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Clinical Experience

The Department includes nationally respected ophthalmologists who form a volunteer core teaching facultyOpens new window. Residents spend time in multiple practice settings learning the intricacies of each ophthalmologic discipline. The Resident Clinic is the sole referral center for patients financed by The Lion's Eye Foundation of California-Nevada, Inc. Opens new window

The second year is spent mostly at Alameda County Medical Center (Highland)Opens new window in Oakland, where operative volume increases dramatically and the resident develops improved decision making capacity and autonomy. This busy county facility promotes the resident's increasing responsibility in caring for both medical and surgical eye disease.

In the final year, surgical experience expands further as residents spend four months at Kaiser Hospital, San Francisco. Opens new window A four month elective period follows, during which the resident has the opportunity to pursue a wide variety of interests, including international ophthalmology. International electives include a structured course in small incision extracapsular cataract surgery at the Aravind Eye Hospital in IndiaOpens new window, as well as opportunities in other countries such as Tibet and Guatemala. In the final four months of training, as Chief Resident at the Lion’s Eye Clinic, each resident becomes more involved in teaching junior residents and bears primary responsibility for all clinic patients.

The majority of the first year is spent in the CPMC Resident Clinic and in private practice offices. A nurturing environment is provided, as the resident learns the foundations of the examination, diagnosis, and management of ocular disease in all of the major subspecialties. Initial operative experience, in which the resident is primary surgeon, typically occurs within the first 2 months of residency. During the summer of the first year, residents attend the Stanford Ophthalmology Basic Science Course.
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Surgery | Facilities | Core Curriculum Rotations

Surgery

Surgical experience is a great strength of the residency program. Residents have the opportunity to learn surgery from multiple different faculty members in each subspecialty, providing invaluable exposure to different surgical techniques. Graduates feel competent to perform comprehensive ophthalmic surgery without additional training. The following is a list of approximate numbers of cases performed by the resident as primary surgeon over the course of a typical 3-year residency (not including surgeries performed internationally):

Cataract Extractions - 200
Glaucoma Filters/Shunts - 15
Retinal Detachment - 10
Oculoplastics - 30
Cornea - 5-10
Pterygium Excision - 10
Globe Trauma - 5-10
Photocoagulation Procedures - >100
Intravitreal Injections - >50

Facilities

In addition to the Resident Clinic at CPMC and private office settings, residents also work during years 2 and 3 at Kaiser San Francisco and Alameda County Medical Center (Highland).

Core Curriculum Rotations

Introduction to Clinical Ophthalmology, Ocular Pathology and Low Vision - 5 months

Cornea and External Disease - 2 months

Oculoplastic Surgery - 2 months

Glaucoma - 2 months

Retina and Uveitis - 2 months

Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus - 2 months

Stanford Ophthalmology Basic Science CourseOpens new window - 1 month

Highland Hospital, Junior Resident - 4 months

Highland Hospital, Senior Resident - 4 months

Kaiser Hospital - 4 months

Elective - 4 months

Chief Resident at California Pacific - 4 months