Students at the UAB School of Optometry receive clinical training at UAB Eye Care, affiliated sites throughout the Birmingham area and through the externship program.
UAB Eye Care, which is housed within the UAB School of Optometry, is a 34,000-square-foot clinical teaching facility with five service modules, including Cornea and Contact Lens, Ocular Disease and Low Vision, Optical Services, Pediatrics and Binocular Vision and Primary Care.
Specialty clinics at UAB Eye Care also provide third- and fourth-year students with unique clinical learning experiences. These clinics include general ophthalmology, retinal specialist, pediatric neurology, vision therapy, developmental vision, mild traumatic brain injuries, myopia control and dry eye relief.
Students also learn by providing clinical care at numerous sites in the Birmingham area. Through Community Eye Care, UAB Eye Care’s community outreach group, students provide comprehensive eye exams at several locations, including Western Health Center in Midfield, Alabama.
Clinical experiences are available to students at several affiliated sites and through the externship program. Altogether, an individual student spends about 2,000 hours during their optometric education in a supervised clinical setting examining patients, providing a diagnosis and a treatment plan to patients.
Affiliated clinics include:
- Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind in Talladega, Alabama
- Bell Center (an early intervention center for children at risk of developmental delays)
- Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation
- LINCpoint (a United Cerebral Palsy center)
- Low Birth Weight Clinic
- Nursing homes in Birmingham and surrounding areas