Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Fellowship

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The University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences offers an Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) accredited one-year post-residency fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus.

This fellowship provides a comprehensive foundation for motivated individuals who wish to pursue a career in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. The fellowship includes training in all aspects of pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus including adult and pediatric strabismus evaluation, medical and surgical treatment of strabismus, diagnosis and treatment of amblyopia, diagnosis and treatment of congenital ocular anomalies, pediatric cataracts, glaucoma, retinopathy of prematurity, retinoblastoma, and ocular conditions associated with systemic diseases.

Thanks to a generous educational endowment, the fellow salary is highly competitive, with additional funds available for travel.

Morning Rounds

Teaching is an important part of this fellowship. Departmental morning rounds are held four mornings each week, and include residents, fellows, and faculty from all the ophthalmic subspecialties. Morning rounds include a variety of formats including clinical cases, formal lectures, and research presentations in all areas of ophthalmology. Every Friday morning during the academic year, faculty members present a two-hour lecture covering sections of the Basic and Clinical Science course subject material.

Teaching Sessions

The Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Service holds regular teaching sessions with faculty on subjects of interest in pediatric ophthalmology. Fellows are expected to actively participate in teaching. They periodically present at departmental morning rounds and help to organize service teaching and journal clubs. Along with the faculty, they are responsible for teaching residents and medical students.

Research

Research is an integral part of the pediatric ophthalmology service at the University of Iowa. With faculty support, fellows are required to participate in research during their fellowship year including a presentation of their project at the annual resident and fellow research day in the spring and the completion of a manuscript.

The Department is the home of the Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory, a nationally known research center for inherited eye disease. Pediatric Ophthalmology fellows with a special interest in this area may apply for a second year of training which concentrates on clinical and research aspects of pediatric genetic eye disease.

About the Service...

The University of Iowa Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Service has its foundations in the strabismus service directed by Hermann Burian, MD from 1953 to 1971. The Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Service was formally established in 1971 by William E. Scott, MD who served as its director until 2002. The Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Fellowship began in 1974. Since that time, more than 75 physicians have completed the fellowship program to pursue academic or private practice careers in pediatric ophthalmology.

The Department sees approximately 60,000 patient visits annually of which over 5,000 are seen by the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Service. The service performs over 500 surgical procedures annually. The Department is consistently ranked in the top ten of U.S.News & World Report “Best Hospitals in America.”

Personnel

The Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Service has three full time faculty physicians: Richard J. Olson, MD; Arlene V. Drack, MD; and Susannah Q. Longmuir, MD. Additionally, Emeritus Professor William E. Scott, MD takes an active role in teaching.

The Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus service also includes three full-time certified orthoptists, one fellow, one resident, one or more orthoptic students, a medical assistant, a secretary, and a scheduler-receptionist.

Arlene V. Drack, MD	Susannah Q. Longmuir, MD	Richard J. Olson, MD	William E. Scott, MD

Facilities

The pediatric clinic consists of a spacious pediatric reception and waiting area and eight fully equipped 20-foot examination lanes. Additional areas are devoted to saccadic velocity testing, synoptophore assessments, Hess screen evaluations, and diplopia fields. Surgeries are performed in a state of the art operating room with video capability for both extra- and intra-ocular operations.

The Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Clinic is just one service of the UI Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences which also includes comprehensive ophthalmology, glaucoma, cornea and refractive surgery, retina and vitreous, neuro-ophthalmology, contact lens, oculoplastic surgery, vision rehabilitation, and ocular pathology services as well as the Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory and the Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration. The Department has 60 examination lanes, an ophthalmology procedure suite, refractive and ophthalmic lasers, ophthalmic photography and videography services, and an electrophysiology suite.

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