About the Program
Optometrists provide primary vision care, including comprehensive eye examinations and the diagnosis, treatment, and management of most eye conditions and diseases. To prepare you as a professional capable of meeting this broad scope of responsibilities, the curriculum at Berkeley Optometry is designed to provide first-rate clinical training as well as instruction in the science of vision.
Our world-class faculty offer comprehensive clinical training enhanced by cutting-edge education in vision science. They will prepare you to meet the challenges of expanding primary eye care. You will acquire knowledge of cell and molecular biology, pharmacology, genetics, epidemiology of eye disorders, and state-of-the-art clinical technology. You will also have training in all clinical areas, including primary care and specialties such as binocular disorders, contact lenses, low vision, ocular disease, geriatrics, pediatrics, and refractive surgery.
The Clinics
Berkeley Optometry operates its teaching clinics on a twelve-month basis. Our students have progressively more clinical training and responsibility as they advance through the four-year degree program. Third-year students spend about half their time in clinic, while fourth-year students spend virtually all their time in clinic.
One key element in the Berkeley Optometry program is the provision of in-depth clinical experience in a variety of settings. Our intensive-training clinics (On-Campus Clinics, Off-Campus Externship Clinics, and Community Outreach Clinics) offer services to populations associated with our Berkeley Optometry clinics or affiliated clinics around the country and the world.
The Meredith Morgan Eye Center provides comprehensive eye care to members of the Berkeley campus and the local community. There are more than 80,000 patient visits each year for which our faculty and students provide a full range of services from primary eye care to the diagnosis and management of vision problems caused by diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetes. All students also participate in external clinical rotations. At the end of the four-year OD Program, each student will have, on average, examined 2,500 patients.
The Curriculum
Berkeley Optometry makes a major contribution to the field of health care by training skilled practitioners through a curriculum that is continuously updated to reflect the latest in research and clinical training. We are dedicated to keeping pace with the expanding field of optometry and the profession's move toward a more extensive health science model of primary care.
As you look through the course descriptions in our curriculum, you will see the depth and range of study and training offered by our Optometry program. One exciting and effective approach is introducing our students to clinical education from the first day.
For example, OPTOM 200A (Clinical Examination of the Visual System; fall semester) is taught in the first semester of the program, when you will learn how to take case histories, perform preliminary examinations of the eye, and measure refractive error. By the spring of your first year, OPTOM 200B (Clinical Examination of the Visual System; spring semester) will introduce you to advanced examination techniques. These clinical procedures will be complemented by course work in biology, optics, and pharmacology. We have found that this early introduction to the clinical examination, combined with basic science courses, makes the learning of optometry interesting and relevant. Please look at our curriculum and see for yourself how we integrate clinical and basic science from the beginning.
Admissions
Admission to the Doctor of Optometry (OD) Program
Note: Applicants for optometric study in the United States and Puerto Rico use a common application service, OptomCAS. By utilizing a common application service, prospective students file one application that can be sent to multiple schools and colleges of optometry. The Admissions and Student Affairs Office is thrilled to be a participant OptomCAS school as we strive to make the application process more efficient and convenient for you.
More information can be found here: www.optomcas.org
To be considered for admission to the School of Optometry in full-time regular status, you must meet the Application Requirements. More detailed information can be found on our website.
Doctoral Degree Requirements
Curriculum by Year (OD Program)
First-Year Curriculum (38.5 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | ||
| Clinical Examination of the Visual System [2] | ||
| Clinical Examination of the Visual System [3] | ||
| Supervised Independent Study [1-12] | ||
| Geometric Optics [4] | ||
| Visual Perception Sensitivity [4.5] | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology of the Eye [2] | ||
| Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of the Eye and Visual System [2] | ||
| Spring | ||
| Clinical Examination of the Visual System [2] | ||
| Clinical Examination of the Visual System [3] | ||
| Optics of Ophthalmic Lenses [4] | ||
| Optical System and Physical Optics [4] | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology of the Eye and Visual System [3] | ||
| Oculomotor Functions and Neurology [2] | ||
| Binocular Vision and Space Perception [2] | ||
Second-Year Curriculum (34 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | ||
| Clinical Examination of the Visual System [2] | ||
| Clinical Examination of the Visual System [2] | ||
| Evidence Based Optometry [1] | ||
| Advanced Clinical Optics [2] | ||
| Systemic Pharmacology [2.5] | ||
| Systemic Disease and its Ocular Manifestations [3] | ||
| Eyecare Business and Professional Management I [2] | ||
| Visual System Development [2] | ||
| Spring | ||
| Clinical Examination of the Visual System [2] | ||
| Clinical Examination of the Visual System [2] | ||
| Ocular Pharmacology [2.5] | ||
| Systemic Disease and its Ocular Manifestations [3] | ||
| Diagnosis and Treatment of Sensory/Motor Anomalies [3] | ||
| Contact Lenses: Examination Principles and Practice [3] | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology of the Eye and Visual System [2] | ||
Third-Year Curriculum (45.5 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | ||
| Optometry Clinics [8] | ||
| Introduction to Clinical Topics for the New Clinician [2] | ||
| Fall | ||
| Advanced Management and Rehabilitation of Sensory/Motor Anomalies [3] | ||
| Diagnosis and Treatment of Anterior Segment Ocular Disease [4] | ||
| Low Vision [2.5] | ||
| Optometry Clinics [9] | ||
| Advanced Procedures in Ocular Disease Diagnosis [2] | ||
| Spring | ||
| Diagnosis and Treatment of Posterior Segment Ocular Disease [4] | ||
| Eyecare Business and Professional Management II [2] | ||
| Optometry Clinics [9] | ||
Fourth-Year Curriculum (46 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | ||
| Advanced Optometry Clinic [2.5] | ||
| Specialty Clinics [2.5] | ||
| Fall | ||
| Advanced Optometry Clinic [9] | ||
| Specialty Clinics [7] | ||
| Grand Rounds and Seminar [2] | ||
| Spring | ||
| Advanced Optometry Clinic [9] | ||
| Specialty Clinics [7] | ||
| Grand Rounds and Seminar [2] | ||
Faculty and Instructors
Faculty
Mark M. Anderson O.D., Assistant Clinical Professor.
Yin Yin Aung, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Charles Bailey, Associate Clinical Professor.
Richard William Baker, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Frank G. Balestrery, Associate Clinical Professor.
Shirin Barez, Clinical Professor.
Dennis S. Burger, Clinical Professor.
Debora Mingjai Lee Chen, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Lu Chen, Professor.
Karen Chester, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Marlena A. Chu, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Stephen R. Chun, Clinical Professor.
John C. Corzine, Clinical Professor.
Jorge Anthony Cuadros Od Phd, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Sarah N. G. Fisher, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Dennis W. Fong, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Sara L. Frane, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Kenneth S. Gee, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Harry Green, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Maziar Haririfar, O.D., Associate Clinical Professor.
Pia Hoenig, Clinical Professor.
Cheyenne Chinea Huber, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Carl H. Jacobsen, Clinical Professor.
Kuniyoshi Kanai, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Nicholas G. Kerry, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Cindy Yumi Sakai Kim, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Jennine Kirby, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Jeffrey Ko, Associate Clinical Professor.
Linh Ngan Le, Assistant Clinical Professor.
George Lee, Associate Clinical Professor.
Mira Lim, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Taras Litvin, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Yue Liu, Assistant Professor.
Randall Ray Mcpherran, Associate Clinical Professor.
Anne D. M. U. Moy, Clinical Professor.
Glen Ozawa, Associate Clinical Professor.
Matthew Alan Rhodes, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Claudia Cynthia Ruegg, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Nadia Sarah Samii, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Pam Satjawatcharaphong, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Jeffrey Joseph Schultz, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Todd D. Severin, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Mary Ann C. Shui, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Andrew L. Sorenson, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Kelvin Tang, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Kathy Tran, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Christina Trifiletti, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Tan Truong, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Lillian Ing-Ling Wang, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Tonya Watson, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Meredith Margaret Whiteside, Associate Clinical Professor.
Christina S. Wilmer, Clinical Professor.
Barry C. Winston, Associate Clinical Professor.
Brian Wolff, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Walter Andrew Wong, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Patrick H. Woodring, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Kerri Kimi Yoshiyama, Assistant Clinical Professor.
Vikki Yu, Associate Clinical Professor.
Clinical Instructors
Barbara Cohn, Clinical Instructor.
Ashley Craven, Clinical Instructor.
Andrea De Souza, Clinical Instructor.
Nazreen Esack, Clinical Instructor.
Neda Ghanbari, Clinical Instructor.
Sasha Cross Gryshko, Clinical Instructor.
Elizabeth Je, Clinical Instructor.
Stephanie Chen Joo, Clinical Instructor.
Jasmine Junge, Clinical Instructor.
Isabel Kazemi, Clinical Instructor.
Sarah Kochik, Clinical Instructor.
James Lee, Clinical Instructor.
Tarah Lee, Clinical Instructor.
Wing Li, Clinical Instructor.
Kenneth N. Lowe, Clinical Instructor.
Patty Lynch, Clinical Instructor.
Melanie Louise Mason, Clinical Instructor.
Charlie Ngo, Clinical Instructor.
Kimberly Pham, Clinical Instructor.
Richard Reinert, Clinical Instructor.
Vicki Rich, Clinical Instructor.
George Russell, Clinical Instructor.
Mark Sherstinsky, Clinical Instructor.
Jeremy Ross Shumaker, Clinical Instructor.
Anne Yun Keu Tasaki, Clinical Instructor.
Jacqueline Marie Theis, Clinical Instructor.
Melissa A. Valdellon, Clinical Instructor.
Yen-Linh Thi Vu, Clinical Instructor.
Caitlin E. Walsh, Clinical Instructor.
Rob Widerspan, Clinical Instructor.
Yu-Tai Wu, Clinical Instructor.
Jing Zheng, Clinical Instructor.
Emeritus Faculty
Robert B. Greer, Clinical Professor Emeritus.
Contact Information
Admissions and Student Affairs Office
380 Minor Hall
Phone: 510-642-9537
Fax: 510-643-7111
Associate Dean for Student Affairs / Head Graduate Advisor
Nancy McNamara, OD, PhD
Phone: 510-642-9537
Assistant Dean, Admissions, Student Affairs and Career Services
Meg St. John
Phone: 510-642-5286
Associate Director of Admissions and Student Affairs
Kait Guthrie
Phone: 510-642-9537
Coordinator of Admissions and Student Affairs
Nhung Tuyet Nguyen
Phone: 510-642-9537