University of Iowa Health Care

Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

EyeRounds.org

The Application Process

Residency Overview

Ophthalmology residencies are 3 years in length with 1 year of general medical or general surgery internship before you may begin. The ACGME has asked that all programs offer joint (IM/surgery department-led) or integrated (ophthalmology department-led) programs for their PGY-1s by 2023. This change eliminates the need to move twice for residency and may allow future applicants to avoid the hassle of a separate ERAS application process for a preliminary or transitional year. Instead, you will complete your intern year at the same institution as your ophthalmology training.

More than half of ophthalmology trainees decide to sub‐specialize after residency by means of a fellowship. Fellowships in ophthalmology range in length from 1‐2 years. Options include oculoplastics, retina, cornea and external disease, pediatrics, neuro‐ophthalmology, glaucoma, and ocular pathology.

SF Match Profile & CAS Application

You can start your application on the SF Match website on July 1, and you may as well start it early as you can save your progress. There are two main portions to the site: your SF Match profile and the Central Application System (CAS) application. The 2020 SF Match Demo Webinar is a great resource to view the steps of filling out the application.

The SF Match profile is the page you initially see upon logging into the site.  Among other things, it includes your name, address, USMLE Step 1 score, AOA status, and photo. You can indicate your gender identity. This information is collected for SF Match to assess demographics of applicants and is not shared with programs. Your photo is used as a visual reminder when programs are making their rank lists, but it is not seen until after you have been invited for an interview; many programs require this photo as a supplement before they will review your application. If you are concerned about getting your photo uploaded in time, you can always take your own photo at home. Unlike your CAS application, your profile page may be updated after submission of your application as long as the SF Match hasn't yet distributed your information to programs.

The CAS application is the online equivalent of your CV. Take advantage of different formatting – bold, italics, and underlining to emphasize different aspects of your application. If you prepared a CV, it will now come in handy as you can essentially copy and paste the information into these text fields. The sections of the CAS application are:

  • Personal information: employment, publications, presentations, etc.
  • Honors/interests: awards, hobbies, unpublished research activities, other achievements, some even include honors on specific rotations
  • Career objectives: a short statement about your career goals which might include interest in academia versus private practice, research, and fellowships. It is best to lean toward academics and maintain ties to research for application and interview purposes, as this will increase your likelihood of receiving interviews at the more academic (and generally more esteemed) institutions
  • Specialty-related electives and activities
  • Public service and activities
  • Self-identification as URM (optional checkbox): AAO hosts a Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring (MOM) program for applicants who identify as Black or African American, Hispanic, or Latino, and/or Native American (American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian) to increase the diversity in the field of ophthalmology. These students are eligible for one-on-one mentoring to help them be competitive residency applicants.

The earliest date residency programs can view your application is in early September. There is no advantage to submitting your application before the designated date, as applications will not be released before then. However, some programs have later deadlines – these details can be found on SF Match or the program's website. While working on your application, you should check the "preview" at the end of each section and the "final preview" at the end of your application to see the final PDF version programs will be seeing. You may find that the formatting in the generated PDF looks drastically different from what you entered. You may find bold formatting, extra spaces, or even abrupt truncation of your information if it doesn't fit in the size constraints of the text box. This also applies to what you have copied and pasted from Word, so check carefully!

You will spend many exhausting hours preparing your application, but keep in mind the person reviewing your application will probably be skimming the entire thing in under a minute -- make this person's life easy. It is important to carefully organize your information, include dates, and be concise. Avoid full paragraphs for the majority of your application. You can copy and paste bullets from Microsoft Word, use hyphens as bullets, or utilize a combination of both for multi-leveled lists. The only section that warrants a full paragraph, in our opinion, is the "Career Objectives" section. Current residents are a great fund of knowledge about the general application process and examples of successful CAS applications. Often, they may be willing to share their past application with you as a guide.

Additional Documents to Upload

Autobiographical Statement

In 2021, the AUPO announced that it will replace the traditional personal statement (PS) with a shorter autobiographical statement (500 words) and your choice of two personal short-answer questions (250 words each). The options for short-answer questions include: [4]

  1.  What does resilience mean to you? Describe a situation in your personal or professional life where you have demonstrated resilience.
  2. Describe an important mentor and relate how that person has been helpful to you.
  3. Describe a way in which you will add diversity to your residency class. This may relate to your background, upbringing, life experiences, professional/personal interest, or educational path.
  4. If you were to start an ophthalmology residency program, what would be the three core values you would base it on?

The autobiographical statement is similar to the traditional PS, as they both consist of a single page capturing your unique background, describing who you are, your aspirations, and your path to ophthalmology. This statement is an opportunity to grab the attention of the person reading your application, but do not go too far with your creativity. It is often better to not take too many chances as it can cause you to stand out in an unfavorable way. Provide just enough information about interesting events and experiences to pique the reader's interest, but intentionally leave out detail so they are salivating for more. Your goal is to generate a desire in the reader to interview you so they may ask further questions and create easy discussion points during your interview day. Give them examples that demonstrate important qualities of a resident and future ophthalmologist such as intelligence, fine motor skills, attention to detail, self-driven learning, and the ability to communicate with others. Let them connect the dots without explicitly mentioning how these activities relate to the field, then bring everything together in a grand conclusion paragraph. Revise, revise, revise, and ask for opinions from both people familiar with ophthalmology (especially with the admissions process) and people familiar with you. When you think you are done, put your statement down for a week, then revise it again. The PS is a very important piece of your application package, and you want it to leave a lasting impression. CCOM has PS advice and examples at their website. Remember, ERAS will still require a traditional PS, so you are not fully off the hook from preparing this important document.

Sounding unoriginal or overly flowery in your personal/autobiographical statement ("the eye is the window to the soul…") may easily disadvantage your application. If you do have a visual disability or problems with fine stereopsis and depth perception, please discuss this with a trusted ophthalmologist, as this may impact your surgical ability and fit for the field. Be very careful about how you word each sentence and the conclusion to which a critical reader may jump. Those reviewing your statement will be carefully searching for any clue that may give them a reason not to invite you to interview. Finally, and most importantly, do not misspell ophthalmology!

Letters of Recommendation

You can only send three letters to each program but can request as many letters as you wish. You can pick and choose which letters you want sent to specific programs. At least one letter from an ophthalmologist is required. Most choose to send 2 ophthalmology letters and 1 non-ophthalmology letter, while some choose to send 3 ophthalmology letters. You will initiate a letter request through the SF Match website and your letter writers will upload their submissions directly; you will be able to see when these have been uploaded. Make sure to "check" the box waiving your right to view the letter. Remember to thank your letter writers and keep them updated with where you match!

Transcripts

The SF Match requires applicants to obtain and upload official transcripts for all undergraduate, graduate, and medical schools they have attended. If you took any classes at another college, include these as well if they are related to your science or pre‐medical degree. If not, they are not required (for example, there is no need to request a transcript for a SCUBA certification course, even if it was for college credit).

USMLE Board Scores

You must also include a copy of all USMLE scores you have received thus far. Upload the free student print‐out, including the score breakdown, that is available by logging in to the USMLE website. This is the same PDF report you checked to discover your score(s) for the first time.

Additionally, USMLE scores are released to the SF Match program electronically when you give them permission on their website. They give you the option of automatically updating your application whenever a new score becomes available, but it is in your best interest to decline. If you do receive your Step 2 score during the application process, you then have the option of releasing it to programs if you scored well, while retaining it if you didn't. However, this calculus may change or not be an option after Step 1 becomes pass-fail.

AOA Induction Letter

Finally, upload your AOA induction letter if you have received one.

Supplemental Information

There are some programs that will ask for supplemental information, such as a CV, short essay indicating interest, and even a recent eye exam with color vision testing. You can list personal ties to a geographic area in this portion, if applicable, however make sure to also include a separate interest in their program, such as a specific mentor or institution-specific opportunity.

Submission

Each year a "target date" in late August or early September is provided on a timetable posted on the SF Match website. Programs individually set deadlines, and some are as quite early, so make sure to find the dates for the programs to which you are applying!

Dean's Letter (MSPE)

The Dean's Letter is a generic summary of your academic achievements and extracurricular involvement. It includes the comments you have received on your evaluation forms during your second and third years as well as your performance in each class as compared to your peers. The letter is compiled and automatically sent to SF Match and ERAS after it is released (late September). Although this letter was previously frequently overlooked, it has become more important as the number of applicants per program has substantially increased over time.

Program List

The final component of the online application is a list of all programs to which you would like your application to be submitted. Choosing programs can be tricky and is discussed later in this guide. You are billed for each program you include, and this price rises incrementally as you apply to more programs (Table 1). If you are submitting a well‐pruned list, it is in your best interest to determine your definitive list prior to submitting your application, as later add‐ons come at an inflated price of $35 per program regardless of how many programs were selected in the initial distribution. If you are initially applying to over 40 programs, you will be paying $35 each at that point anyway, so there is no increase in price for later add‐ons.

No. Programs

Cost

1 - 10

$60 total

11 - 20

$10 per program

21 - 30

$15 per program

31 - 40

$20 per program

41+

$35 per program

Table 1. SF Match CAS distribution fees. [7]

Choosing Ophthalmology Programs

Selecting the programs to which you should send your application can be a daunting task. There are currently between 120 and 130 ophthalmology residency programs in the country (search Doximity for a complete list). If you can hone in on a specific geographic region or two, that will narrow the options considerably. However, this may not be possible as the best programs are sprinkled across the country. There are a variety of websites providing information on programs, but you must take this with a grain of salt because there is no way to be certain who is writing the reviews. Some of these sites include Reddit's r/medicalschool and r/ophthalmology, TexasStar data, and the annual OphthoMatch Google Sheets. You should also use department websites to learn about what specific programs have to offer.

U.S. News & World Report continues to rate ophthalmology clinics annually, but it does not specifically rank residency programs (Table 2). [8] Doximity and the Ophthalmology Times rank residency programs based on a number of factors, including research, patient care, and teaching (Tables 3 and 4). [9-10] Nobody knows exactly how reliable these rankings are, and while the exact order is often debated, any program appearing in the "top 10" is generally highly regarded. 

 

1. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Univ. of Miami

6. University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

11. New York Eye & Ear
Mount Sinai Hospitals

2. Wills Eye Hospital
Thomas Jefferson

7. Duke University Eye Center

12. Roski Eye Institute
Univ. of Southern California

3. Wilmer Eye Institute
Johns Hopkins

8. WK Kellogg Eye Center
Univ. of Michigan

13. Moran Eye Center
Univ. of Utah

4. Mass. Eye & Ear
Harvard

9. UCSF Medical Center

5. Stein & Doheny Eye
UCLA

10. Cole Eye Institute
Cleveland Clinic

Table 2. U.S. News & World Report best hospitals for ophthalmology, 2020 [8]

 

1. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Univ. of Miami

6. Moran Eye Center
Univ. of Utah

2. Wills Eye Hospital
Thomas Jefferson

7. WK Kellogg Eye Center
Univ. of Michigan

3. University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

8. Mass. Eye & Ear
Harvard

4. Wilmer Eye Institute
Johns Hopkins

9. Duke University
Eye Center

5. Stein & Doheny Eye
UCLA

10. Cullen Eye Institute
Baylor College of Medicine

Table 3. Doximity residency program rankings, 2020 [9]


Best Overall

Best Research

Best Clinical Care

Best Residency

1. Wilmer Eye Institute (tie)
Johns Hopkins

1. Wilmer Eye Institute
Johns Hopkins

1. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Univ. of Miami

1. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Univ. of Miami

1. Bascom Palmer (tie)
Univ. of Miami

2. Mass. Eye & Ear
Harvard

2. Wilmer Eye Institute
Johns Hopkins

2. Mass Eye & Ear
Harvard

3. Mass. Eye & Ear
Harvard

3. WK Kellogg Eye Center
Univ. of Michigan

3. Wills Eye Hospital
Thomas Jefferson

3. Wilmer Eye Institute
Johns Hopkins

4. WK Kellogg Eye Center
Univ. of Michigan

4. Bascom Palmer
Univ. of Miami

4. Massachusetts Eye & Ear
Harvard

4. Wills Eye Hospital
Thomas Jefferson

5. Wills Eye Hospital
Thomas Jefferson

5. Duke University
Eye Center

5. University of Iowa

5. WK Kellogg Eye Center
Univ. of Michigan

6. Duke University
Eye Center

6. Stein & Doheny Eye
UCLA

6. WK Kellogg Eye Center
Univ. of Michigan

6. University of Iowa

7. University of Iowa

7. Casey Eye Institute
Univ. of Oregon

7. Duke University
Eye Center

7. Duke University
Eye Center

8. Stein & Doheny Eye
UCLA

8. Cole Eye Institute
Cleveland Clinic

8. Cole Eye Institute
Cleveland Clinic

8. Casey Eye Institute
Univ. of Oregon

9. Casey Eye Institute
Univ. of Oregon

9. Byers Eye
Stanford

9. Casey Eye Institute
Univ. of Oregon

9. Moran Eye Center
Univ. of Utah

10. Cole Eye Institute
Cleveland Clinic

10. University of Iowa

10. Stein & Doheny Eye
UCLA

10. Stein & Doheny Eye
UCLA

11. Moran Eye Center
Univ. of Utah

11. Wills Eye Hospital
Thomas Jefferson

11. Emory Eye Care Center

11. Cole Eye Institute
Cleveland Clinic

12. Byers Eye
Stanford

12. Moran Eye Center
Univ. of Utah

12. Moran Eye Center
Univ. of Utah

12. Rocky Mountains Lions Eye Institute 
Univ. of Colorado

Table 4. Ophthalmology Times residency program rankings, 2020 [10]

You can find out a fair amount of information on your own, but the best resources, by far, are faculty members, residents, and fellows in the department. Ophthalmology is a relatively small field and there is a good chance these people have colleagues and friends at other institutions. This provides wonderful insight that rankings will not specify, such as whether the atmosphere is "malignant," if residents seem happy, and how prepared residents are after graduation. They may also know of upcoming changes to a program that may not otherwise be advertised during the interview process. Ask your mentor(s) if you can meet to discuss your application and suitable programs for the strength of your application. At Iowa, Dr. Tom Oetting and Dr. Pavlina Kemp are always happy to meet with students for this purpose. There is good reason to meet with a knowledgeable person who is able to match your application strength with the programs to which you should apply. The residency match works differently than applying to college where you can apply to safety schools and be confident you will be accepted. Residency programs take pride in matching applicants at the top of their rank lists. If you are a super‐applicant, a lower‐tier residency program may not rank you highly or even interview you because they know you are not going to end up at their program. They often prefer to use their top-ranking positions on applicants whom they think will end up at their program so they match higher on their list. It sounds silly, but it's the way the match system works. You want to diversify between program strength to a certain extent, but your program list needs to be matched to your application strength. To summarize, applying to lower‐tier schools with a competitive application may not net you many interviews in the same way that applying to competitive schools with a weak application won't.

Another consideration is whether you intend to go into private practice or academics. Some programs are more well‐known for research and producing academic physicians while others are more tailored toward training comprehensive ophthalmologists going into private practice. In most circumstances, programs like applicants that show some interest in academics. There is also a section of your application asking what your aspirations are as a future physician.

There is no set number of programs that is right for everyone and the majority of applicants end up applying to many more than they should. The average number of applications per matched individual are 77 and 80 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. (Figure 2). [1,3] Depending on how competitive your application is, it may be a worthwhile investment to apply to a higher-than-average number of programs to increase your odds of receiving a sufficient number of interview offers. Discussing your application's competitiveness with a trusted ophthalmology mentor can help you have a realistic view of how many programs to which you should apply.

Summary of number of applications and positions for 2019-2021

Figure 2. Summary of number of applications and positions for 2019-2021 [3]

Choosing Programs for Intern Year

The ACGME has mandated that by July 2023 all US ophthalmology programs are to provide a joint or integrated program for PGY-1. This is wonderful, as future applicants no longer have to apply to ophthalmology programs AND preliminary/ transitional year programs, which saves time and money!

Previously, only a few ophthalmology programs in the country, including the University of Iowa, had integrated intern years. The transition to joint and integrated programs is a tremendous advantage in many ways. You will have an entire year to familiarize yourself with the location, hospital systems, and electronic medical record, prior to starting ophthalmology residency.  Meeting individuals in other departments is useful as you will be interacting with these people during consultations as an ophthalmology resident during your next 3 years. Finally, and most importantly, you will receive additional ophthalmology training during your intern year, which you would not otherwise receive in the more traditional internships.

NEXT PAGE: Interviews

last updated: August 2021; originally posted 8/13/2015
  • Printer-friendly version (pdf)pdf version
  • Tran C, Balakrishnan U, Kemp P. The Iowa Guide to the Ophthalmology Match. EyeRounds.org. Updated August 2021; Available from: https://www.EyeRounds.org/
    tutorials/Iowa-Guide-to-the-Ophthalmology-Match/
  Share this page: