACGME review