Office of Optometry Relations (Optometry Program)
(713) 743-2040
Graduate Program Office
(713) 743-1885
Office of the Dean
(713) 743-1889
Clinic Administrator
(713) 743-1886
Clinic Patient Appointments
(713) 743-2020
Optical Services
(713) 743-2030
Health Science Library
(713) 743-5462
Financial Aid Counselor
(832) 842-9024
Dean: Michael D. Twa, O.D., University of California-Berkeley; M.S., Ph.D., Ohio State University.
Associate Dean for Professional Studies: Kimberly A. Lambreghts, R.N., Pace University; O.D., SUNY College of Optometry.
Assistant Dean for Professional Studies: Ralph Herring, O.D., M.H.A., University of Houston.
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research: Laura J. Frishman, John and Rebecca Moores Professor. Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh.
Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Professional Development: Marcus Piccolo, Executive Director, University Eye Institute and Surgical Services. O.D., Pennsylvania College of Optometry.
Assistant Dean for Clinical Education: Danica Marrelli, O.D., University of Houston.
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs: Melissa A. Mares
Chair, Department of Basic Vision Sciences: Vallabh E. Das, Benedict-Pitts, Professor. Ph.D., Chase Western Reserve University.
Chair, Department of Clinical Sciences: David A. Berntsen, O.D., University of Houston; M.S., Ph.D., Ohio State University.
General Information
The College of Optometry, housed in the Cora and J. Davis Armistead Building, is one of the University’s fourteen colleges. Established in 1952, the college has seen unprecedented growth in patient care, didactic and laboratory facilities as well as student common areas. In 2013, its latest expansion, the Health and Biomedical Building 1, was built adjacent to, and connected with the Armistead building. This new addition houses an Ambulatory Surgical Center, a Refractive Surgery Center, and new classroom and laboratory spaces, making the optometric facility one of the most modern in the world.
Approximately, one hundred and five students are admitted into the professional optometric program each year from the United States and abroad. Accepted students must have a Bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation into the professional program and are expected to have completed course work, including: biological science, advanced level biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, statistics and psychology.
The college not only educates students planning to practice optometry, but also offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in physiological optics/vision science for students planning careers in teaching and research. Students who have a degree in biological or physical science or biomedical engineering with a special interest in vision or who are graduates of an optometry school or other professional health program may want to consider entering the graduate program.
Graduates from the professional optometric program may enter family practice or serve in multidisciplinary primary care clinics. Graduates also find careers in public health, teaching and research, industry and health administration. Residencies/fellowships are available in pediatric, primary care, contact lenses, rehabilitative, or hospital-based optometry. Special services for children, the elderly, and the partially-sighted can each be exclusively practiced. Helping to care for vision, our most treasured sense makes optometry a rewarding profession for students interested in a health career.
Professional Degree Program
http://www.opt.uh.edu/future-students-residents/programs/doctor-of-optometry/
The educational program in optometry requires four academic years and two summer sessions. All fourth-year students begin externships and specialty clinics just after the end of their third academic year. Two terms are devoted to external clinical rotations and one is spent at College of Optometry in advanced seminars and clinical practice in the University Eye Institute. Students must satisfactorily complete a total of 177 credit hours, at least seven hours of which must be in approved electives. With permission of the associate dean for graduate studies, students may also take graduate courses in physiological optics for elective credit in the professional degree program.
Graduate Program in Physiological Optics/Vision Science
http://www.opt.uh.edu/future-students-residents/programs/graduate-program/
The Graduate Program in Physiological Optics/Vision Science confers an MS, PhD or a dual degree for students already in the OD program, and prepares students to embark on a career in teaching and research in the basic and clinical science of vision.
Students are accepted into the MS or PhD program with a minimum of a BS degree (or equivalent) from a variety of fields such as optometry, physiological optics, vision sciences, medicine, ophthalmology, structural and functional biosciences, neuroscience, psychology, optics, optical engineering, bio- or electrical engineering, or biophysics.
The need for new knowledge in the vision sciences is great, and teaching and research opportunities are numerous in a spectrum of academic, industrial, and professional settings. Although the program has sufficient structure to provide a broad base of scientific knowledge about vision systems, it is at the same time appropriately flexible to permit students to develop expertise in areas of special interest. Students will join the labs of faculty mentors who are studying normal and abnormal visual processes, diseases and disorders of the eye, visual optics, the visual pathways, eye movement control systems, and the development of treatments to prevent loss of vision using a variety of approaches ranging from molecular and cellular, to behavioral and optical.
OD/MS Program
A combined OD/MS program is available to enrolled optometry students, who wish to pursue an MS degree in Physiological Optics/Vision Science concurrently with the doctor of optometry (OD) degree. OD students apply for the combined program in the Fall of their second year for admission in the Spring of that year. The combined program allows a student to obtain both degrees in four years. Entry into an accelerated PhD program is also possible for students who wish to enroll in a combined program. Applicants must submit separate applications to each program.
Other Educational Programs
The university also recognizes a responsibility to provide postgraduate clinical training, to bring continuing education to optometrists in the state and region, and to participate in the training of allied personnel.
Accreditation
The College of Optometry is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association.
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