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 The
only ophthalmology residency training program in Alabama resides
within the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The Department is one of 17 academic
departments within the School
of Medicine. The Department of Ophthalmology is located
in the Callahan
Eye Foundation Hospital, a modern, superbly equipped facility
with a 25-bed inpatient ward, a busy outpatient surgery center,
a 24-hour eye emergency room, and seven operating suites.
The Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital is part of the UAB
Health System. The Laser Center at the Eye Foundation
is outfitted to perform all types of laser procedures including
refractive surgery. The department has 20 fulltime physician
faculty as well as 15 part-time physician faculty who participate
in the residency training program. In addition, there are
8 fulltime PhD faculty who engage in clinical and basic research
on eye disease and vision impairment. Our faculty represent
all subspecialties of ophthalmology.
 Residents
rotate through clinics located at the following hospitals:
The Callahan
Eye Foundation Hospital, Cooper
Green Hospital (a county operated facility), and the Birmingham
Veterans Administration Medical Center. A busy consult
service is maintained at UAB
Hospital, the main inpatient facility of the UAB School
of Medicine. The Children's
Hospital of Alabama provides pediatric experience both
clinically and surgically. All hospitals are located within
the five-block UAB Medical Center, recognized as one of the
leading medical centers in the United States.
 The
UAB ophthalmology residency is a fully approved and accredited
three-year training program with an optional fourth year available
for additional clinical or research experience. Five residents
are accepted each year through the Ophthalmology
Residency Matching Program. Candidates must be graduates
of a class "A" medical school approved by either
the American
Medical Association or Canadian
Medical Association. An approved internship is a prerequisite.
 The
total number of outpatient visits for all the clinics is over
50,000 per year. As residents progress, they are assigned
more responsibility both clinically and surgically. Before
training is completed, residents perform well over 200 surgical
cases and see over 3,000 patients. In addition to general
clinics, specialty clinics in corneal diseases, glaucoma,
neuro-ophthalmology, retina and vitreous diseases, pediatrics
and strabismus, plastic surgery, contact lenses, and low vision
rehabilitation provide a concentrated area of study.
The
patient population consists of two groups: one is seen in
clinics primarily by the residents (e.g., the Lions Eye Clinic;
Cooper Green Hospital), and the other is seen in faculty clinics
of our fulltime and part-time faculty. Patients in both groups
are available for clinical demonstration. In addition, we
have a large, active volunteer faculty. All residents undergo
extensive and formal basic science training. The remainder
of the didactic information is presented in lectures and courses
given by the physician faculty, the PhD faculty, and guest
speakers. Grand rounds are held monthly. Specialty rounds
are held on a weekly or bimonthly basis. Didactic lectures
based on the Basic and Clinical Science Course (American Academy
of Ophthalmology) are presented three or four mornings each
week. An annual research
symposium is held each spring as a forum for residents
to present their research project findings.
Standard residency stipends and benefits are provided. Additional
funds are provided for travel to approved regional and
national meetings.
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