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
Library
(713) 743-1910
Financial Aid Counselor
(832) 842-9024
Dean: Earl L. Smith III, Greeman-Petty, Professor, O.D., Ph.D., University of Houston.
Associate Dean for Finance and Administration: Roger L. Boltz, O.D., Ph.D., University of Houston.
Associate Dean for Professional Studies: Kimberly Lambreghts, R.N., Pace University, O.D., State University of New York.
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, Clinical Education: Nicky R. Holdeman, Executive Director University Eye Institute, Chief of Medical Services and Professor of Optometry. O.D., University of Houston; M.D., Texas Tech University.
Associate Dean, Professional Development; Chair, Department of Clinical Sciences: Marcus Piccolo, Executive Director, Surgical Services and Associate Professor of Optometry. O.D., Pennsylvania College of Optometry.
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.
General Information
Established in 1952, the College of Optometry is housed in the J. Davis Armistead Building in the Health Science Section of the main University campus. It is nestled between the Health 1 and 2 facilities and offers a full ambulatory and refractive surgery center, making it one of the most modern in the world.
The Professional program educates students to become Doctors of Optometry; independent primary health care providers who specialize in the examination, diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases and disorders of the visual system, the eye and associated structures as well as the diagnosis of related systemic conditions. Graduates from the professional optometric program may enter family practice or serve in multidisciplinary primary care clinics. They also find careers in public health, teaching and research, industry and health administration.
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.
The faculty of dedicated research scientists and expert clinicians is complemented by research laboratories, teaching clinics, and a health sciences library with a large collection and internet access to literature on eye care and vision science.
Residency programs and fellowships are available both at the College and at external sites for individuals holding a Doctor of Optometry Degree. Residencies are available in pediatric, primary care, contact lenses, rehabilitative, neuro-optometric care or hospital-based optometry. These programs are designed to provide optometrists with advanced clinical training and knowledge. While the programs focus on direct patient care, scholarly and didactic activities also contribute to the development of advanced clinical competencies. 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 semester 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 M.S., Ph.D. or a dual degree for students already in the O.D. 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 M.S. or Ph.D. program with a minimum of a B.S. 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.
O.D./M.S. Program
A combined O.D./M.S. 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 (O.D.) degree. O.D. 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 Ph.D. 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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